If you thought Ben Brown did it the hard way; overlooked in three drafts before joining North Melbourne, just wait until you hear Tom Wilkinson’s story.
The small forward was first eligible for selection way back in 2014 as an 18-year-old but never had his name called out and was unsuccessful in four drafts until this year – his fifth.
The Kangaroos snared the mature-age recruit in the Rookie Draft on Friday with pick 41, and he was in shock.
Why a stint in the NEAFL could pay off for draft hopeful
“It was just pure elation,” Wilkinson told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
“I’m lost for words and over the moon.”
After missing out in his first year, Wilkinson won the best and fairest with Sandringham and was a strong chance of getting picked up in 2015.
However he was again left disappointed.
“I thought my dream was over,” Wilkinson said.
“When I won the best and fairest and still didn’t get drafted, that was probably the most heart breaking thing because I didn’t know what more I could have done.
“A big hit on me when I was 18 was that I wasn’t mature enough.
“I didn’t understand what that meant back in the day but I can definitely see what they were talking about now.
“Recruiters knew what they liked and didn’t like on-field but maybe it was my general decorum and how I went about life as a young kid. I was at boarding school at the time and really independent.”
With his confidence taking a big hit, Wilkinson had a year away from the game and returned in 2017 to play for Williamstown.
In 2018 he sought a significant change of scenery and joined the Southport Sharks in the NEAFL.
There, he kicked 36 goals and won a premiership. All the while, the North recruiting team was watching.
“They said they had been following me intently this year and really liked what they saw,” Wilkinson said.
“They said I had turned all the deficiencies from my under-18 year around.”
Despite the level of interest North had, Wilkinson refused to get his hopes up, understandably.
“It all happened so quickly. There were a few whispers here and there but before that I didn’t think anything was going to happen,” Wilkinson said.
“I have been pretty nervous in the last couple of weeks. You try to keep a level head but it all worked out in the end.”
