AFL draftee emailed clubs asking to be picked

2 years ago 466

Essendon draftee Garrett McDonagh has revealed however helium emailed AFL clubs successful a hopeless effort to beryllium picked up successful this year's draft.

The 25-year-old's lifelong imagination was yet realised erstwhile helium was drafted by Essendon with prime 50 connected the 2nd nighttime of the AFL Draft, a imagination that had been years successful the making.

McDonagh was taken aback by the selection, which came aft a coagulated play with Richmond's VFL side, and explained however he'd taken matters into his ain hands successful the lead-up to the draft.

"I was expecting nothing," McDonagh said.

"I wrote to a fewer clubs aft past season, conscionable to get my sanction retired there. I had nary manager truthful I was trying to bash it myself, I conscionable wrote to a fewer clubs and had a effect from a fewer of them.

"A mates of weeks agone I had a telephone from [Essendon database brag Adrian Dodoro] and it was an astonishing call, 1 I'll ne'er forget."

McDonagh's enactment is made adjacent much unthinkable by the information that he'd fallen retired of emotion with the athletics and virtually fixed up a mates of years earlier.

"There was religion lost, I gave up footy astatine the commencement of 2018, I went and did [American football] punting with Nathan Chapman astatine ProKick," helium said.

"I sat down and had a truly bully think, [I] wanted to enactment my champion ft guardant and walk immoderate wealth connected my body, I did that and present I am."

McDonagh is the 2nd subordinate of Richmond's VFL squad to find a spot connected Essendon's database aft halfback Sam Durham was picked up by the Bombers successful the mid-season draft.

"Garrett is simply a subordinate who deserves an opportunity," Dodoro told Essendon's website.

"We felt helium was 1 of the amended ready-made players successful the excavation this year. Even though he's 25 years of age, we deliberation he's got a batch of shot near successful him.

"He's an elite left-foot footwear and has fantastic endurance. We're looking guardant to him playing a batch of elder shot for us."

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