Deven Robertson attracting top-10 interest ahead of AFL Draft after being likened to Joel Selwood
He has been likened to Joel Selwood, is the nephew of a former AFL captain and played through a dislocated shoulder. It’s no wonder Deven Robertson has attracted top-10 interest — including from Melbourne.
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Deven Robertson hasn’t had a lot of spare time between working full-time and football commitments this year.
But when he does get a few moments to himself, the highly-rated AFL draft prospect enjoys spending it spinning records.
“I have a pretty decent vinyl record collection in my room,” Robertson said.
“I’ll chuck them on every time I get some downtime and listen to them.
“Tame Impala gets a good run. I do have quite a variety of music. A bit of old stuff, a bit of new stuff and a variety of genres.”
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Robertson is more mature than your average 18-year-old – and it’s easy to see why the natural-born leader was named All-Australian captain after an impressive under-18 national championships for Western Australia.
“That was definitely was an honour but, in saying that, it is only an imaginary team,” Robertson said.
“What I enjoyed doing more was captaining WA to the title for the first time in 10 years. That’s what brought me the most honour.”
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Former West Coast captain Darren Glass is Robertson’s uncle and the current Hawthorn assistant coach has been an inspiration and key source of advice in recent years.
But while Glass was a key defender, Robertson is a tough ball-winner more in the mould of Geelong captain Joel Selwood.
“He’s the type of player that I want to be like,” Robertson said of Selwood.
“He’s tough, he’s a leader, never backs out of a contest and wins a lot of contested ball.”
Robertson put his toughness on display when he played through a dislocated shoulder in the final game of the national championships, which he kept a secret for the entire second half.
“I didn’t want to mention it to any of the physios or doctors because I had a sneaky suspicion they’d pull me out of the game,” Robertson said.
He went on to undergo shoulder surgery which will mean a slightly delayed start to full-contact pre-season training, but that won’t turn away prospective suiters.
A top-10 prospect, Fremantle (picks 7 and 10) has been linked to Robertson, while Melbourne (pick 8) has also expressed interest.
Robertson averaged 30 disposals at the national championships – the most of any player – and does not hesitate when asked what his biggest strength is.
“Competitiveness. I’m like that in all the things I do,” Robertson said.
Originally published as Deven Robertson attracting top-10 interest ahead of AFL Draft after being likened to Joel Selwood