Ahead of this week’s much-anticipated 2021 AFL Draft, PETER ARGENT looks at players from grassroots country football in the second decade of this century.
At the 2011 national draft held in Sydney, after the first five picks were taken by new franchise GWS Giants, Port Adelaide collected left-footed Murray Bridge Imperials young gun Chad Wingard.
Already known as a driven character who knew exactly what he wanted out of football, Wingard played in an A grade premiership at his foundation club in 2009.
“He would have started but only being 60kg and just 16-years-old at the time, we thought it was more prudent to start him on the bench,” said his Imperials flag-winning coach Tony Fielke, also a SANFL league footballer from the Riverland himself.
“He came on 19 minutes into first quarter – kicking five goals, including three of the most freakish you’d wish to see, in the style you’ve enjoyed seeing him produce at AFL level across the past decade.
“I mentored Chad through his early years and had no doubts about his ability.”
A couple of lads from the South East, Lachlan Neale and Lincoln McCarthy, are both currently playing at the Brisbane Lions.
Neale, a Kybybolite Tiger, won the Alan Stewart Medal in the SANFL under 18s Grand Final of 2011 despite the Bays’ loss and coupled that with a Brownlow Medal in the Covid year of 2000.
Neale’s junior coach at Glenelg, Wayne Smith, was always confident he was going to have a significant impact on our national football code.
“Lachie had broken a bone and his arm and was in a sling,” Smith recalled.
“I was driving through the streets of Glenelg, out of season and I saw Lachie bouncing a footy on the footpath with the hand he could use.
“I rang our development manager at the Bays, Brenton Hole, straight away and said this lad will make it.”
Brenton Hole has played a big role in a number of Glenelg talents from the South East, including Linc McCarthy and his adjustment to the rigors of city life after he moved up to Adelaide from the Bordertown Roosters.
In 2012, after playing a couple seasons of league footy with North Adelaide, Sam Mayes, a Ports Bulldog from Port Pirie, was a first round selection for Brisbane.
That season, the younger of the Murdoch siblings, Brodie, from Mid South East club Port MacDonnell, followed his brother Jordan onto an AFL list.
Their grand-father, Bill Murdoch, was a legend of country footy, playing upwards of 500 games and still coaching A grade footy in his 80s.
Already a premiership player at West Gambier, athletic key position player Tim O’Brien was collected by the Hawks.
Hawthorn also took a chance on the lightning quick and skilful Amos Frank from the APY Lands in the rookie draft of 2012.
Angaston Panthers pair Sam Colquhoun and Jack Hannath had to wait until the pre-season draft of 2013 to find their way onto an AFL list – Colquhoun, under 18s MVP, with the Power and Hannath, now working with SANFL’s elite junior program, to Fremantle.
South Clare Demons’ Luke Dunstan, captain of SA’s first National Under 18s championship side in 2013, was taken in the first round by the Saints, while his junior colts premiership team mate Riley Knight was selected the same year by the Crows.
Riley Knight’s father, Rob, coached both his son and Luke Dunstan for six years at the NEFL Demons.
“Each started in sub-mini colts at the club, with both about six years old,” Knight said.
“Both debuted in our under 14s (Junior Colts) as 10-year-olds and were very young (just 14) when they first played an A grade game at South Clare.
“I was their Junior Colts coach for three years.
“In our first year we only won a single game, the last game of the year against BBH at Burra and the boys did a lap of honour they were that excited.
“In the second year, the scores were locked away at three quarter time in the grand final against Eudunda-Robertstown and we went down by seven points.
“Third season we got the flag, knocked off the Southern Saints, to gain some revenge.
“Luke and Riley played state SAPSASA, under 16s and under 18s together.
“They were both different – Riley is a running machine, while Luke is a power athlete.”
Held in Adelaide, the 2016 AFL Draft had athletic talent Aaron Francis from the Riverland collected by Essendon at number six overall, while Millicent Saints lad Mason Redman also was secured by the Dees.
After starting in the junior grades at Alberton, Tumby Bay lad Luke Partington moved across to Norwood and was collected in the second round by West Coast.
In 2019 he returned to Glenelg and won a Magarey Medal in the Bays’ premiership season, being in a special club of two, with only George “Blue” Johnston to have achieved both in the same year back in 1934.
Perhaps to most unique journey out of grassroots football is Barossa District player Jack Madgen’s rise to AFL ranks.
He was secured by Collingwood in the 2018 Category B rookie selection from basketball, after not having played football for a number of seasons.
Back in 2010, Jack won the BLG Senior Colts media award (Barracker- Coop Footballer of the Year).
He would play Colts football in the morning, suit up and play for Roger James in the A grade in the afternoon and then go out and play hoops in the evening with the Eastern Mavericks in what we now call NBL1 basketball.
He then spent four years at Delta State College in Cleveland, Mississippi, excelling in its basketball program and gaining a marketing degree.
“Jack was always driven to get the most out of his natural sporting talents,” his coach at Barossa District, SA Football Hall of Famer Roger James said.
“His work ethic was outstanding and he had solid all-round skills to back that up.
“At A grade level, I asked Jack to ruck against some big and solid opponents we had in the BLG competition.
“He is a great young man, from a really good family with his parents, Deb and Gene, true salt-of-the-earth characters.”
After four years of American College basketball and a short stint with the Cairns Taipans, Madgen started at Collingwood, standing “Buddy” Franklin on debut.
Two members of Melbourne’s premiership success this year, West Coast lad Harrison Petty (2017) and Tom Sparrow (2018), had come from rural clubs.
Sparrow hails from Bridgewater in the Hills, while Petty, who’s sister Hannah is an accomplished netballer, coming from Wudinna on the Eyre Peninsula and was playing both winter and summer sport against men.
