South Adelaide’s talent pool is deep, as proven by this year’s national and rookie AFL draft

OF ALL the statistics which illustrated South Adelaide Football Club’s transformation in 2014 — the AFL draft numbers were possibly the most striking.

OF ALL the statistics which illustrated South Adelaide Football Club’s transformation in 2014 — the AFL draft numbers were possibly the most striking.

The fact three Panthers were taken in the this year’s national and rookie drafts — the equal or better of any other club — is meritorious in itself.

But, when you look at where the club has come from that statistic is staggering.

In the previous six years, just one South player was drafted.

That was Justin Bollenhagen, a left field selection at the 2009 national draft who went on to play four games for Fremantle.

“I think it is really important for us as a club to show we can get guys drafted because what it does it becomes a selling point for us with all these talented kids in the area,’’ South Adelaide coach Brad Gotch says.

“Previously that pathway to the AFL might night have been that obvious but it helps guys to dream.”

Anyone in the southern suburbs who needs fuel to dream of cracking the big time should not only look out how many South players were drafted but who they were.

Pint-size teenager Caleb Daniel — drafted to the Western Bulldogs — was told repeatedly he was too small to play AFL football.

At 167cm he played the house down at Noarlunga this year and he’s now the smallest player in the AFL.

Ruckman Keegan Brooksby was a basketball running around in the Panthers reserves trying to learn how to play the sport only three years ago.

He is now a rookie at the Gold Coast Suns after improving remarkably over the past two year and winning the Panthers best and fairest this season.

Tom Fields was playing in Queensland two-years.

He caught the eye of scouts with his racking left-foot kick in two seasons at South and he’s now a Carlton rookie.

“It’s great for the club,’’ Gotch says.

“Everyone deserves credit for how hard we’re working.”

In a sign of the developing culture at Noarlunga both Brooksby and Fields addressed the players and said they were excited to join the AFL system but slightly sad hey wouldn’t be a part of South’s 2015 team.