By JARROD POTTER
A MAGPIE has flown into the Kennel as Toby Mclean has earned his place in the AFL.
Mclean, 18, from Narre Warren, will trade his vertical stripes for the Doggies’ famous horizontal ones after his selection at pick 26 in Thursday’s AFL National Draft, held on the Gold Coast.
Rising through the ranks as a Narre North Foxes junior, Mclean made his biggest step this year as he signed with the Oakleigh Chargers TAC Cup team and created highlight after highlight en route to a TAC Cup premiership, best-on-ground medallion and second place in the Morrish Medal count.
Western Bulldogs recruiting manager Simon Dalrymple was pleased to pick up Mclean and thought he had all the attributes to be a stellar footballer.
“Toby’s story is a great one,” Dalrymple said on the Western Bulldogs’ website and BulldogsTV.
“Didn’t play TAC Cup last year, played senior footy, didn’t make the Dandenong Stingrays’ squad, went and approached Oakleigh, started training in January and basically had a super consistent year.
“Forward midfielder, really creative, got good agility, really good endurance and just some great game sense.
“Can win the ball at ground level and in the air as well as contested ball and he’s a neat kick.”
Mclean played all 21 games for the Oakleigh Chargers this season.
A trio of Dandenong Stingrays’ footballers also join Mclean in the big leagues as Stingrays’ captain Jack Lonie, Tom Lamb and Bailey Dale will also enter the AFL in 2015.
Dandenong Stingrays’ coach Craig Black was thrilled to get the three players into the AFL and wished them the best of luck from everyone at Shepley Oval.
“It’s exciting for everyone involved in our program to let kids get half way to their dream,” Black said.
“The support staff and the coaching group at the Stingrays are proud of all the hard work the boys put in and their efforts around the club this year and we wish these boys the best in their AFL careers.”
Lamb was the first Stingray to hear his name called, with the West Coast Eagles putting the high-marking, elite utility onto its main-list with the 32nd pick, a lower number than Black predicted the Edithvale-Aspendale livewire would go, but as a consolation he thinks Lamb could become the steal of the draft.
“I think Tom was a really good pick for West Coast – everyone thought he might have gone a little earlier – so he might be a steal to come back in a few years,” Black said.
“Tom might have gone a little earlier, but that was just hearing the phantom drafts and the newspapers.”
On the hunt for another small forward, St Kilda also called out a Dandenong Stingrays’ name and changed Jack Lonie’s life as the Saints used its last pick – pick 41 – to secure the crumbing forward’s services in 2015 and beyond.
The final Stingray to hear his name called was another Edithvale-Aspendale emerging star as midfielder/forward Bailey Dale heads to the Western Bulldogs with pick 45.
Black thought the likes of Daniel Capiron, Aaron Wilson, Alex Harnett and Mitch White all stand a chance for a potential AFL career with the AFL Rookie Draft set to take place on Wednesday.
