Prospective top-10 draft pick Mac Andrew says two of the 16 AFL clubs he has spoken to have stood out in particular.
The Dandenong Stingrays ruckman has emerged as a 2021 bolter, with many expecting him to be taken in the first round of this month’s draft.
Having held talks with all bar two AFL clubs, Andrew says the Giants and Hawks are the pair that he has connected with, peculiarly through ‘speed dating’.
“I’ve had 16 (clubs), it’s been pretty good,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“It was nerve-racking at the start. I didn’t really know what questions they would ask.
“At a couple of the camps we did a couple of ‘speed dates’ with the clubs. After that I kind of got the hang of it and wan’t as nervous going into them.
“They set up a table and you would have 10 minutes with one club, a timer would go off and you’ve move onto the next club, then they’d ask you questions as well.
“GWS and Hawthorn, both of those two clubs. I felt like their interviews were a lot different. The connection I had with those two teams felt a lot different to the other clubs.”
Andrew, who stands at 200cm, developed with the help of the Melbourne Next Generation Academy but is unlikely to end up with the Demons as a bid for him inside the top 20 cannot be matched.
Despite that scenario, he is grateful for what the reigning premiers have done for him as a footballer.
“I’ve been with them since I was about 14,” he said of the Dees.
“We used to train monthly with them all the way up until COVID, which sucks. We only got one or two sessions in last year and this year I only got in one session with the club.
“They’ve been great in my development. I definitely wouldn’t be the player I am now without their help.”
The Vic Country tall did get to spend some time with developing Demons ruckman Luke Jackson while also drawing plenty of inspiration from West Coast star Nic Naitanui’s game.
“Luke is one I try to model my game off,” Andrew said.
“The way he follows up after the ruck contest and the way he gets around the ground.
“Nic Nat as well with the way he follows up and how mobile he is.
“Those two are two I model my game off.”
AFL Media draft guru Cal Twomey, who is forecasting Andrew to go inside the top 10, suggests the Giants are considering the athletic youngster with pick 2 when the draft gets underway on November 24.