Fremantle or the bush

by PAUL DAFFEY

WHEN the Victorian Country team won the under-18 national championships in July, it was expected that several members of the squad would be drafted. That prediction proved spot-on, with 10 Victorian Country players selected yesterday, but few would have expected six members of the squad to be heading interstate, and no one would have guessed that four would end up at Fremantle.

The Dockers only had five selections. They took Brett Peake, the son of former East Fremantle star Brian Peake, under the father-and-son rule before filling out their card with country Victorians.

Ryley Dunn, the decorated midfielder originally from the Shepparton Football Club, was the first to be assigned to the Dockers, at 10, followed by Traralgon's Ryan Murphy, whose height and skill suggest versatility, and David Mundy, a defender from Seymour with the ability to smother his opponent before beginning attacks.

But perhaps the Dockers' most interesting selection was Adam Campbell, another rangy type, who was chosen at 27. Campbell grew up on a dairy farm about 90 minutes south of Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand, until his family moved to Victoria's Sale when he was 13. The next year, they moved across the state to Branxholme, south of Hamilton, where Campbell joined the Hamilton Football Club before the 2000 season.

During his first season, his rugby union background shone through. "I got done for holding the ball quite a bit," he said. "Or for tackling a bit low or a bit high."

He soon caught on, though, which might not be surprising given his Australian football pedigree. Campbell's mother Catherine is the oldest of the seven Considine siblings from Strathmore, in north-west Melbourne. Her brothers include Ed, the former Essendon utility, and Paul, a former star with Victorian Amateur Football Association club North Old Boys, who was named at centre half back in the best VAFA post-war team.

Over the past two years, Campbell has represented the North Ballarat Rebels mainly at full forward, where his lightning leads caught the eye, before being thrown up the ground to further his education. Coach Anthony Rock noted Campbell's courage and said that, with a bit of filling out on his 192cm frame, he had every chance of success.

Campbell learned of his draft selection while huddled around a computer on the family farm with his mother and father, a New Zealander whose name is Allan. The trio listened to the draft on the internet. Adam was delighted that his name had been called out so early, and he saw no problem with heading across the Nullarbor.

"It's still sinking in," he said.

Last night, he enjoyed a few drinks at home with well-wishers while keeping watch on the Rugby World Cup final. A keen supporter of the All Blacks, he was hoping for an Australian victory so that the trophy could remain in the Southern Hemisphere.

Tomorrow, he is expecting a visit from Fremantle officials before heading over to the West at the end of the week. He is hoping to combine football with studies in a sporting field, perhaps sports management.

Western Australians this year comprised 84 per cent of Fremantle's list. A notable member of the minority, given the events of yesterday's draft, is James Walker, who hails from the Lake Wendouree club in Ballarat. Walker said the biggest difference the Victorian country products could expect was the warmer climate.

"Coming from Ballarat, there was certainly an adjustment," he said yesterday.

Walker said the recruits would spend a fair bit of time on the phone, especially around birthdays or significant events, when the distance to family and friends in Victoria would be felt the most. But, he added, in terms of traffic and pace of life, the move to Fremantle would require less of an adjustment than a move to Melbourne.

In any case, Walker, who is 24, can expect an increased mentoring role around the club, a role his articulate manner would suggest he was born for. "I can probably help make the transition a bit easier," he said.

Fremantle recruiting manager Phil Smart said it was coincidence that the Dockers had drafted four country Victorians. "We take the best available players. It's just the way it panned out."

Fremantle coach Chris Connolly, himself a product of Shepparton United, turned around to his Dockers colleagues after the Campbell selection and noted that the four draft choices had played together in the national championships. "It's just a bonus," he said later.

Of the others to be drafted from the Victorian Country team, Maryborough's Jed Adcock was looking forward to heading to Brisbane. "It'll be awesome," he said.

Troy Chaplin, also from Marybrough, was selected by Port Adelaide as a classic key-position type, with the bonus of being a left-footer in a team that has been missing a left-footer in defence.

Most attention will be on top-10 picks Andrew Walker, Carlton's recruit from Echuca, and Colin Sylvia, Melbourne's recruit from Merbein, with Ryley Dunn's Shepparton teammate Kane Tenace expected to burn up the midfield at Geelong.

Victorian country draftees 2003

2. Andrew Walker, Bendigo Pioneers, Carlton

3. Colin Sylvia, Bendigo Pioneers, Melbourne

7. Kane Tenace, Murray Bushrangers, Geelong

10. Ryley Dunn, Murray Bushrangers, Fremantle

12. Ryan Murphy, Gippsland Power, Fremantle

15. Troy Chaplin, North Ballarat Rebels, Port Adelaide

19. David Mundy, Murray Bushrangers, Fremantle

27. Adam Campbell, North Ballarat Rebels, Fremantle

33. Jed Adcock, North Ballarat Rebels, Brisbane Lions

38. Mark Blake, Geelong Falcons, Geelong

This article first appeared in The Sunday Age on 23 November 2003.

James Walker will be joined by a swag of Vic bush kids at Fremantle. Photo by Les Everett.

Disclaimer