Mount Gambier teen Oscar Adams celebrates being drafted to St Kilda

From country footy to the national stage, a teenager has described the surreal moment he was drafted to the AFL and how his hometown erupted with pride.

The Tenison Woods College school bell was replaced with the St Kilda theme song on Friday as the school celebrated one of its own being picked up in the AFL draft.

On a busy Mount Gambier road, outside Bay Blue espresso bar, drivers wound down their windows to shout congratulations from their cars as the regional city cheered on its next AFL star.

Oscar Adams had his world flipped when he was selected at pick number 51 during Thursday night’s draft.

Mount Gambier’s Oscar Adams was stoked to be selected by St Kilda Football Club during Thursday’s night’s AFL draft. Picture: Arj Ganesan

Surrounded by family and a few close friends when his name was read out, the 18 year old said the entire experience had been surreal.

“I guess it’ll be pretty fun coming home now that’s all happened,” Adams said.

“I was with a few mates and they all erupted and I was just like ‘What’s just happened?’

“I wasn’t too keen on getting too many people there, just in case I didn’t get picked and it was awkward … but I couldn’t not let them come.”

The tall defender first pulled on the boots at eight and credits his love of the game to Saturday mornings and local country football.

Adams said it was shortly after joining Glenelg he began to realise he could turn his passion for the sport into a career.

“I suppose that kind of just gave me think, oh, ‘I’m actually I can go somewhere here’,” he said.

Despite joining the Adelaide-based club, Adams remained living in Mount Gambier to finish his studies at Tension Woods College, making his way to the city each week.

“I’d drive up every Friday night — there’d be Friday night training before the Saturday game for Glenelg,” he said.

“Then with the state program, I’d go up on a Thursday train and then for the game and then sometimes I’d stay up for a Monday training

“Doing year 12 and everything it was a bit hard to commit to training full time in Adelaide while still having to keep up with my studies and everything.”

Adams said his teachers, particularly head of senior school Ciaran Buckley, were great supporters in helping him manage his football and school.

“My head of senior school … he kind of sorted my timetable out so that I had two free lessons at the end of the day on a Friday,” he said.

“That made it really easy to head up to Adelaide and train and be able to play on a Saturday.

“The teachers were really understanding they helped me out when I missed lessons … just keeping me caught up on everything.”

While he’s excitedly pulled on the club colours Adams admitted he was slightly nervous about moving and joining the Saints full time but said the club culture was welcoming.

“It seems like a really good environment,” he said.

“All the St Kilda boys have messaged me and they’re welcoming to the club.”