Geelong draftee Joe Pike on being overlooked in two drafts and Cats’ hand in his development
Joe Pike missed out at the end of 2023 and then again six months later. But 12 months after his initial disappointment, he became a Geelong player. And the Cats were pivotal before drafting him.
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It was third time lucky for Geelong draftee Joe Pike.
Pike, 19, was on the draft radar in his 18th year in 2023, with Geelong the main club interested, but he was overlooked.
Six months later the 203 centimtre ruckman was back in consideration, completing a medical with 23 other mid-season draft hopefuls after impressing with the Geelong Falcons and Geelong VFL.
Again, his name wasn’t called.
Twelve months after his initial disappointment, the Barwon Heads boy was read out by the Cats with the third last pick in the rookie draft.
He was the last new draftee to join the AFL ranks, with the final two selections being re-rookied Swans Aaron Francis and Joel Hamling.
Pike joined a long list of players taken from the Geelong VFL production line, including vice-captain Tom Stewart and hard-edge midfielder Tom Atkins.
“It is great, it is pretty surreal to be honest,” Pike said.
“Last year it was a bit of a setback mentally to just try and get myself back up and going again. But I really stuck at it and had a good year I feel with the support of the people around me at Falcons and at the VFL here.
“They’ve set me up pretty well and it has obviously worked out as good as it can get It’s been really special.”
HARD YARDS
The athletically gifted ruckman was relatively new to footy, having only played casually with Barwon Heads until he was 15 with elite level basketball in his sights.
As a junior he represented the Australian country basketball side at under-14 level and Geelong United.
In 2022 he went from a late Falcons pre-season call-up to playing on AFL grand final day in the under-17s futures match.
But this year proved there was plenty of improvement still left in him, and it was his new club Geelong who helped the big man go to another level.
Pike’s endurance held him back in his attempts to get drafted in 2023 and after being overlooked, he worked tooth and nail with Geelong’s VFL side over the pre-season.
With the help of Cats VFL coach Mark Corrigan and strength and conditioning coach Dean Roger, Pike shaved 30 seconds from his two kilometre time trial time.
And the results had a significant impact on his game.
“Coming from a basketball background, I’m relatively athletic for someone of my size, so being able to work on that running ability and then mix that with my height and my athleticism has helped make for a better year and a better game,” Pike said.
“Being able to pull my 2km time down and then obviously what comes from that is you can run out games better and further.
“I’d say that’s probably the major thing that I had to work on and have worked on.”
“(Dean) helped me a lot with my running and my general fitness to get me to a point where I was able to make an impact at VFL level.”
LIGHTING THE FIRE
His performances were strong at Coates Talent League level in 2023, but Pike was dominating games for the Falcons this year.
Pike shone for the Young Guns, booting three goals in one game.
He then earned a call-up for Geelong’s VFL side ahead of the mid-season draft and showed his potential against men, finishing with 30 hit-outs (10 of those to advantage), 11 disposals and two goals on debut.
“I think my first game against Coburg was really important because I sort of understood that I could play at this level and I could make a good impact,” Pike said.
“That put me on the right path and gave me a bit of a confidence boost to show me that I can do it if I just stick to it and work.”
Pike watched as his Falcons teammate Will McLachlan joined Brisbane but missing out served as more motivation.
“It was tough but in all honesty it was a bit easier having gone through it six months before. And I got to see Will McLachlan get picked up, which was just unreal for him,” Pike said.
“It wasn’t as bad as what people might think it was, it was just another moment sort of lighting the fire and making me work even harder to have a good crack at the end of the year.”
He continued to blitz the Coates Talent League in the back-half of the year between the occasional VFL opportunity, holding his own against Hawthorn ruckman Ned Reeves and experienced journeyman Tom Campbell.
Pike feels his VFL experience has given him a greater understanding of what to expect at the next level, but he knows he is far from the finished product.
“From Falcons to VFL, it’s a big jump. And then from VFL to AFL it’s another huge jump,” Pike said
“So to a certain point yes it has conditioned me, but there’ll be lots of things to learn and then physically as well, there will be a big side to it.”
BARWON HEADS CONNECTION
If things didn’t go his way in the rookie draft, Pike would have remained at Geelong VFL while plying his trade in the Geelong league.
St Joseph’s – coached by former Cats player and assistant Ron Watt – South Barwon (coached by ex-Melbourne coach and former Cats player Mark Neeld) and Newtown & Chillwell (coached by triple Cats premiership great Steve Johnson) were all in the frame to snare him.
“I wouldn’t say there was a frontrunner, but those three specifically were the ones I was looking at,” Pike said.
Instead he will link up with Falcons teammate Xavier Ivisic, and another Barwon Heads mature-age recruit in Oli Wiltshire, who was plucked from the Bellarine competition in 2023.
Pike believes the program and the tight knit community has played a part in him and Wiltshire getting drafted.
“Everyone knows how to put their head down and work, but also have a good time,” Pike said.
“I think them being able to teach us that balance… has been a really good mindset to have to sort of enjoy every part of it and work hard.”
Originally published as Geelong draftee Joe Pike on being overlooked in two drafts and Cats’ hand in his development
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