After missing out on fulfilling a childhood dream in last year’s AFL draft, young guns from Melbourne’s west aren’t giving up just yet, and are putting their hands up at a lifeline this mid-season draft. Gerald Lynch speaks with the talented stars about dealing with setbacks and earning a second chance.
While most kids grow up dreaming of pulling on the colours of their favourite football team, only very few are granted the opportunity to do so.
For Lachlan McArthur, a big GWS Giants supporter and a star Western Jet, falling just short has only motivated him more.
“I was obviously a bit flat initially but got some good feedback which kick-started the preseason and had a lot of support around me helping me get better and better,” he said.
“My last year was a bit different to some, I found like I blossomed a bit later than many others which didn’t give me enough time to showcase all traits as a halfback … yeah there was some interest late which got me a combine invite which was a valuable experience, although it didn’t fall my way.
“I got invited to Footscray (VFL) where I did the majority of the preseason and just honed in on what the feedback was and focused on things I wanted to better each and every session while using the resources there to ask questions and get guidance from surrounding the more technical side of the game.
“It’s a bit different training with the bigger bodies there, they hit harder and the sessions are of higher intensity, but you gain a lot of knowledge working with them.
“Guys like Trent Bianco who has just come off an AFL list … you can sort of just watch how they work and take little bits off them to get better.”
For McArthur, coming fresh out of school and being overlooked in the draft meant he needed to find a way to fill the time.
He is working part-time at Melbourne Airport as a baggage handler for the time being, but his career aspirations if footy doesn’t work out are firmly surrounding sport.
“Down the track I wouldn’t mind going to uni and equipping myself with some further skills in business and sports science, which could benefit me outside of football and also throughout football with learning more about the body and how to manipulate it to get the most out of it,” he said.
A utility player who prefers to be in defence, McArthur described his game as being emulated on two Giants stars in Lachie Whitfield and Lachie Ash, “their run and gun off half back and their very neat foot skills” are the traits he embodies and admires.
However, he feels he didn’t get to best showcase his ability in the Young Guns series, but is hopeful he showed signs of his talent.
“I’m very grateful for being a part of them [Young Guns matches] and that group,” he said.
“I thought I was definitely much better in the first game then the second though I showed some glimpses in both games. Ultimately though I think I’m better playing halfback and didn’t get a full run in that position which isn’t great but I thought I did well playing forward.”
For AFL clubs with list spots in the upcoming mid-season draft looking for some class and poise, it seems they don’t need to look further than Melbourne’s west, as Calder Cannon Ryan Brodie plays a similar brand to his Young Gun counterpart.
“I try to liken myself to someone like Lachie Whitfield, who produces good movement off the half back line and uses the ball really well,” he said, as I felt a looming sense of deja vu.
“Yeah, missing out on last year’s draft was a bit disappointing but it didn’t really affect me too much as you sort of get a fair idea leading up to it.
“I seemed to deal with it pretty well, where the Calder Cannons told me they would take me on as a 19-year-old player giving me an opportunity to have another crack at Coates League level which was pretty exciting.
“The group seemed to gel really well together having not known each other up until our first game which made it really enjoyable. For me personally, I just tried to bring my strengths to the games such as run and carry as-well as kicking which I was pretty happy with.
“Being involved in the young guns series was another exciting experience, being selected to play amongst some of the best around Victoria.
“As of right now, I’m just working in retail and making my way around football, where I’m thinking of going into university in exercise science to try to stay within the sports industry, but I’m not 100 per cent yet.”
The Young Guns program has been running since 2022, and it has been successful in putting young talent into the eye-line of recruiters, including Massimo D’Ambrosio, a former Western Jet who now plies his trade for Hawthorn.
“Seeing guys like D’Ambrosio get drafted through the same pathway I’m currently in does give me good confidence that I can still have a good crack at making the AFL even if it may not be the traditional way,” Brodie said.
Oskar Smartt is also a chance to be selected, after the Keilor Football Club local impressed in the Young Guns series, and holds a spot on Essendon’s VFL list.
The mid-season draft is on Wednesday, May 29, with 16 list spots up for grabs, should clubs elect to use them.
Locally, Carlton, North Melbourne, and Richmond have two picks, and Collingwood, Essendon, Melbourne, and the Western Bulldogs have one each.
However, a move interstate could be possible for the boys, with Adelaide and Brisbane holding two picks each, and Fremantle and Gold Coast also having one.
