WHEN Daniel Wells boarded the plane for Melbourne ahead of the 2002 National Draft, he prepared himself for what seemed a foregone conclusion – that he would join Carlton.

What followed was a tumultuous 48 hours that saw his would-be club earn the wrath of the AFL Commission for salary cap breaches and stripped of its first four draft picks – including numbers one and two.

The Blues were also fined $930,000 and, as a wide-eyed 17-year-old, Wells probably didn't have a full understanding of what that meant for him.

But when North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley arrived at Wells’ hotel it was clear his path had hit a fork.

"I actually didn't have anything to do with North Melbourne [in the lead-up]," he said this week."It was all Carlton.

"A couple of days before the actual draft, Dean Laidley came down to the hotel and spoke to my dad and I and said: 'Carlton lost their draft picks and we're going to pick you up at number two'.

"Before that I was going to Carlton. On the plane over towards here I thought I was going to Carlton. It was probably fate and it's fantastic I ended up at the Kangaroos."

Laidley, less than two months into the job at North, measured his club's ascendance in the draft order and decided that the West Australian –who had spent the year with Peel Thunder's senior side in the WAFL and finished runner-up in the Sandover Medal – was the player he wanted.

Carlton felt the same way too, and would have used No. 2 to recruit Wells once it had secured Brendon Goddard first-up. Goddard joined St Kilda.

"At the start I was little bit surprised to be regarded that highly, but you sort of get used to it after a little while," Wells said.

"I suppose just to get picked up, it doesn't matter what number you get picked up really. If you get picked up in the top five, expectations are high.

"I definitely knew [North would draft me] but I was still a bit nervous. Until your name gets called out, you're still not drafted.

"One of the papers [recently] ran the draft picks that were picked late (in the history of the draft) and there were some of the greatest players to have ever played the game.

"At the end of the day it's just a number and it's what you do afterwards that really counts. And the first couple of months with pre-season its head down and bum up, train hard and give it your all."

Wells has played 123 games for the Roos since his debut in round one, 2003 and signed a two-year deal in August.

Twenty-four in February and with his first child due soon before, Wells is pleased to call Melbourne home.

Not for the first time, the midfielder admits he struggled with homesickness in his first few years, but got by with the support of the club.

"Even though I was prepared to come over, leaving my family back in Perth was pretty tough," he said.

"I got pretty homesick but the club was fantastic in letting me go back every now and then to drop in and see the family, break the shackles.

"The club was always very supportive of that, so that's a real important issue – especially for kids who come from interstate.

"When you're happy, that's when you play your best footy. And it makes you sort of grow up a bit quicker as well."