Aside from talent, Darcy Fogarty has the qualities recruiters look for

DARCY Fogarty was in the conversation as a potential No.1 pick before leg surgery ended his year, but is still expected to be taken high in the draft because he’s got the qualities recruiters look for.

AFL recruiters want to draft players with more than just talent.

They want a fierce competitive streak, good nature and potential leadership capabilities in those that come across their radar.

Darcy Fogarty has all those qualities.

Unquestionably talented, Fogarty comes from a competitive family who always wanted to win, whether it was a board game or backyard sport.

“Just table tennis or basketball or footy or mucking around, it gets pretty heated,” Fogarty said.

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One of the top prospects at Friday night’s draft, Fogarty grew up on a 12,950ha cattle and sheep farm near Lucindale, 345km south-east of Adelaide.

With a population of slightly more than 300 people, the youngest age group at the junior football club was under-14s.

Darcy Fogarty enjoying the view of Sydney ahead of the national draft. Picture: AAP

Fogarty joined as an eight-year-old. At 11 he started training with the seniors, where his brother-in-law was coach, and he played his first senior game at 15.

“I was lucky enough to get a few senior games then,” Fogarty said.

“I was a bit bigger kid, which helped. I played a bit of everything, more centre-half forward, centre-half back and then a bit through the middle.”

Fogarty battled homesickness when he left Lucindale to go to school in Adelaide at the end of Year 9, but has adjusted.

An AFL Academy member, he trained with the Crows last summer, after which he decided a football career was much preferred to becoming a carpenter or electrician.

“I really enjoyed my time there and to be able to do that 10 or 11 months a year, it’s pretty surreal to think that could potentially happen,” Fogarty said.

Darcy Fogarty playing for South Australia in the national under-18 championships before a knee injury ended his year. Picture: Roger Wyman

While he had been in the frame to be a No.1 pick, a small meniscus tear in his knee hampered Fogarty’s under-18 championships this year and his season ended when he had surgery in early August.

Now back running, the 192cm Fogarty — listed as a tall forward — is hopeful the injury will not do his draft prospects any harm and has his sights set on doing a lot more work on the track in coming years as he aims to become a big-bodied midfielder.

“Hopefully if I do get into the AFL system I’ll be able to do a couple of full pre-seasons and build on that and move more permanently into the midfield,” Fogarty said.

“At the moment I don’t really have the capacity to be able to run out games fully so I’m caught out playing more forward and just spurts in the midfield, which gets a bit frustrating sometimes.”

DARCY FOGARTY

Age: 18; Hgt: 192cm; Wgt: 92kg

Club: Glenelg

Pos: Tall Forward

Plays like: Jack Gunston

Originally published as Aside from talent, Darcy Fogarty has the qualities recruiters look for