Speaking with Triple M’s Dead Set Legends program in Brisbane last Saturday, Fevola provided some insight into the unexpected nature of the two biggest events of the AFL’s post-season recruiting period.
“Things were a little bit different back in 1998 when I was drafted,” Fevola told Triple M. “Only one Club was allowed to draft a 17 year-old in those days.”
“They only invited about eight blokes to the draft that year and I was lucky enough to be one of them. I looked around after about pick 10 and the other seven guys had all been drafted and I hadn’t been picked up yet, so I started getting pretty nervous.”
“I ended up getting taken at pick 38 by Carlton,” he said.
“It’s a pretty tough time for a teenager and I got to experience it all over again during the trade period.”
Fevola was one of five players who found a new home at the Lions during the AFL’s Exchange Period together with Amon Buchanan (Sydney Swans), Xavier Clarke (St Kilda), Andrew Raines (Richmond) and Brent Staker (West Coast).
“[Trade Week] was probably worse because you really don’t know where you’re going to end up,” Fevola said.
“You’re just hoping that someone will take you. It was a bit of a rough time.”
The recent AFL National Draft saw another experienced player arrive at the Lions after former St Kilda defender Matt Maguire was selected by the Club with its final pick.
“Goose [Matt Maguire] is a great fella,” Fevola said. “He’s really good mates with Xavier Clarke who has come up here as well.”
“He is stuck on 99 games at the moment so he’ll get to play his 100th in his first match with the Club.”
“He’s had a bit of bad luck with injury. He broke his leg and then had some problems with his foot but he’s all over that now.”
Maguire and the Club’s other four draftees joined Fevola and the Lions in Brisbane last Monday to undertake three gruelling weeks of pre-season training prior to Christmas.
Fevola vividly recalls his first official day of training with the Brisbane Lions at last month’s Noosa Training Camp.
“I thought it was going to be all nice and rosy until we headed down to the Noosa beach and carried this massive rope up sand dunes,” he said.
“There were about 10 blokes who brought up their breakfast - I’ve never seen so many guys spew before.”
“It was a nice little shock on my first day of training and one of the hardest sessions I have ever done.”
The 28 year-old full-forward is now looking ahead to lining up alongside Lions Captain Jonathan Brown for the first time in the maroon, blue and gold.
“Browny is obviously a superstar of the game,” Fevola said.
“I played with him in the Hall of Fame Tribute match last year and I think we worked really well together.”
“Browny plays mostly up at centre half-forward as a lead-up player while I play more out of the goal square, so hopefully we don’t bump into each other too much,” he said.
