Geelong pull a draft shock by picking local footballer Oliver Wiltshire

A local footballer from Barwon Heads, a VFL grand final hero and a player who spent time in the WAFL reserves this year. Cats recruiter Stephen Wells reflects on their bizarre haul.

Oliver Wiltshire. Picture: Mark Wilson

Just when we thought Geelong had picked the story of the night in VFL sensation Shaun Mannagh, it pulled off another Stephen Wells special, plucking local footballer Oliver Wiltshire from the Bellarine Football League.

The Barwon Heads smokey was the shock of the draft, being picked up by the Geelong at pick 61 from obscurity after being linked to the club in the lead-up.

Wells, a veteran recruiter who is renowned for landing talent from untraditional avenues, also took Swan Districts midfielder Lawson Humphries, a West Coast academy graduate who spent half his 2023 campaign in the WAFL reserves.

Wiltshire, 21, turned heads for Barwon Heads this season, booting 51 goals in 18 games while playing through the midfield, including a spectacular 12-goal haul against eventual finalists Modewarre.

Cats figures, including former assistant coach Shaun Grigg, had been spotted at Barwon Heads games watching Wiltshire and Wells had made informal enquiries to the Seagulls co-coach Sam Schaller about him.

A late developer, Wiltshire played seven games for the Geelong Falcons in 2021 but didn’t set the world on fire.

He returned to his local club and impressed last year before a breakout campaign in 2023 which saw multiple AFL clubs track his progress.

Oliver Wiltshire is off to Geelong in a draft shock. Picture: Mark Wilson

Wells said Wilshire is capable of producing eye-catching moments, with his leap and running ability also impressing the Cats.

He believes that the club could have missed out on Wiltshire if he had been added to their VFL program, a strategy they used with fellow Geelong local Tom Stewart before he was taken as a mature-age selection in 2016.

“Looking back, we would have been better off picking Tom Stewart before he got into the VFL program,” Wells said.

“What we like to pick are players that still have got improvement left in them and that includes whether it be a 26-year-old Shaun Mannagh, some younger fellas who have a couple of years out of the under-18 system, or the young fellas that are going well in their under-18 national championships.

“(Wiltshire) actually had a couple of games at the Geelong Falcons a couple of years ago and didn’t go quite so well but his performances over the last two years and this year in particular have been outstanding.

“Ollie has never done anything like an AFL pre-season so it’s going to be really interesting to see how he develops and we see a lot of upside there.

“Lawson’s a player like Ollie I suppose, he’s played a lot better this year, he has really developed.”

It came after the club gave mature-age gem Mannagh his AFL shot.

The 26-year-old put an exclamation mark on his excellent season with a stunning VFL grand final performance, winning the Norm Goss Medal in a loss with six goals and 26 disposals against Gold Coast.

Mannagh is now a Cat. Picture: Getty Images

A gamebreaking midfielder-forward, Mannagh had strong interest from Fremantle and was also believed to be on Essendon’s radar.

But the Dockers opted to take Dandenong Stingrays midfielder Cooper Simpson, who they had put late work into, instead with their previous selection.

With Fremantle and Essendon holding selections just after the Cats, they pounced on Mannagh with pick 36 and their third choice of the night.

Werribee VFL assistant coach Nick Daffy said Mannagh’s tale of persistence should drive footballers into the future.

“Was thinking of all the years he was sitting watching the draft and missed out,” Daffy said.

“So proud of him and he deserves it. It’s a great story of resilience and never giving up.

He joined Richmond’s VFL team under Craig McRae in 2017, playing in their grand final loss that year but found himself in and out of the side.

The Lavington product crossed to Werribee’s VFL side in 2020 in search of more regular opportunity and has flourished ever since.

His sixth VFL season in 2023 was clearly his best, dominating as a dynamic goalkicking midfielder, booting 40 goals and averaging 25 disposals per game.

Mannagh’s highlight reel was as good as any in the competition this season, bursting through would-be tacklers, kicking goals from all angles and winning the Sherrin for fun.

Wells said that the club was convinced on Mannagh before his breathtaking grand final performance and he believes he can have an immediate impact for the Cats.

Shaun Mannagh played an incredible VFL grand final. Picture: Getty Images

“In some ways we were a bit disappointed that he played so well,” Wells said with a laugh.

“Shaun’s a player that we think deserves an opportunity on an AFL list. Obviously, his performances over the last couple of years have been terrific and this year, he went to another level again, we felt.

“We’re very, very happy to give Shaun an opportunity. We know he’s going to really appreciate it and come in and make an impact at our club straightaway.”

Geelong’s selection of Mannagh is a statement of intent for next year after a disappointing premiership defence in 2023.

It is clear the club believes it can still challenge for a flag with Tom Hawkins, Patrick Dangerfield and many more in the twilight of their career.

Last season their midfield lacked ready-made matchwinners, especially when Dangerfield and Cam Guthrie were sidelined, and he shapes as a player who can make an immediate impact down the highway from Werribee at Kardinia Park.

The Cats also had an eye to the future with their first pick of the night two, which they received from Essendon in their live trade on Monday, taking developing ruckman Mitchell Edwards.

It was the Cats’ first blow to Fremantle, given he was a graduate of the club’s Next Generation Academy and would have got to the Dockers if he got beyond pick 40.

However several clubs before that point, including St Kilda who held the very next pick, were linked to the big man.

Edwards has plenty of height at 206cm but tipped the scales at just 89kg at the draft combine, meaning he will take some time to develop.

But his elite contested marking ability sets him apart as a ruckman, and he will help bolster Geelong’s long-term ruck stocks with Rhys Stanley not having long left.