OVERLOOKED: WA teenager Dayle Garlett is hoping for more interest from clubs in Tuesday's rookie draft. Picture: Michael Klein Source: Herald Sun
GIFTED WA youngster Dayle Garlett is facing the prospect of being snubbed for the second time in Tuesday's AFL rookie draft.
Garlett, named in the under-18 All-Australian team this year, had been expected to win a lifeline from Essendon.
The Bombers invited the Swan Districts product to train with them after he was overlooked in the national draft and are yet to make a final decision but are leaning against drafting the potential star.
"No doubt there's a lot of talent there and the way he plays his football excites everyone," Essendon coach James Hird said.
"We've just got to work out whether someone like Dayle fits our group."
The Garlett situation will play out this week against a backdrop of increasing debate over the apparent reluctance of AFL clubs to recruit indigenous players.
Recruiters around the country were of the view that the 18-year-old was a first-round draft pick based on talent alone, but Garlett has been dogged by bad publicity over off-field issues.
He was kicked out of the elite AIS-AFL Academy last summer and missed several WAFL games through internal club suspensions. Social media photos of him drinking and smoking did further harm to his reputation.
No other AFL club, including local teams West Coast and Fremantle, appears willing to take a punt on him.
Swan Districts is astounded at Garlett's predicament, with coach Greg Harding saying yesterday he was "staggered we're even having the conversation".
Harding said Garlett's issues related mostly to poor time management and said AFL clubs would be passing up a potential 200-game player.
"I'm not saying that he's an angel, but show me exactly what he's done that's been horrible," Harding said.
"These AFL clubs spend millions and millions of dollars on their footy departments. They have an exorbitant amount of resources at their disposal in terms of manpower and not one of those 18 clubs is going to back themselves to put the kid in their culture and give him an opportunity.
"At this stage they've left a kid still at WAFL level who is quite clearly in the top-five players, on talent, in the country."
Harding said Garlett was finding it tough to come to terms with the fact he was required to live differently to his mates.
"He's like any other young 18-year-old bloke that's just got his licence and can get into a nightclub or a pub and have a beer," he said.
"But what he needs to understand is that he's not like any other kid. I think he's got the potential to be an elite AFL player and if you're going to be able to do that then you have to prepare yourself differently to other 18-year-old kids."
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