In the countdown to the 2015 National Draft, we discuss the whole draft experience with Richmond’s five 2014 pick-ups. Today, we feature Nathan Drummond.
Pathway to the draft
“As a 19-year-old, playing for the Murray Bushrangers, it was not the last opportunity for me, but I’d have had to move down and play VFL the following year. The year itself, I just worked at Rebel Sport in Shepparton after moving back home . . . It was a bit different, because a lot of my age group was already playing AFL, or had finished in the TAC Cup system. So I had to get used to a whole lot of new people, and sort of take a leadership role.”
Staying calm free from family
“The draft night, I was at my mate’s house. I didn’t want to be at home with the stress of the family, so decided to get out of there and just try and watch it and be as calm as possible, as hard as that is.”
Catching the eye of the Tigers
“I did know Richmond were pretty keen. I played a couple of VFL games (with Richmond) during the year and had a few meetings, which sort of gave an indication that they were keen. There was also a couple of other clubs (interested). But I’m really rapt to be at Richmond.”
The shift from Shepparton to Melbourne
“Moving down (to Melbourne) wasn’t too bad. Coming from Shepparton, it’s only two hours away in the car and I lived at boarding school (at Melbourne Grammar) for three years, so the transition probably wasn’t as daunting as it could have been if I hadn’t have been at school here. I did know a few mates from school and that helped me outside of footy just to get a spell.”
‘Fun’ in the Townsville sun
“My first week (at the Club) was up in Townsville (on the pre-season camp). I got drafted on the Thursday night, came down on the Saturday, and then the Sunday we flew up to Townsville. It was a really tough week, particularly coming off not much preparation compared to probably the other boys that had been training for probably two or three weeks at the Club. It was a real eye-opener with the heat training up there and ‘The Amazing Race’, which was pretty tough. A lot of kms were covered . . . But I found it was a really good bonding experience in getting to know the players outside of the Club.”
Senior league debut
“Making my (senior) debut (v Melbourne at the MCG in Round 4) was really exciting. It was a really similar feeling to getting drafted . . . I guess you can get drafted and not play a game, so, for me to play a game in Round 4, was really special . . . It’s special for your family as well, and everyone who’s been a part of the journey. Unfortunately, my game didn’t last very long (he sustained a serious knee injury), but hopeful next year will be even better.”
Sound advice to new Tiger draftees
“What you’ve done previously probably doesn’t matter as much when you get drafted. When you’re drafted everyone’s on an equal level and what number you got picked at doesn’t really matter . . . Everyone comes in and does the work. Just be prepared to really work hard and earn the respect of the players. It’ll be a really hard first few weeks, with learning a lot of names and getting used to training schedules, but you’ll find your feet really quickly.”
