Once upon a time the biggest concern about Kaine Baldwin was he might be too professional for his own good.
That was before two knee reconstructions threatened to end his AFL career before it started, after he was projected as a top-10 draft pick as a 16-year-old.
Baldwin, who will make a fairytale AFL debut for Essendon against Geelong on Saturday, captained South Australia’s triumphant under-16 team in 2018 and earned All-Australian honours.
Recruiters were all over him, according to South Australia’s under-18 coach Tony Bamford, who saw Matthew Pavlich-like traits in the teenage key forward prospect from Glenelg.
Bamford pulled Baldwin aside around the same time to tell him he feared he was “too serious, too early” but was assured he still found time for fun.
“I saw a kid who just would not make a blue, on or off the field, and was so driven to be perfect,” Bamford told News Corp.
“We had a player in our squad the year before who was a bit like that … I was worried he was not being a teenager and was trying too hard to be an adult.
“I remember at the end of 2018, when he had our SANFL state teams presentation night. It just so happened that I was going up on stage after Kaine did his thank you speech as captain of the under-16s.
“I felt nervous going up after hearing him speak – he was that impressive. Here’s a kid who’s 16 years of age who just delivered an unbelievably modest and gracious speech on behalf of his teammates.”
Baldwin suffered an ACL rupture early the next year but his football trajectory dramatically changed the following season when he required a second right knee operation.
Scans revealed an 80 per cent tear on the second one, and ex-Crow-turned-knee surgeon Matthew Liptak, who performed both operations, noted he avoided extra damage on both occasions.
Liptak’s daughter, Ruby, was Westminster School’s vice-captain in 2020, when Baldwin was school captain.
“But that’s when clubs started to say, ‘We can’t draft a kid who’s had two knee reconstructions until we see him get over it fully’,” Bamford said.
South Australia’s junior coaches still thought there was no chance Baldwin’s name wouldn’t be calxjmtzywled out in at least the rookie draft.
They were wrong. But the eternally driven Baldwin had already planned his next step.
He was leaving South Australia to study health sciences at Bond University on the Gold Coast, join the Suns’ Academy and play football for Labrador.
The idea was once Baldwin started playing he would almost certainly be the No.1 pick in the 2021 mid-season draft.
But Essendon didn’t want to risk losing access to him and secretly flew him to Tullamarine for private testing before signing him in March last year.
The Bombers stripped back Baldwin’s recovery and started again, and he finally played again in an otherwise nondescript scratch match last August.
Baldwin’s continued to impress ever since reaching that milestone, to the point he will make his AFL debut, at age 19, on Saturday at the MCG.
“It didn’t surprise me one bit that he’s got back playing but what’s surprised me is how quickly he’s going to play league football,” Bamford said.
“He told me he’s lost no speed and his agility is better. That’s obviously got a fair bit to do with having stronger legs and a stronger core.
“I knew he was going to be smart enough and talented enough but I wasn’t sure if his body would hold up athletically or if he could still turn at full steam – but he’s shown he can.”
