AT THE end of night one of the NAB AFL Draft, West Australian midfielder Deven Robertson was the only player invited who wasn't picked up.
By his own admission, it was an embarrassing situation.
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He almost flew back home but a message from dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe, just one of many that came flooding in, helped him overcome the negative emotions after what he would have expected to be among the best nights of his life.
That came about 24 hours later, when Brisbane acquired him with pick No.22.
The nephew of West Coast great Darren Glass spoke about the advice he received from Fyfe.
"He sent me quite a lengthy text and just said it's a little bump in the road and the really good players in the AFL breeze straight over it," Robertson said.
He admitted it was difficult sliding down the order.
"Yeah it was … being the only person left in the room and seeing all the other boys walk out on stage and not being up there obviously and having to go up to the hotel and do it all again today was very hard, but I'm on top of the world now. I can't wipe the smile off my face," Robertson said.
DRAFT TRACKER Every pick, every player
Robertson is a tough onballer with clean hands and decent pace, although there have been knocks on his foot skills.
He struggled to sleep after being repeatedly passed over and has extra motivation to make an immediate impact at the Lions.
"Being overlooked by so many clubs, I do feel like I'll have an opportunity to prove them wrong a little bit," Robertson said.
"I definitely don't hold any grudges against those clubs. I know it's a business and if they had players rated higher than me, then that's what it is."
The winner of the Larke Medal, which is awarded to the best and fairest player at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, explained why he decided to turn up for night two of the draft.
"We did have the option to head home … but I didn't want to run away from what had happened and I wanted to go home a drafted man," Robertson said.
Brisbane traded up to ensure it would land Robertson, giving up pick No.23 and a future second-round selection, which is tied to Collingwood, to acquire No.22 from Port Adelaide, along with a fourth-round selection in next year's draft tied to Greater Western Sydney, in a deal revealed by AFL.com.au.
Robertson is recovering from a shoulder dislocation sustained during a clash with Vic Country at the Under-18 Championships but expects to be back in full training in the next fortnight.
The Lions matched Essendon's bid to take Academy prospect Keidean Coleman at pick No.37, whose speed as an outside midfielder will complement the inside grunt Robertson provides.
They also bolstered their half-back division with Brock Smith at No.33 who offers intercept marking in defence, while Jaxon Prior (pictured) at No.59 brings speed and rebound with his precise left boot.
