Foley's up at the draft camp.......Same destination, different journeys
richmondfc.com.au
By Nathan Foley
4:13 PM Wed 01 October, 2008
THIS week I am attending my first NAB AFL Draft Camp.
Having been overlooked for an invitation in 2003, I am now here as an AFL player with Richmond.
What's amazed me is how daunting the process must be for the 75 youngsters that are here at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
There are more than 150 AFL officials here and seeing the likes of Michael Voss must be quite nerve racking for the young men coming through the system.
Of course, that's one way of looking at it. The other is that it is a massive opportunity to impress in front of the AFL coaches and recruiters.
Once you're invited, you're obviously a realistic chance of being drafted. But then it's up to the individual to show his capabilities in events such as the beep test and vertical leap.
Debunking perceptions is also an important part of the process. Some recruiters or coaches might think a particular player is slow, but then all of a sudden, that player blows the 20-metre sprint test away.
That might be enough to sway the recruiters that the player is worth drafting.
For me, I was one of many who have come through the alternate AFL route, having been drafted as a rookie.
At the moment, the best example of a player not coming through the draft system is Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell, who has just held up the premiership cup.
Mitchell wasn't even drafted as a rookie and was initially overlooked in the NAB AFL Draft.
He had to hone his craft with Box Hill in the VFL and was eventually given an opportunity by Hawthorn at No.36 in the 2001 AFL Draft.
I was still fortunate enough to be drafted as a top-age under-18 rookie, but Mitchell had to forge his path through the VFL before his moment of glory last Saturday.
Another great recent AFL story is St Kilda's James Gwilt.
Gwilt was plucked from suburban Melbourne football club Noble Park and was a member of St Kilda's preliminary final team this year.
There are several ways of breaking into top level footy, and that was one of the messages AFL national and international talent manager Kevin Sheehan spoke of at the start of the camp.
It's also pleasing to hear the AFL keeping a reality check in the draft camp process, as not everyone here will be drafted.
On average 48 of the 75 camp attendees will be drafted in November and a further 12 players from the state-based screenings will also be selected in the AFL Draft.
What that emphasises is just how difficult it is to be drafted.
I know when I was coming through the ranks I definitely wanted to attend the Draft Camp, because I knew if I was invited, I was a genuine chance to be picked up.
Although I missed out, I was still fortunate enough to attend the Victorian state-based screening, which was a great opportunity.
And although I wasn't lucky enough to attend the Draft Camp, it remains a great opportunity for so many other footballers.
http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=68504
