Same, same but different
The 17th draft camp - now called the ‘combine’ - kicked off on Tuesday in Canberra in much the same way as the 16 before it. The clubs are all eager to get stuck into the interviewing process - and they have - but there has been a tweak this year. In the past, clubs have found little out-of-the-way spots at the AIS campus to grill prospective draftees away from prying eyes. Not so this year with the AFL giving all clubs allocated spaces in the gym.

What’s in a name?
Just on the name change - AFL National Talent Manager Kevin Sheehan explains the thinking behind it: “The change in branding to the word combine has a comfortable fit to what this process is all about - the AFL clubs combine their time and resources to test the best and then look for the combination of athletic ability, skills and mental toughness to make the grade in the AFL.”

Look at me, look at me!
US sporting goods giant, Under Armour, has hopped on board as a co-sponsor of the combine with NAB and has left no stone unturned in attempting to lure the stars of tomorrow. A big screen television in the foyer, situated next to a giant Under Armour mannequin, plays an in-your-face commercial at volume on repeat. There’s also a display of their new line of footy boots in the gym. How to best describe the styling? Well, let’s just say they’d make Kyle Reimers blush.

Walking wounded
There are usually a few draft hopefuls carrying around battle scars of a testing under-18 season and this year is no different. Among the youngsters at the AIS for the interviews only are Western Jet Ben Casley, who has a crook left wing, Sandgroper Reece Conca, who is on crutches, and Geelong Falcon Cameron Delaney, who is also hopping around on one leg. Don’t worry fellas - Trent Cotchin was up here on crutches and things turned out all right for him.

Hail to the chief
Senior coaches have varying interest in the recruiting process, but most head to Canberra at some point during the combine to have a bit of sticky beak into their recruiter’s world. Of course, Mick Malthouse and Ross Lyon won’t be able to this year as they have more pressing concerns, but Guy McKenna, Dean Bailey and Matthew Primus led the charge on the first day with the rest to follow when the action heats up on Wednesday.

Who’s interviewing who here?
Most draft prospects report feeling nervous when they first face AFL recruiters, but not Perth midfielder Reece Conca. The 18-year-old is studying a double degree in commerce and psychology at Curtin University. His psychology degree involves plenty of one-on-one interviews, so his chats with Essendon, the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood were a breeze. “I thoroughly enjoyed them,” he said. Conca played five senior games with Perth late in the 2010 season, and was best on ground against Claremont.

Nothing to see here
The new open-plan interviewing set-up clearly hasn’t impressed the Magpies. While the 17 other clubs were reasonably easy to check, Collingwood’s enclosure had been modified with extra partitions to allow the maximum possible privacy.

Practice makes perfect
East Fremantle midfielder Jamie Cripps spoke to the Brisbane Lions and Essendon. He said the task wasn’t too difficult because he’s already spoken to nine or 10 clubs that have visited him at his home in the Perth suburb of Attadale. “I’ve had plenty of practice,” Cripps said. The 18-year-old described his interviews with the Lions and Bombers as “pretty casual”. Mark 'Choco' Williams, legendary for his no-holds-barred interviews, must be choking on his clipboard.

The man, the myth, the legend
Update on Choco Williams’s interviewing technique: it’s all a myth. Well, that’s what Port Adelaide football manager Peter Rohde said. When asked whether anyone had thrown any question-grenades in Williams’s absence, Rohde said the former Power coach had backed away from rugged interview techniques in his final years at the helm. “We asked similar questions today to what we’ve asked in the past,” Rohde said.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.