Athletic Mitch McCarthy one of four Dandenong Stingrays to attend AFL draft combine

MITCH McCarthy was headed for a basketball career before having a sudden change of mind.

Mitchell McCarthy in action with the Dandenong Stingrays this season. Picture: Paul Loughnan.

MITCH  McCarthy was in America last November when it struck like a bolt of lightning: footy was for him.

He was about to graduate from Village Christian High School in Sun Valley, California where he’d spent the best part of six months on a basketball scholarship.

Long and lean, McCarthy was a slam dunking machine­ with, seemingly, a giant future on the court.

But there was something “eating away” at him. He had missed playing footy – a lot. McCarthy the previous season had been on the Dandenong Stingrays list alongside Jacob Weitering, Jack Lonie and co.

So, he made a long distance phone call to Stingrays talent manager Mark Wheeler asking for another opportunity.

“I said to ‘Wheels’, ‘I’ve been starved of football over here ... it really makes you miss it’, he said. “You don’t realise how much you love something until it’s gone and that’s basically what happened with footy.

“It was around draft time in November when it started eating away at me. I see Weiters (Weitering) drafted, Brandon White, Kurt Mutimer­ and Bailey Rice ... they all get drafted and I’m kind of sitting there saying what could have happened.

“It was eating away at me and that’s when I gave Wheels a call.”

Mitch McCarthy shows off his basketball skills.

Wheeler was only too happy to give McCarthy another chance and within weeks he was back home doing pre-season training.

McCarthy (198cm) was outstanding in several games this season with the Stingrays before a navicular stress fracture in his foot ended his season early.

But AFL clubs had seen enough of Big Mac to be impressed­. And last week, the Frankston 18-year-old was invited to attend the AFL draft combine in October. “When I got the letter I had a big smile on face,” he said “It’s a huge opportunity.”

Wheeler said McCarthy possessed “elite, freakish ability”. “We stole him from basketball,” he said.

“He’s always been in our program but he wasn’t committed. As a 16-year-old he used to train for 45 minutes a week and then go and do basketball­. He went to America and just had a churning in his stomach and it was football.

“He’s only played nine games this year and that includes­ Vic Country games. He’s got all the attributes to be that new, tall running back.’’

Stingrays coach Craig Black says McCarthy has plenty of upside.

“He’s athletic and he can do some stuff people his size can’t,’’ he said. “I’ve seen him at training grab the ball at half back, take three bounces and kick to the full forward.’’

Six Dandenong Stingrays – Josh Battle, Bailey Morrish, McCarthy and Myles Poholke – have been invited to the AFL draft combine at Etihad Stadium from October 6-9. Each of the 80 players who will attend were nominated by at least five AFL clubs.

Mark Wheeler on the combine players:

Josh Battle: “Josh is definitely a very talented young man at 17. He had to make a choice between football and cricket and he chose football. I reckon he’s turned into a real workhorse, I think that’s his biggest attribute. He wills himself to the next contest.”

Myles Poholke: “Big strong body. The professionalism probably wasn’t quite there. When he came back from Florida at Christmas time you could see the change in him. He definitely started ticking all the boxes in the off-field stuff with his preparation and diet and things like that. He’s a strong inside mid, can go forward. He’s like (Joel) Selwood and Dustin Martin style. He doesn’t fall over and he hardly gets tackled.’’

Bailey Morrish: “Bailey has been in our program since 15 and at 17 he didn’t make our final list as a 17-year-old. He probably just didn’t understand the words ‘work rate’. So he went back and played local footy, learning professionalism and started growing form there. He’s elite.’’