Deledio gives word of warning
Rebecca Williams
Herald-Sun
25nov05
RICHMOND'S rising star Brett Deledio has urged tomorrow's No. 1 national draft pick not to get carried away by the tag of being the best young player in the land.
The No. 1 selection in last year's national draft, Deledio said yesterday the order that players were taken in the draft held little weight when they arrived at an AFL club.
Talented Oakleigh midfielder Marc Murphy is all but certain to be taken at No. 1 by Carlton with its priority pick in tomorrow's national draft.
But Deledio said every rookie player was on the same footing once they walked into a new club.
"It (No. 1) is only where you are selected at. It's not a brand that gets given to you," the Kyabram teenager said yesterday.
"You can't look at it as though you've been branded, `I'm the best player this year'. You're the same as everyone else.
"That's the way you get treated down at the club. You've just got to look at it that way."
Deledio played against Murphy in last year's national under-18 championships and was also a teammate in the under-17 Victorian cricket side.
He said he had been impressed with what he had seen of this year's Vic Metro captain, the son of Fitzroy great John Murphy.
"He got a lot of the footy the day we played against him last year, so he's pretty good," Deledio said.
"He's a very good footballer. Obviously it's going to be a step up for him (to the AFL), but just get used to it to start off with and it will come to him naturally.
"He just needs go out there and play footy the way he always has done.
"It's always talked up about the pressures (of being No. 1 pick), but you've just got to go out there and play footy."
Deledio was the hot tip to be taken as the No. 1 pick throughout his final year in the under-18s, and his debut season at Punt Rd did not disappoint.
The 18-year-old played all 22 home-and-away games for the Tigers in 2005, earning the national rising star award.
Despite his smooth transition from the Murray Bushrangers in the TAC Cup to the AFL, Deledio admitted his debut season had been a learning curve.
"I have learned that you can't take short-cuts," Deledio said.
"You've got to do everything properly and make sure you prepare yourself right, recover right and do all the right rehabilitation to make sure you are right for the next season."
While this year's draft hopefuls are sure to use Deledio as an example for their entry into the AFL, the young Tigers star said he used another No. 1 pick as a role model.
Deledio said he had closely monitored the progress of Western Bulldogs midfielder Adam Cooney, the top pick in the 2003 draft, this season.
"I watched Adam Cooney, and if I can do some of the sort of stuff that he did this year, I would be more than happy," Deledio said.
"I have watched how he went this year and he went really well this year. If I can try and go as well as he did, I'd be stoked."
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