EVERY draft prospect gets asked the same thing by recruiters and journalists: who do you model your game on? Usually, the person asking the question isn't the answer to the question.
But it was on this occasion.
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Port Adelaide great Robbie Gray and Power talent scout Brett Anderson drove up from Melbourne to visit Joe Berry in Benalla midway through August, meeting the 181cm small forward after the Murray Bushrangers smashed the Western Jets by 94 points in Wangaratta.
Gray has transitioned from playing to recruiting for Port Adelaide since retiring at the end of 2022 after his decorated 271-game career. The four-time All-Australian is now sitting opposite underage talent, like Berry, trying to pick the Power's next generation, as part of Jason Cripps' list management team.
Along with Essendon's Next Generation Academy product Isaac Kako, Berry is widely considered by recruiters and list managers as the best other small forward in this year's draft class.
Port Adelaide currently holds pick No.13 in this month's Telstra AFL Draft and could swoop on Berry if he is still on the board when it is on the clock for the first time.
Recruiters view Berry as a player in the mould of Hawthorn vice-captain Dylan Moore, who stamped himself as one of the premier half-forwards in the AFL this year to claim his first All-Australian blazer. Berry is a strong two-way runner who impacts deep inside 50, but can also fires between the arcs.
"A lot of my football has been forward this year, playing that high half-forward getting up the ground and being able to link, as well as that deeper forward," Berry told AFL.com.au.
"Looking at players (to emulate) a bit of Dylan Moore, Toby Greene, but a past player I've watched a fair bit of is Robbie Gray. When he played onball he was amazing and when he went forward he always seemed to find a way. Some of his weapons are what I try to bring to my game.
"That [Port Adelaide] interview was a bit surreal. They asked about a player I model my game on and I said him. It was good to meet Robbie. He gave me some good tips and advice."
Berry was no guarantee to be drafted at the start of the year. He only played six games for the Bushrangers in last year's Coates Talent League and looked a long shot for the Vic Country team during the summer months.
But things changed when he kicked four goals in round one against Tasmania and four more the following week against Bendigo. By the time he kicked four against Greater Western Sydney and four more against the Oakleigh Chargers a month later, Berry had essentially secured a spot in the national championships.
By the end of the campaign, Berry had been named All-Australian after kicking nine goals in four games for Vic Country, as well as named at half-forward in the Coates Talent League team of the year, after sharing Murray's best and fairest with Max Mahoney.
Berry's stocks have skyrocketed since this time last year. But it was where he finished his 2023 season that laid the foundations for his form this winter. Berry played the last six games of the season for Wangaratta under former Collingwood defender Ben Reid in the Ovens and Murray League, including three finals. Berry thrived against men. He kicked four goals on debut against Wodonga and three in a final against Albury.
"My form this year probably extends back to some of that Maggies footy at Wangaratta at the end of last year. I really enjoyed playing there under Benny Reid. That experience was really good," Berry said.
"That was a great experience playing against the bigger bodies. The Ovens and Murray is a strong league as well. We ended up playing three finals that year as well.
"I started a pre-season before the pre-season and that really set me up. I loved getting into the gym, doing the running and all the craft. But looking back, I think those games helped me launch into 2024."
Reid, who played 152 games for Collingwood and was a crucial member of the 2010 premiership team, made a big impact on Berry and many across his four seasons at Norm Minns Oval in Wangaratta.
"He has been a great support for me since I got to the club," Berry said. "To give me that opportunity last year I was really thankful. He was pretty clear on playing my role and also playing on instinct. He has been a great pillar for me."
Berry also spent part of last pre-season training with Port Adelaide recruit Joe Richards in Wangaratta. The pair crossed paths at the Wangaratta Magpies, but never played together.
Richards was famously plucked directly out of the Ovens and Murray League at the age of 22 when Collingwood swooped in the 2022 AFL Draft, before moving to Alberton in October after playing nine games for Craig McRae's side. Both are managed by John Meesen, from Kapital Sports, and both are renowned for their polish and nous around goal.
"I trained with Joe a bit over the summer," Berry said. "He was big on being clean below my knees and in my hands. He has a great turn of speed. He is someone who has had a great year and someone who has helped me learn a lot."
No matter what happens on November 20, Berry will have to move away from home. That's the nature of growing up in the country. Clubs from all over the competition have interviewed him, with many expecting him to be selected on night one between picks No.10 and 20.
"It is something I'm looking forward to really," he said. "I'm starting to do some different stuff around the house to prepare, cooking meals and other things. It has been a dream of mine to play for an AFL club and something I'm really looking forward to."
