You would think being selected in the first round of the 2001 AFL National Draft – now widely known as the ‘Superdraft’ due to the depth of talent in it – would make any footballer and their family happy.

But when Brent Reilly’s name was called by Adelaide at pick No.12, his mother and sister burst into tears and Reilly himself was in a state of shock.

While excited to be drafted and proud to achieve the goal he had been working towards throughout his junior career, Reilly knew he had to pack up his belongings in Melbourne, farewell his family and move to South Australia only two days later.

In the lead up to the draft, Reilly had spoken to 15 of the 16 AFL clubs and knew Adelaide and one other Victorian club were really keen.

Given the Victorian club’s first selection was after Adelaide’s, Reilly half-expected to be drafted by the Crows, but that didn’t stop it from being a “weird day.”

“The Crows were probably the one that had the most coaches in the interview, but they were pretty relaxed about it, so it was one of my better interviews,” Reilly said.

“Before that, James Fantasia (former recruiting manager) and Phil Harper (former head of communications) came to my house, so I knew there was a bit of interest.

“But at the same time, I wasn’t prepared to move interstate – in my own head I wanted to stay in Melbourne and get Mum to look after me still.

“It was a weird day and night because I was excited, but I knew I had to leave, pack up my stuff and move to Adelaide.”

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The relocation happened extremely fast, and Reilly concedes his first two years in the system were “ordinary” as he struggled without his family and friends to support him.

However, as he matured it became much easier.

Eighteen years later, he is still in Adelaide.

“I was 18, I didn’t know what was going on in life,” Reilly said.

“Then I grew up and understood who I was and what I wanted to get out of football and to this day, I’m still here, but at that time I didn’t think I was going to be.

“It was an interesting time for myself and my family, but I’ve got a beautiful wife and a son here now, I’m back at the club coaching and it’s been a very, very interesting journey.”

Brent Reilly in his current role as a Crows development coach

Reilly believes the main difference comparing his draft to today’s era is the way AFL clubs approach draftees relocating interstate.

As the industry has evolved, more support has been put in place for the players and their families dealing with the move.

In his current role as a development coach at the Crows, Reilly is part of the extra support systems, and will travel to this year’s draft to help welcome the newest crop of Adelaide draftees.

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“It's a lot better with player welfare, more support for your family – clubs are really good at that now but back then it was something they were still getting used to,” he said.

“There’s a full time player development manager, there’s full time development coaches now to support those kids and the families often are invited over for events and games.

“It’s really important they have that guidance and support mechanism for them to come through and help them be the best that they can be.”

As for the advice he will be giving to Adelaide’s draftees later this month, it is pretty simple.

“Getting drafted is the easy part,” Reilly said with a smile.

“All the hard work starts after – you’ve got to be a sponge in your first year and soak up what you have to learn to be the best you can be.”