New Magpie Jamie Elliott arrived at the Westpac Centre on Monday afternoon after he was acquired by the club via a trade with Greater Western Sydney.
Elliott, 19, and Irishman Martin Clarke (and a fourth round pick) were traded to the Magpies in exchange for the club’s first round selection in the upcoming draft (number 25 overall).
“I’m pretty nervous at the moment,” Elliott told CTV in his first interview as a Magpie down at the club.
“It hasn’t hit me yet but I think this week and next week, when I move down, it’s really going to hit me.”
Elliott played for the Murray Bushrangers over the last two seasons and will relocate from Euroa to start his AFL career at Collingwood. His mother Fiona, and her partner Stephen, made the two-hour trip on Monday to the club to pick up an official Collingwood jacket and have a chat on camera.
“Moving away from home, I think that is going to shock me the most.
“It’s going to take me a little while to feel as if I am at home. (But) I think once I am down here and around the boys I’ll adjust pretty quickly.”
The small forward averaged 18.2 disposals, 5.8 marks and 2.0 goals in his five appearances for the Bushrangers in 2011. He met with senior coach Nathan Buckley late last week to get the final tick of approval before the trade was made.
“We just had a chat about me, as a person. He wanted to get to know me. It was a character chat more than anything.”
Elliott is described as a small forward who possesses a good leap and has strong skills on either side of his body.
“I am a small forward. I love to tackle and I love the pressure of the game. I love the excitement that it brings as well.
“I think the person I most resemble at the moment is Stephen Milne (St Kilda). And a little bit like Todd Banfield (Brisbane) in the way that he goes about his footy in the forward line with his forward line pressure.”
Elliott will move down to Melbourne next week and will commence training at the club later in the month.
