For at least one club, starved of premiership success since 1963, the 25th of November 2001 was its most successful day in a long time.
The two intervening years have proved that Geelong got it right on that day, picking up eight youngsters, all of whom have played senior football.
Undoubtedly the most significant among those eight has been Gary Ablett, who has belied the pressure of being the son of a champion to make extraordinary progress in his 34 games.
But it is the potential of the other seven which has many Cats supporters so excited.
James Bartel and James Kelly, the Cats’ top two selections at eight and 17 respectively, have featured regularly in Geelong’s young midfield, playing 57 games between them, while the Johnsons, Steve and David, have shown plenty of promise at opposite ends of the ground.
Charlie Gardiner has made an impression in his 11 games while the other two, Henry Playfair and Matt McCarthy, are longer-term projects, expected to fill key forward roles after having made their debuts in 2003.
Playfair told afl.com.au that he believes that group offers much more to the club than just pure footballing ability.
“I suppose we’ve all shown that we have a bit of talent. I was one of the later guys. All the guys drafted before me are really good players and a good bunch of guys. I think they were judged a lot on character. They’re all hard-working, and they’ve got ability”
While draft day 2001 may have given these kittens their chance at the big time, Playfair said it was another significant date, the 22nd of September 2002, which gave them the belief that they could achieve something as a group.
That day saw a drought-breaking premiership win by a Geelong VFL side that featured seven of the class of 2001. Gardiner was the only one to miss out.
“It was pretty important for us to prove to ourselves that we can do it at some level. We’ve just go to take it to the next level now,” Playfair said of the win over Port Melbourne, the club’s first success at any level since 1982.
“We had a good mix, with Bluey McGrath and David Mensch, a couple of old guys who taught us a lot of things about how to play as a team and how to win finals and eventually win a premiership.”
Five of the eight will celebrate their 21st birthdays this year, signifying that as players they can no longer trade on potential alone.
It shapes as a crucial year for the group, especially those who are yet to establish a permanent place for themselves in the senior side.
But Playfair said that it was the responsibility of the entire list, and not just that group, to lift the Cats into the finals for the first time since 2000.
“I think we all aspire to help the club, I think everyone on the list is thinking that, not just our draft group. We all want to get the club to bigger and better places, I don’t think it’s just that draft group, I think it’s the whole club.”
And he expects the latest group of draftees to make as big an impression on the club, as his vintage did in 2002.
“Everyone really is conscious of them and looks out for them. They’ve fitted in very well, all of them. They’re a good bunch of guys and they should go well this year.”
