Nominating for the AFL draft just for a laugh

A VAFA thirds player and Beaconsfield youngster say they nominated for a laugh, while a bush reserves player is up for grabs.

Matthew Forrest playing for Old Xaverians.

Old Xaverians has produced some fine footballers over the years, and anyone scanning the list of nominations for the AFL draft must have thought the VAFA mainstay had another prospect coming through.

Xavs player Matthew Forrest was among more than 1000 players to fill out the forms for the draft online.

But the only football he will be playing next year is with the Crocs, the name given to Xavs’ Third 18.

The 24-year-old university student nominated for a laugh – and he certainly got it.

His mates were quick to message him after his name appeared on the list last Thursday night.

“It started off as a bit of a joke, after I saw (former AFL player) Daniel Gorringe pop up on his Instagram with a nomination for it,’’ he said.

“I thought it would be funny if anyone could nominate. So I filled my name in, put in my height and weight, submitted a photo, and completely forgot about it until it popped up the other day.

“It was literally just a questionnaire filling out what position you play, what club you play at.

“I thought it would be a good story to tell the boys when you’re having a beer. I never thought anything would come of it and then all of a sudden I’m getting tagged in news articles.’’

Forrest attended Xavier College and joined Old Xaverians via the Under 19s.

He said his only chance of being drafted was if a recruiter read out the wrong player ID.

Matthew Forrest plays mainly for Old Xavs’ thirds team.

Forrest is mates with Carlton ruckman Marc Pittonet and delisted Western Bulldog Billy Gowers, and both had a chuckle at his nomination.

Gowers also nominated – and unlike Forrest he’s serious about getting a chance.

A few other VAFA players put their names forward, some of them Under 19 footballers in 2019.

But Old Brighton’s Hamish Dick is a genuine nomination, having played in an AFL Victoria Young Guns game in 2019 and signed at North Melbourne for the 2020 VFL season that never went ahead.

Dick is also a former VAFA Rising Star winner.

But Beaconsfield youngster Ben Fogarty was another who went through the process for a lark.

The son of Beacy senior coach Mick Fogarty played Under 18 football last year.

“He told me the other day what he’s done, and I said to him, ‘Good luck son, hopefully the mighty Tigers pick you up’,’’ Fogarty said.

“It was a running joke with a few of his mates that he’d nominate. They said, ‘bullshit, bullshit’, so he did.’’

Callan Hough, a 32-year-old reserves player from Castlemaine, also nominated.