REX Liddy could have been the Far North's next Matt Bowen if he wasn't destined to follow in the footsteps of Courtenay Dempsey and Jarrod Harbrow.  

The 17-year-old Australian rules prodigy has the same stunning sidestep as his famous uncle who plays for the North Queensland Cowboys.

And like Bowen, Liddy hails from the rugby league-mad town of Hope Vale. But that’s where the comparisons end. Liddy’s life took a dramatic turn when he became involved in an AFL Kickstart program.

He came under the wing of Crusaders coach Rick Hanlon, made the under-12 state team and was offered a scholarship to Peace Lutheran College in Cairns.

A Michael Voss scholarship then took Liddy to the state’s’ south-east where he has continued his stunning development into one of the hottest AFL prospects in the country.

Liddy trains with the Gold Coast Football Club and is keen to follow Far Northerners Dempsey (Essendon) and Harbrow (Western Bulldogs) into the AFL. But that doesn’t mean he avoids reminders of his rugby league upbringing. "At training people make funny jokes because I’ve got a sidestep on me and whenever I do it they call out ‘Matty Bowen’."

Liddy may use another sidestep next season by avoiding the AFL draft. He is keen to join the Gold Coast and hopes to sign a contract when he turns 18 next January. The club will compete in the AFL in 2011.

Liddy credits Hanlon, who is the AFL Queensland indigenous program manager, with helping put him on the path to stardom and catches up with his old mate when he returns to Cairns.

"He’s real proud of me, he jumps out of his seat and give me a big hug," Liddy said of Hanlon. "He’s brought blokes like Dempsey and Harbrow through the ranks and hopefully I’ll be the third bloke."

A hamstring injury and knee surgery have kept Liddy out of action for most of the year but he returned at the weekend to play for Queensland under-18s in the side’s loss to Tasmania. "It was good getting back into footy. I played a good game and had a couple of touches and I was pretty happy with my performance and so were the coaches."

Liddy’s return to action will come as a relief to parents Leeann and Brian who follow their son’s every move. "They are really proud of me. They ring me up nearly every night asking how my day’s going and how training is and they are supporting me really well."

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna has also kept a close eye on Liddy’s progress since he shocked the club’s coaching staff by bench pressing 110kg at his first training session.

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