Richmond Recruiting Officer Matt Clarke has provided an interesting insight into the AFL Draft Combine, being held this week at Etihad Stadium.

Clarke told ‘Roar Vision’ that notwithstanding the various testing the prospective draftees undergo (ie skills, sprinting, jumping, aerobic capacity, agility, psychological), there is one determining factor that is a standout in the eyes of the Tiger talent scouts . . .

“We find at draft camp that the most important part for us is the interview process,” Clarke said.

“We watch the kids play . . . we might have a data base of 40 games for individual players - we’ve analysed them to the nth degree on their football stuff, and we get all the data from their testing here.  But the interview process is really important, to get to know the kids.

“We speak to a lot of kids here at draft camp, we might speak to 50 kids.  We’ve already spoken to a lot of our priority kids at home . . . We only get to spend 20 minutes with the kids here, but when we can go out to their homes, meet their parents and the family, we might spend an hour, and hour and a half in their lounge-rooms, and get to know them really well.”

And, the Tigers are crystal clear in terms of what they’re seeking in those interview situations . . .

“We’re obviously looking for the really driven and motivated kids that are going to make themselves the best,” Clarke said.

“There are obviously a lot of talented kids here, and they’re here for a reason - because they’ve actually got genuine football talent.

“But in the interviews, we’re looking for those really driven and motivated kids.
“Those are the guys who will get themselves to be AFL players, and be the best. 
“A lot of these guys are going to be very good footballers, but whether they’re going to be elite players is what we’re looking for.

“It comes out in the interview process when we speak to them . . .”blog comments powered by Disqus