New Geelong draftee Phoenix Foster is a bit of a different selection, Cats list guru Stephen Wells admits.
Foster was a draft bolter when taken by Geelong at pick 52. The 18-year-old is ruck/forward utility out of Norwood under 18s and booted 26 goals in the SANFL from just 11 games this year.
Foster told The Advertiser he’d all but given up on his AFL dream late in the draft and was watching the event at the Tumby Bay pub.
But the athletic prospect was taken by Geelong list manager Andrew Mackie under the watchful eye of Wells, who expects Foster to complement the club’s premiership list.
“Phoenix was a good choice for us we thought at that stage, we wanted to get something a little bit different,” Wells told SEN Breakfast.
“We were pretty confident that Oscar Riccardi and Oscar Murdoch were going to come through to us in the rookie draft (a day later) and they’re midfielders, so we went for someone who’s different positionally.
“Phoenix did a really good job for Norwood u18s and also South Australia... (he) did a bit of ruck work. He’s big, he’s athletic and got all the skills of the game.”
But Wells also conceded that Foster still has a long way to go in his development.
“He’s just got to develop that confidence and strength that comes with maturity, he’s certainly got some tools to be a good prospect for us,” he added.
“We know he’s got a long way to go.”
Nevertheless, Wells’ tick of approval is a positive sign for any draftee. Widely regarded as one of the best talent identifiers in the competition, Wells oversaw his first National Draft as list boss in 1994 and has since put together squads that have won four flags and been a mainstay in finals for more than a decade.
Wells’ rookie selections Jack Henry, Zach Guthrie, Tom Atkins, Mark Blicavs and Brad Close all played in the 2022 premiership, while he’s also renowned for his pick of Tim Kelly in the second round of the 2016 draft, a choice that would ultimately net the Cats three first rounders when Kelly departed for the Eagles.
Outside of the usual characteristics recruiters look for in draftees, Wells admitted gut feel had plenty to do with his selections.
“Every recruiter, everyone who goes and watches the footy had a personal opinion… we’re looking for the things that I guess over time most AFL footballers demonstrate,” Wells explained.
“That’s the usual things like competitiveness, athleticism and skill, but a lot of the time it’s just a bit of gut feel, we do so much data analytics and we do so much analysis of vision, more than we’ve ever done before, but in the end, it still comes down to, ‘has this bloke shown enough as a footballer to give him a chance and do we think he can still develop’?
“It’s a bit of that gut feel.”
The Cats also pick up Jhye Clark in the National Draft, taking the club’s new players this week to a total of four.