Cam O’Shea was on Carlton’s radar before his standout 2017 season for VFL affiliate Northern Blues

WHEN Cam O’Shea was delisted by Port Adelaide and overlooked by all 17 AFL clubs at the end of 2016, he considered leaving AFL behind. But he decided to give it one last crack and Carlton was always watching.

Cam O’Shea trained with Carlton in the lead-up to the pre-season and rookie drafts. Picture: Getty

CARLTON recruit Cam O’Shea’s move to the Blues was 12 months in the making.

After being delisted by Port Adelaide at the end of last year, the defender was surprisingly overlooked as a delisted free agent and in the drafts for the 2017 season and was forced to decide whether he wanted to continue to chase an AFL career.

O’Shea played 81 games for the Power between 2011-2016 and despite briefly considering playing country football, he decided to give it one last crack.

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He signed with the Blues’ VFL affiliate Northern Blues and before even pulling on a jumper, held talks with Carlton about his goals and was officially on list boss Stephen Silvagni’s radar.

After a standout season where he won the Northern Blues best and fairest, the rest is history.

O’Shea now has his second AFL opportunity after the Blues picked him up in Monday’s pre-season draft.

Cam O’Shea trained with Carlton in the lead-up to the pre-season and rookie drafts. Picture: Getty

“I sat down with Carlton 12 months ago when I was about to sign with the Northern Blues and had a chat about the future,” O’Shea said.

“They told me that if I had a strong season there would be an opportunity for me to put in a pre-season with the club and potentially go from there. Fortunately, everything has gone to plan.

“It’s funny how it all pans out.”

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The defender spent 12 months out of the AFL system, which has served as a major learning experience and matured the 25-year-old who was forced to find a job.

He balanced training and playing in the VFL with employment at Nike, putting into perspective the opportunity he had playing football full-time at Port Adelaide.

Now he’s ready to grab his second chance with both hands.

O’Shea was granted permission to train with Carlton over the pre-season before officially joining the club’s primary list on Monday.

It is a shrewd recruiting move from the Blues who must find a replacement for star defender Sam Docherty, who will miss the 2018 season after rupturing his ACL last month.

Cam O’Shea played for Northern Blues in the VFL this year. Picture: David Smith

He played 81 games in six seasons for Port Adelaide. Picture: Getty

O’Shea hopes he can help fill the void left by the All-Australian as the club must take a “next man up mentality”.

“It’s been an interesting transition training with the Blues already before being drafted,” O’Shea wrote in a column on the AFLPA website. “From a game-plan perspective, there’s still so much for me to learn and I will use the next few months to do so, but I also feel really comfortable in my new surroundings.

“Right now, I see myself as a third tall defender who can provide run off halfback and can intercept. That’s been my primary focus during the pre-season, but who knows, I may get called upon to fulfil another role.

“If there’s a message in all of this, I guess it’s that you can turn immense disappointment into a positive.

“There’s no guarantees that things will work out with the Blues, but I’ll be putting my best foot forward.”