As the countdown to the draft continues, NMFC.com.au looks back at some of the club’s most famous recruits.

Back in 1987 the draft was still very much in its initiation phase. Selections were somewhat of a lottery, with metropolitan zoning restricting clubs to choose from country Victoria or interstate.

Thus begins the fascinating story of Wayne Carey’s recruitment to North.

Carey hailed from New South Wales and played for North Wagga in the Riverina League, meaning he was actually zoned to the Swans. But of course that wasn’t to be.

Sydney Recruiting Officer Greg Miller watched him as a 12-year-old representing NSW, which may not have had happened had his local club started a fundraising drive for Carey to make the trip to Darwin.

It was a young lad named John Longmire that was the star of the carnival, but that’s another story in itself.

After spending all his life in Wagga, Carey and his family moved to Adelaide when he was in his early teens.

A skinny kid, he played for Mallala’s under-18 side as a 14-year-old and then got a run with SANFL team North Adelaide’s under-15s.

He plied his trade at centre-half-back but also had stints at the other end of the ground and aged 15, he played his first SANFL reserves game.

This kid had talent, but he was understandably nervous.

“Dick (his brother) told me what to expect; how they’d probably try to target a 15-year-old in his first game,” Carey recalled in his autobiography The Truth Hurts.

“Although I had teammates, and senior players among them, sticking up for me, I was still scared. But it didn’t stop me wanting to get the ball.

“Even though I had this lunatic (Central Districts player Jed Lawton) running around trying to belt me, I got a few kicks and don’t remember shirking an issue, despite being petrified.”

It was this fearlessness that proved one of his strongest assets in the years to come.

Perhaps it was fate that five years after watching him as a 12-year-old, Miller again watched Carey in 1987 during a representative school game in Adelaide; this time as North’s recruiting officer and football manager.

Most eyes were on highly-rated youngster Hamish Stewart, who Carey played on. The future North champion was awarded man of the match.

As luck would have it, Miller was the only recruiter at the game and later joked he was disappointed Carey got the award as it would make it harder to keep him under wraps.

Of course, there was still the problem of zoning and even living in Adelaide for two years, Carey was tied to Sydney under a 36-month rule.

Nevertheless, North stalwart Ron Joseph was called upon to have a look at Carey. His reports back weren’t exactly glowing.

But Miller persisted and found a way to move the 17-year-old to Melbourne – he would worry about getting a clearance later.

Carey though, wasn’t convinced.

“When I was playing in Wagga, my whole dream was to play for North Wagga and that’s all I thought I would ever do. When I went to Adelaide my dream changed; I started thinking that I might be able to play SANFL, which I thought was almost as good as VFL,” he recalled.

“In my mind, North Adelaide and Glenelg were every bit as strong as probably the bottom half of the VFL. So my one goal was to play SANFL footy.”

Miller though was hell-bent on landing Carey, and even more so the real star of the deal, Longmire.

Bumping into Sydney CEO Ron Thomas at the then VFL House in Jolimont, a transfer fee was agreed; $60,000 for Longmire and $10,000 for Carey.

Minutes later, Miller bumped into Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy in the lift who asked him about this “Wayne Carey” just as North’s $10,000 transfer fee arrived at VFL House.

Sheedy was too late - the deal was done.

“I was just the set of steak knives thrown in (in the Longmire deal),” Carey said.

“I was now a North Melbourne player. It was a series of events that shaped the rest of my life and helped seal Greg’s reputation as a great administrator.”

Carey (back row, 2nd L) when playing for North Wagga as a youngster. Photo courtesy Herald Sun.