Geelong was at the forefront of the biggest surprise of the 2019 NAB AFL Draft.
With pick 41, the Cats selected Francis Evans. Not a great deal is known about Evans and as a result, he is being described as a draft bolter.
But list manager Stephen Wells obviously knows something.
The 18-year-old, 182cm forward played less than a handful of NAB League games for the Calder Cannons after starring for Brunswick Football Club (North Old Boys) in the VAFA Division 2.
The rise from less than half a dozen games in the fifth grade of the Amateurs to a spot on the list of a top AFL club is indeed a meteoric one which came about in opportunistic fashion, explains club president Jarryd Browne.
“Seeing as though he wasn’t in the Cannons program earlier in the year, they were asking for vision and all that kind of stuff,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“Our coach at the time, Anthony Palmer, in February sent a cheeky text off to one of the recruiters from Geelong who he knew and they came and watched. Eventually Stephen Wells came and watched about round 3 or 4 and Francis turned it on. He kicked eight and had 27 touches or something like that.
“From there they kind of corresponded with ex-Geelong player Tom Lonergan who heads up the Cannons program. They (Calder) got him in from there and he played a few games but unfortunately got injured and broke his foot. That’s why he stayed under the radar because he only played those two Cannons games.”
But Evans proved he could match it at the elite underage level of the NAB League.
“He kicked five goals in a game and a half before getting injured,” Browne added.
“He’s always known how to find the goals but he didn’t know if he could do it at the next level. He turned up and kicked three in the first game then had two to half time before getting injured.”
Evans kicked 21 goals in five games for Brunswick before getting the call up to the Cannons prior to the foot injury that ended his season.
He will now trade the humble Gillon Oval on Victoria St, Brunswick for GMHBA Stadium.
Listen to Browne on SEN Breakfast below: