How Hawthorn nabbed steal of 2017 draft with hardworking midfielder James Worpel

While Tom Scully’s Hawthorn debut will be a major talking point today, the Hawks arguably got a bigger bargain when midfielder James Worpel slipped to pick No. 45 in the 2017 draft.

James Worpel spent his days picking grapes at a Bannockburn winery.

Before training at the Geelong Falcons, the hard-nut midfielder would roll up his sleeves, grab a wheelbarrow and prune vines or perform odd jobs.

At night, Worpel, who had finished school the year before, would jump behind the cash register during his occasional shift at a local pizza shop, for a few extra dollars.

On the field, Hawthorn’s latest midfield revelation was already an elite ballwinner in the TAC Cup, even though some recruiters worried about his kicking and decision-making.

AFL ROUND 2 TEAMS: TOM SCULLY A SHOCK INCLUSION FOR HAWKS

DAVID KING: THE PLAYERS WHO CAN FILL TOM MITCHELL’S ROLE

AFL SUPERCOACH LATE MAIL: WHAT’S UP WITH ISAAC HEENEY?

MARK ROBINSON: TIGERS SEASON HINGES ON DUSTIN MARTIN

But what he also demonstrated in 2017, as he juggled two jobs and an AFL dream, was a tremendous work ethic and commitment, according to his manager John Meesen from i50m.

In a nutshell, Worpel was a doer.

James Worpel (right) celebrates Geelong Falcons’ TAC Cup premiership with coach Daniel O'Keefe and co-captain Cooper Stephens. Picture: Graham Denholm/AFL Media.

“We had a discussion about what he wanted to do that year, whether it was an apprenticeship or a university degree,” Meesen said.

“But he said he wanted to start working and start making a living.

“He wasn’t going to rely on pocket money from his parents or anything like that to get by that year. He was going to stand on his own two feet.

“It probably wasn’t ideal that he was picking grapes before training, because it was a labouring job and he was still going into the club early to do all of his extra weights and things.

“And then he was making pizzas after training as well.

“So, yeah, it was a big workload. But that’s the kind of person he is.

“What it taught him was to appreciate the opportunity he had to get drafted and have an AFL career.”

James Worpel celebrates a goal during Hawthorn’s win over Adelaide last weekend. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images.

Worpel, 20, comes from a big Bannockburn family, with five sisters and three brothers.

While they had an interest in football, the game wasn’t everything in his family.

But for all of his courage and hardness in the contest, when it came to draft time Worpel slid down the order to No. 45, far beyond the range regional manager Michael Turner expected.

Worpel was the Vic Country captain and Falcons premiership co-captain and All-Australian in 2017.

But some recruiters had a knock on his disposal and one club had put a line through him altogether.

“It doesn’t really matter what number you are drafted in the end, but I thought it was far too low,” Turner said.

“I shook my head wondering how he slipped that far down.”

Richmond was linked to Worpel that year but ended up opting for a tall, Noah Balta at No.25, and father-son livewire Patrick Naish at 34.

Yet, almost 18 months on, Worpel looks like the steal of that year’s draft.

James Worpel’s clash with Joel Selwood last year announced the young Hawk as an AFL player. Picture: Michael Klein.

He shone in the back half of last season to help drive Hawthorn’s engine room to the second week of September.

There was his big breakout moment when he went head to head with Joel Selwood, one of the most courageous players of the modern era, and beat the champion Cat to a 50-50 ball.

Then he spun wickedly out of trouble and found a target with a handball to set-up a Jack Gunston goal.

And in place of absent superstar Tom Mitchell in Round 1, Worpel gathered a team-high 27 disposals, five clearances and two goals to start the season with a bang and a resounding win against Adelaide.

Yes, Mitchell is a huge loss, but what about “Worpedo”, Hawks fans are saying.

And after signing a new two-year deal earlier this year, Worpel said of Hawthorn: “It’s a club I love and hopefully I get to spend the rest of my career here.”

James Worpel’s TAC Cup club Geelong Falcons thought he was a draft steal at pick No. 45. Picture: Scott Barbour/AFL Media.

Turner said the midfield bull was an exceptional character. It’s a must-have trait at Hawthorn.

“He is a really, really good kid. The kind of kid, who, if he ever walked past the trailer and saw it was full of footy equipment, he would just unload it, all the property, and bring stuff into the club,” Turner said.

“You didn’t have to ask him.

“And he was always in there doing his weights before training and all that, so he was very professional.

“He was quiet, but someone who always had that presence. A bit like Luke Hodge, some blokes just have a presence about them.”