Having dreamt of an AFL career for as long as he can remember, Nick O’Kearney and his family decided to take a few weeks out to relax before this week’s AFL draft day.
The Calder Cannons’ midfielder and family planned a holiday to Bali between the end of the footy season and now.
Returning to Melbourne last Sunday, O’Kearney was in luck getting back in time for the draft, his flight was the first scheduled after volcanic ash clouds caused hundreds of aeroplanes to be grounded in recent weeks.
His parents weren’t so lucky; they found themselves stuck on the Indonesian island for a bit longer.
“I’m at home by myself, waiting for mum and dad to get home from Bali,” O’Kearney said last Tuesday. “Here in Melbourne, the draft is at the forefront of my mind.
“You don’t have to think about it while you are over there. I think it has made the process easier getting away from it all.”
For the past 12 months, O’Kearney has been waiting for this week’s draft.
O’Kearney won the Cannons’ best and fairest award last year as a bottom age player, and watched as several teammates were drafted.
Nine Cannons’ players from last year’s list were drafted, including two from O’Kearney’s junior club Keilor. Another two Keilor players who played for Western Jets were also picked.
“I suppose it has been a little bit of waiting for it to happen,” O’Kearney said. “We had a lot of boys get drafted and you sort of look up to them. I then saw some of them play AFL.
“I still had to play good footy this year. It’s something I’ve been working on for a long time.”
Having such a dominant last season, O’Kearney found this year somewhat challenging, as he juggled TAC Cup and Vic Metro commitments as well as taking part in the AIS scholarship program.
“This year was certainly different from last year with the Cannons.
“I had three to four commitments this season and had to combine it all. You have to adapt week in and week out. One week, I was with the Cannons, and the next week, I was playing with Vic Metro.
“It certainly made me a better footballer.”
O’Kearney knows anything can happen at draft time, but has already benefited from the chance to train with two AFL clubs.
“I have no idea where things will fall,” he said. “I was lucky enough to train with Richmond in December and with Essendon in January.
“It helps fast track you and is a real eye-opener, if you want to follow that career.
“It’s an insight into what the players put in. It’s been my dream for as long as I can remember.”
