Redland star Blake Grewar has fulfilled his AFL Draft dream, after the Brisbane Lions selected the mature-age on-baller as a rookie-listed Queensland zone selection.
In a strange turn of events, Grewar was scrolling through afl.com.au when he stumbled across the story which announced his selection as a Category B rookie selection.
The 23-year-old said the feeling of ending up on an AFL list still hasn’t become real.
“I was just watching NFL on TV and then decided to have a look on the AFL website and then I actually read before anyone told me,” he said.
“It was a bit weird finding out that way. But then (Redland General Manager) Marty King sent me a text saying, ‘congratulations’, so I guess that was confirmation.
“I don’t think it has sunk in. I don’t think it will until I walk through Brisbane’s doors.”
Grewar has been on the AFL Draft radar for several years where he has earned a reputation as one of the best young midfiedlers in the NEAFL competition.
His breakout season came in 2014 when Grewar finished third in the NEAFL MVP Award and earned his first NEAFL Team of the Year selection.
He represented the NEAFL in a representative match against Tasmania last season and was again among the top players in the competition in 2016, with another NEAFL Team of the Year selection and placing fifth in the NEAFL MVP.
Grewar, who won Redland’s Dowling Medal for the first time this year, is now the third consecutive Bombers’ best-and-fairest winner to be drafted to an AFL club after Paul Hunter (Adelaide) and Josh Smith (Colllingwood).
Although Grewar has missed out on being selected in the AFL Draft for five years, seeing so many of his former teammates becomes draftees kept the dream alive.
“Just seeing my mates get picked up and go on to play AFL the next year made me feel like, could I actually be there?'
“It was a bit of a relief in the end. I finally got over the line.”
