North Adelaide's Callum Wilkie is missing Roosters’ footy trip to Bali to test at the state draft combine
- Roosters end 27-year flag drought
- North colours splashed atop chimney
- Rozee and Woodcock’s crazy road to draft
CALLUM Wilkie’s North Adelaide teammates are in Bali this weekend on their footy trip.
But as the Roosters’ premiership celebrations continue on the Indonesian island, Wilkie will be testing for AFL recruiters at the state draft combine at Prince Alfred College on Saturday.
The 191cm, 87kg defender has been receiving texts and Snapchats from his clubmates but instead of moping about missing out, he has been training most days at Prospect Oval to improve his endurance and speed.
“They look like they’re having a good time and I’m a bit jealous,” Wilkie, 21, says.
“It’d be a nice celebration after both teams (league and reserves) won the flag.
SANFL North Adelaide chimney unveiling
SANFL North Adelaide chimney unveiling
“I’m sure they’re having a fun.
“It has been a bit weird because we just won the premiership, then you have to quickly change your mind to the combine, and it’s been a bit hectic trying to train for it.
“But AFL is the dream and you’ve got to make those sacrifices.”
Saturday will be Wilkie’s second state draft combine.
He also attended the screening in 2014 after being in that year’s state under-18 squad, only to be overlooked in the drafts.
“I didn’t think I’d get drafted but obviously I was disappointed,” he says.
“I couldn’t change anything so I just had to go back, play good footy and enjoy my football at North Adelaide, and hopefully get a second crack at it.”
This time around, Wilkie is drawing more interest from AFL clubs after starring during North’s turnaround from wooden-spooner to premier.
He finished runner-up in the Roosters’ best and fairest last year when the club won only four games but bettered that by claiming the Barrie Robran Medal last week.
“Last year when I won runner-up, Carry (North coach Josh Carr) told me it didn’t really mean
much because we came bottom, you need to win one in a premiership year.
“I told him straight after I won it ‘does this mean anything?’
“(The conversation) had stuck with me and it was a driving factor – don’t be complacent.
“It was nice to get some reward for my effort.
“But as a team we got the premiership and that’s what really mattered.”
Wilkie juggled the demands of starting full-time work as an accountant heading into 2018 with a push to get fitter than he had ever been last summer.
He went on to play an important role as North came from the elimination final to win the club’s first league flag in 27 years.
“The last couple of years I’ve watched grand finals and seen the team that wins and think ‘wow, that’d be an absolutely amazing feeling,” he says.
“When the siren went for us, you can’t really believe it’s happened to you.
“Walking around doing the lap and seeing past players and fans, and see how much it means, that’s when it really hits you.
“I’m still pinching myself at the moment.”
Wilkie, a Walkerville junior who has been at North since the age of 13, still lives at home but many of his relatives are based in Derby, in the UK.
He travels there for visits every few years with family, spending part of those holidays in mainland Europe, sometimes skiing in France.
After his footy career is over, Wilkie wants to live overseas – either in London or New York – so a potential move interstate to land on an AFL list does not faze him.
“When I was 18 I didn’t look at it and wish that was me but now you look back on it, you realise it’d mean the world to have a crack,” he says.
STATE DRAFT COMBINE ATTENDEES
Finn Betterman (Glenelg, 180cm, 73kg)
Connor Bristow (Norwood, 180cm, 73kg)
Declan Carmody (Glenelg, 177cm, 70kg)
Kade Chandler (Norwood, 173cm, 73kg)
Oscar Chapman (North Adelaide, 187cm, 72kg)
Tate Coleman (South Adelaide, 179cm, 70kg)
Jacob Collins (Norwood, 189cm, 81kg)
Job Colwell (South Adelaide, 182cm, 80kg)
Tobin Cox (Glenelg, 177cm, 78kg)
Darcy Fort (Central District, 205cm, 99kg)
Martin Frederick (Woodville-West Torrens, 178cm, 74kg)
Tom Lewis (Sturt, 179cm, 80kg)
Michael Lochowiak (Sturt, 184cm, 82kg)
Tyler Martin (Norwood, 188cm, 80kg)
Aaron Nietschke (Central District, 184cm, 77kg)
Matthew Nunn (Norwood, 181cm, 78kg)
Kai Pudney (Woodville-West Torrens, 186cm, 78kg)
Isaac Saywell (Norwood, 187cm, 81kg)
Jake Tarca (South Adelaide, 175cm, 75kg)
Casey Voss (Sturt, 183cm, 75kg)
Callum Wilkie (North Adelaide, 191cm, 87kg)
Boyd Woodcock (North Adelaide, 174cm, 68kg)
* South Adelaide’s Nathan Kreuger and West Adelaide’s Chris Burgess were also invited to test at the combine before being recruited by Geelong and Gold Coast respectively.
