The sliding doors moment which meant Sam Davidson ended up at Bulldogs instead of Richmond, Essendon

Sam Davidson was running around last year in Richmond colours – and yet they let him slip. Jon Ralph and Paul Amy go behind the sliding doors moment which left ‘Doc’ a Dog.

If Essendon recruiter Merv Keane had his way, the brilliant Sam Davidson would be on the Bombers’ list this season.

If Richmond had backed gut feel and used its third mid-season pick on a player who’d just had a blinder for its VFL team, Davidson would be the icing on the cake of its 2024 draft mega-haul.

Instead, Davidson ended up at the Western Bulldogs.

And after a stunning 31-possession display on Friday night, his coach Luke Beveridge was telling anyone who would listen that “Doc’’ Davidson played like Peter Matera.

Recruiting is full of stories of hits and misses. Clubs can’t pick them all of course, yet Richmond will truly believe that Davidson was the one who got away.

After touring regional Victoria while on medical rounds and playing for Sale City, South Mildura and then Maffra, he landed on Richmond’s VFL list last year.

Sam Davidson in action for Richmond’s VFL side. Picture: Rob Lawson/AFL Photos.

The club was wowed by his running patterns as an athletic wingman and forward but in five VFL matches to round eight he averaged only 11 possessions.

Then came a game that has become a sliding-doors moment.

In the Dreamtime at the ‘G curtain raiser only days before the May 29 mid-season draft, he kicked three goals to go with 20 possessions and three score assists.

His shock of blonde hair stood out like a beacon on the barren MCG.

Essendon interviewed him and while the Bombers knew he was a 10-possession-a-game player at that stage, they believed he was the perfect kind of smart role player who would thrive in an AFL system after a full AFL pre-season.

The Dons were the only club to interview him, but Richmond liked what it saw of the dasher in the No. 73 jumper: his running patterns, energy and upside.

Essendon recruiter Adrian Dodoro was keen on Northern Bullants speedster Saad El-Hawli even as his offsider Keane, a triple premiership player at Richmond, pushed for Davidson.

Richmond struck gold with ruck-defender Jacob Blight at pick two in the mid-season draft and he looks a revelation after adding ruck duties in the past fortnight.

In a draft with Jack Hutchison (West Coast), Max Hall (St Kilda), Will McLachlan (Brisbane) and Cooper Lord (Carlton), Essendon hooked on to El-Hawli at selection 13.

Essendon landed Saad El-Hawli instead of Sam Davidson in last year’s mid-season draft. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images,

Richmond added swingman Campbell Gray at pick 16 (and is excited by his progress), then passed with pick 20 in a draft where it had three picks after a spate of ACL tears.

Rival clubs believed Davidson hadn’t shown enough to be more than a speculative draft pick, even if it would have cost Richmond only $50,000 under AFL rules to take a risk signing him to October 31.

The Tigers might have felt he would be available later in the 2024 national draft or as a rookie if he continued his upward swing.

Overlooked by everyone he responded in round 11 of the VFL season by kicking four goals from 17 touches against Port Adelaide, followed by three and 19 against Carlton and six goals against the Northern Bullants.

By the national draft, everyone knew about ‘Doc’ Davidson – he was featured in the Herald Sun in August and then won the VFL’s Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the most likely under 23 young player.

One VFL official said the decision to give the award to the rookie Tiger was “as obvious as the nose of your face’’.

Sam Davidson was the best young player in the VFL last season. Picture: Rob Lawson/AFL Photos.

Richmond had taken seven young kids by pick 28 in the national draft and was seen to be done as the second round finished.

At pick 50 Davidson was still undrafted and seemingly unloved.

But the Bulldogs were so keen to nab him that they traded a future third-round pick to come back into the draft.

Richmond traded a future fourth rounder for the pick that took 183cm small forward Jasper Alger. The Tigers had already traded their future third in the Shai Bolton trade.

The Bulldogs were convinced he could play higher football after watching him win his wing with relentless running in Richmond’s last match of the season against Carlton.

He kicked two goals and had 20 disposals.

The Dogs had watched him fill gaps for an injury-hit Richmond VFL team but believed he was a natural wingman with uncommon endurance.

They thought his running profile would suit the AFL, and they also regarded him as an outstanding young man.

The clincher? He was a devoted Dogs supporter and was at the MCG for the 2016 grand final.

Those 31 possessions against the Blues last Friday night were cheered around various parts of the state.

Sam Davidson is mobbed after kicking his first goal in the AFL. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Davidson played juniors at East Brighton and Ormond, and Under 19s at St Kevin’s.

In 2022 his medical rounds took him to Sale Hospital and, with fellow medical students Zac Angus, Jack Kirkham and Billy Quirk, presented for a game at Sale City in the North Gippsland league.

In 10 matches for City, Davidson kicked 28 goals and ran second in the best and fairest.

He also had a high finish in the league medal and was named in the team of the year.

Davidson won over the locals immediately, in his first game booting four goals against great rival Heyfield.

“Our man,’’ City president Mick Clapton said at the mention of Davidson.

“He is our man. He played his first game of senior footy at Sale City. He turned up on our doorstep with three of his student-doctor mates and we organised a house for the four of them and we had them for the year.

Western Bulldogs player Sam Davidson at Sale City. Picture: Supplied.

Western Bulldogs player Sam Davidson while presenting Auskick medals to Sale City players Picture: Supplied.

“Sam was amazing. He played a practice match against Paynesville out at Boisdale-Briagolong and I was doing the training job that day and I said to one of my mates, ‘Hey, you want to see this kid, he’s one of the best kids I’ve seen in my 40 years in local footy, he’s unbelievable’. He ran from one end of the ground to the other.’’

Davidson and the three other medical students were so popular at Sale City that they were asked to present the Auskick medals at the end of the season.

They had Thursday night dinners at the club and attended every social function.

Clapton has followed Davidson’s journey in football and is thrilled at his rise.

He sent Davidson text messages after he was drafted and again after his AFL debut. Davidson was quick to reply both times.

“He’s a brilliant kid. He’s been well brought up. Up here he put in as much as he gave. We’re just over the moon for him.”

So, why didn’t the Tigers take him?

“I don’t know why,’’ Clapton said. “They had all those draft picks early, didn’t they? I saw Jack Riewoldt talking on Fox Footy on the weekend and saying, ‘They missed one there’.

“I think they did. He’s doing exactly what he did here, just running the arcs.’’