Craig O’Donoghue: Sam Konstas’ debut was so much fun and that’s why more youngsters deserve sporting chances

Never underestimate the importance of sporting youth. Sam Konstas’ exhilarating debut was everything we love about youngsters being given the chance to play at the highest level. And it’s a reminder to everyone that we should never discount someone based on their tender age. How often do we hear people say “he’s only 19” or “he’s young” when discussing reasons for not picking someone. Young players have plenty to learn but they also come without baggage or fear and with ideas most of their teammates and even their coaches would never even consider. Case in point: Konstas’ decision to try ramping the best bowler in the world during the third over of the Boxing Day test. Not only that, having missed the ball, he kept playing the shot and also ran down the wicket at the other fast bowlers while playing in a style that is so different that fans, teammates and opponents were laughing. Konstas plays differently because he’s part of a different generation and that’s great for sport. He’s the guy who sang the national anthem at the top of his lungs and ran out to the middle of the MCG to face the first ball instead of strolling out to the non-striker’s end. That’s the joy of sport and that’s what happens when you give youth an opportunity to shine. Konstas was all the rage leading into the summer after scoring centuries in both innings against South Australia in October. But he had to wait until Boxing Day to get his chance after selectors picked Nathan McSweeney to open even though he’s always batted in the middle order. You can’t pick youngsters just because they’re young. They need to have the talent. But when that talent is evident, the rewards for picking them far outweigh the risks. Will they make mistakes? Yep. That’s why it’s important to have leaders around them. There’s a fine line between picking a young player and selecting a young team But underestimate youth at your peril. Teenagers can vote, drive and join the army to defend a nation. Youngsters see a world full of possibilities. Mark Zuckerberg wrote the code for Facebook when he was 19. Some of the world’s best tennis players are in Perth competing in the United Cup. American Coco Gauff is ranked third in the world at 20 and was only 19 when she won the US Open. Brisbane’s Will Ashcroft won the Norm Smith Medal in September at 20. His teammate Kai Lohmann booted four goals as a 21-year-old. Nick Daicos has been tearing the AFL apart since his debut. At 21 he’s got two top-three finishes in the Brownlow Medal. Luke Jackson helped to turn the 2021 grand final as a 19-year-old. Harley Reid was giving fend offs to seasoned AFL stars in his first season. Fremantle’s last four Doig Medal winners have been 23, 22, 22 and 23. They debuted early and learnt the ropes by playing with and against the best. The beauty of Konstas was that he arrived with a plan. There’d been talk of him ramping the fast bowlers in the nets. He didn’t just make a spur of the moment decision to play a risky shot. He’d prepared. Konstas also charged down the wicket at pace bowlers forced India to spread the field. Then, he made the most of the gaps. He was smart. He had India rattled. The smiles and admiration for his bold play turned to concerns about how to get him out. It led to Virat Kohli making the bizarre decision to bump Konstas. It wasn’t the youngster who was losing composure. It was the experienced veteran. It’s also ironic that so many experienced Aussies were dismissed attacking at the wrong time where as the man who attacked the bowlers the most was dismissed playing a defensive stroke. But when Konstas walks out to bat in the second innings, he’ll believe he’s capable of anything. And India won’t know how to plan for him. The other thing that is certain is people will tune in to watch him bat. Australian cricket suddenly has has a marketing dream. Teenagers will be watching intently. The 15-year-old batter playing junior cricket on Saturday morning can’t relate to Steve Smith or Marnus Labuschagne. But they’ll feel part of Konstas’ experience. They’ll be filled with hope and possibility. Every 15-year-old athlete throughout this country knows that people who are three years older than them are playing AFL and NRL. But they have been taught to believe that cricket requires more patience. Now, they can see a quicker path to the top and that’s massive for the sport. Getting more views is massive for the sport too. People who don’t even like cricket have been talking about Konstas. The buzz surrounding him was filtering through social media algorithms and heard throughout households. Anyone older than 19 could recall what it was like to be that age and what the moment would have been like. Anyone younger was dreaming of following in his footsteps. We all have a damn good reason to sit down and watch when he bats again. Give youth the chance to shine. Whitney Houston sang “I believe the children are our future” and “let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be.” Konstas is the future and he approaches the game like he doesn’t have a care in the world.