Don’t let Wayne Milera’s relaxed personality or witty charm fool you, says Crows National Recruiting Manager Hamish Ogilvie.
Ogilvie and Adelaide’s recruiting team were quick to swoop on the 18-year-old South Australian with the Club’s first pick at Tuesday night’s National Draft.
While Milera possesses a bubbly and outgoing personality off the field, he has already proved devastating on it.
The Central District recruit played 11 League games and kicked 11 goals in his first year of senior football, including dominant displays against Glenelg (five goals) in Round 18 and Port Adelaide (three) on the Semi-Final stage at Adelaide Oval. Milera also kicked four goals for South Australia during this year’s U18 National Championships, where he averaged 15 possessions across all six games.
Milera also displayed tremendous resilience to overcome a rare heart condition during his draft journey. He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome midway through the year, but returned to play a key role in Central District’s finals campaign.
Ogilvie said it was Milera’s tenacity and thirst for the contest alongside his outgoing style that made him such an attractive prospect.
“Wayne’s a great kid, he’s engaging, he’s got a real happy smile. It’s not far for Wayne to move and his SANFL form was terrific," Ogilvie said.
“He’s a lovely kid. He’s highly intelligent and a great fit for our Club.”
The Club caused somewhat of a stir when it secured 187cm defender Tom Doedee with its second and final live pick at No.17.
Doedee was a surprise selection to many keen observers at the Adelaide Convention Centre. But not for the Crows, who had been tracking the versatile tall’s progress for an extended period.
He played 13 games with the Geelong Falcons and was part of the all-conquering Vic Country team that dominated this year’s U18 National Championships. This was despite Doedee being forced to sit out the majority of pre-season due to hamstring and shoulder injuries.
Rated one of the best one-on-one defenders in the draft, Ogilvie said Doedee - like Milera - had the temperament to be a success.
“He’s a very competitive and driven young man,” Ogilvie said.
“He looks like an angel but plays like a devil. He’s a very competitive young man.
“He’s a versatile player, great character, really competitive (and) an athletic package. He’s only had one year of footy in the TAC Cup but we’ve been tracking him for a little while.
“We’re really pleased to bring him in.”