Number five pick in the 2018 draft was a lad from the South Augusta Bulldogs, Connor Rozee.
In the 2019 second round selection were a couple of housemates, Mintaro-Manoora talent Harry Schoenberg and Lucindale lad Will Gould who became mates at Prince Alfred College.
Schoenberg is the grandson of Eudunda icon Greg Post.
A couple of lads from the Yorke Peninsula, who also shared a dwelling while studying at Henley High, were Bute’s Lachie Jones, who had a debut to remember with the Power this year, and Ardrossan’s Caleb Poulter, who took strong steps in his first year at Collingwood in ‘21.
2011 Draft
Rd Pick no
1 6 Chad Wingard Sturt Port Adelaide
Priority 29 Alex Forster Norwood Fremantle
2 46 Nicholas Joyce WWT Eagles Adelaide
2 48 Jordan Murdoch Glenelg Geelong
3 58 Lachie Neale Glenelg Fremantle
3 66 Lincoln McCarthy Glenelg Geelong
4 71 Cameron Sutcliffe WWT Eagles Fremantle
2011 Rookie Draft (effective the 2010 draft)
2 32 Jake von Bertouch Woodville-West Torrens Adelaide
2012 Draft
1 8 Sam Mayes North Adelaide Brisbane Lions
2 28 Tim O’Brien Glenelg Hawthorn
2 40 Brodie Murdoch Glenelg St Kilda
4 66 Kaiden Brand West Adelaide Hawthorn
4 77 Brad Hartman Sturt Geelong
2012 Rookie Draft
2 34 Amos Frank WWT Eagles Hawthorn
2013 Draft
1 18 Luke Dunstan WWT Eagles St Kilda
2 31 Malcolm Karpany WWT Eagles West Coast Eagles
2 32 George Hewett North Adelaide Sydney
3 39 Cameron Giles WWT Eagles Carlton
3 42 Matt Fuller Norwood Western Bulldogs
3 46 Riley Knight WWT Eagles Adelaide
2013 Rookie Draft
1 3 Nathan Stark Glenelg Melbourne
1 6 Nicholas Hayes WWT Eagles Brisbane Lions
2 19 Mitch Clisby North Adelaide Melbourne
2013 pre-season Draft
1 3 Sam Colquhoun Central District Port Adelaide
1 8 Jack Hannath Central District Fremantle
2014 Draft
1 16 Sam Durdin West Adelaide North Melbourne
3 55 Dean Gore Sturt Geelong Hahndorf Magpies
2014 Rookie Draft
2 29 Sam Gray Port Adelaide Port Adelaide
3 35 Alexis Georgiou Melbourne Norwood
3 46 Zachary Bates West Adelaide Geelong
2015 Draft
1 6 Aaron Francis West Adelaide Essendon
2 28 Luke Partington Norwood West Coast
2 30 Mason Redman Glenelg Essendon
4 56 Jordan Dawson Sturt Sydney
4 62 Matthew Allen Glenelg West Coast
7 70 Matthew Hayball West Adelaide Geelong
2015 Rookie Draft
2 27 Keenan Ramsey Port Adelaide Adelaide
3 51 Johann Wagner Central District Port Adelaide (“The Recruit”)
2016 Draft
Nil
2016 Rookie Draft
1 3 Tom Keough West Adelaide Gold Coast
2 28 Cameron Hewett North Adelaide Port Adelaide
2 31 Jonathon Beech West Adelaide Adelaide
2017 Draft
1 12 Darcy Fogarty Glenelg Adelaide
2 20 Callum Coleman-Jones Sturt Richmond
2 37 Harrison Petty Norwood Melbourne
3 49 Jordan Houlahan Sturt Essendon Mount Barker
4 59 Mitch Crowden Sturt Fremantle Meadows
4 61 Dom Barry Glenelg Port Adelaide
4 66 Brandon Zerk-Thatcher Sturt Essendon
2017 Rookie Draft
2 20 Mitch Hinge Glenelg Brisbane Lions
3 42 Jarrod Lienert Sturt Port Adelaide
4 54 Toby Pink Glenelg Sydney
2018 Draft
1 5 Connor Rozee North Adelaide Port Adelaide
1 14 Jackson Hately Central District GWS Giants
1 23 Jez McLennan Central District Gold Coast
2 27 Tom Sparrow South Adelaide Melbourne
3 48 Ben Jarvis Norwood Geelong
3 50 Jacob Kennerley Norwood Geelong
3 53 Aaron Nietschke Central District Melbourne
5 76 Boyd Woodcock North Adelaide Port Adelaide
2018 Category B rookie selections
Jack Madgen Delta State University Collingwood 3-year non-reg player (basketball)
2019 Draft
2 24 Harry Schoenberg WWT Eagles Adelaide
2 26 Will Gould Glenelg Sydney
3 50 Cameron Taheny Norwood Geelong
5 65 Thomas Hutchesson Adelaide Greater Western Sydney
2019 Rookie Draft
1 9 Tobin Cox Glenelg Port Adelaide
1 15 Kade Chandler Norwood Melbourne
2020 Draft
1 11 Luke Pedlar Glenelg Adelaide
1 16 Lachie Jones WWT Eagles Port Adelaide
1 25 Brayden Cook South Adelaide Adelaide
2 30 Caleb Poulter WWT Eagles Collingwood
3 44 Beau McCreery South Adelaide Collingwood
4 59 Jacob Wehr WWT Eagles Greater Western Sydney
2020 Rookie Draft
1 14 Bradley Close Glenelg Geelong
2021 Rookie Draft
1 11 Lachlan McNeil WWT Eagles Western Bulldogs
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