Prospective AFL draftees are often asked by the media what strange questions have been posed to them by club recruiting staff in their pre-draft interviews.

Speaking on Melbourne radio last month, Geelong Falcons midfielder Tanner Bruhn revealed one surprise question that had been put to him by Adelaide’s recruiters. 

“Adelaide asked me how I would get Jye Caldwell out in cricket,” Bruhn said. 

Caldwell, who was traded from Greater Western Sydney to Essendon in this year’s trade period, attended Geelong Grammar School with Bruhn.

The pair represented the school in cricket, with Caldwell captaining the side in 2018 and Bruhn claiming best first-year player honours.

Crows recruiting boss Hamish Ogilvie explained to AFC Media questions like this are used “all the time”.

“When we know boys have played cricket, we ask questions like if they’re a batsman – have you ever made a 100? How many balls did it take?” Ogilvie said.

“They went to school together (Bruhn and Caldwell) and they knew each other, so it’s not an unusual question for us to ask.

“We ask players about their peers and other sporting ability and footy ability all the time.” 

Bruhn also revealed he was asked by Crows recruiters what his highest score was, and how many balls it took him to get there. 

The reasoning behind that question is to gauge a player’s appetite for risk-taking, which can often be reflective of their personality.

“For the batsmen we measure a bit of concentration and it tells a bit about their personality,” Ogilvie said 

“If they scored a 100 off 65 balls, it shows they’re dashing, attacking and probably a risk taker. 

“If they scored a 50 or 100 off 200 odd balls, it shows they can concentrate, are prepared to dig in, do the hard work, that sort of thing.”

The 2020 AFL Draft will take place on Wednesday, December 9, where Bruhn is tipped to be an early-to-mid first round selection.