Excitement peaks for Walsh
The rookie draft may not have had the fanfare of last week's national draft, but Carlton recruit Brad Walsh says he doubts the feeling of seeing his name on the computer screen yesterday could be topped.
"It's not as much as a build-up, I guess, but bloody hell, it's thrilling," he said.
The 180cm, 81kg Peel midfielder landed at the Blues at pick No.24, the club's second selection in the rookie draft.
He became the third West Australian to be drafted by Carlton this year after Clem Smith and Blaine Boekhorst last week.
Walsh was the outstanding player of his age in the country two years ago, winning the Kevin Sheehan Medal as player of the national under-16 championships.
Since then he has made his league debut for Peel as a 16-year-old and won WA's most valuable player award at the national championships.
However, despite consistent form there weren't too many clubs knocking down Walsh's door.
He said he didn't know what to think going into yesterday's draft, so he was relieved when the Blues took a chance on him.
"It was mixed emotions I guess," Walsh said.
"Am I, am I not? It's good to finally get a bit of closure.
"I was sitting there, didn't think my name was going to come up on the screen then whack, there it was.
"I'm absolutely stoked."
Walsh has drawn comparisons to West Coast's Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis for his ability to dive in and win the ball without fuss.
His ball-gathering ability gave him an average 29 disposals at colts level this year and he earned four senior games in a Peel side dominated by Fremantle-listed players.
Walsh's outstanding characteristic is his leadership. He captained WA in the under-16 and under-18 championships, led his side to the title in the former and took the reins of the AIS-AFL Academy side on its European tour this year.
Walsh said having to wait for the rookie draft would make him work harder to earn his first AFL game.
"Any opportunity to show what I've got, I'll take with both hands," he said.
