Jacob Allison’s heart was racing faster than most on AFL Draft night. The Lions Academy product can remember the moment he heard rival club St Kilda make a bid for him.
“A few days out from the draft you’re obviously very nervous and anxious as to where you’ll end up. Being in the academy you’re still not too sure where you’ll end up,” Allison told lions.com.au.
“If a bid comes in, you’re not sure if the Lions will match.”
“Pretty badly” was how much he wanted to be in Brisbane, his home, where all his family and friends live.
Luckily, Brisbane matched the Saints’ bid and took Allison with Pick No. 55.
“I was so happy when St Kilda
“All you wanted to do was end up at an AFL club, just be playing footy and doing what you love.”
The 19-year-old can relate to the stress aspiring players feel ahead of the draft. So much happens in the year leading up to it, with the Combine taking place just weeks before Year 12 exams.
But Allison says, once he was selected, the hard work had only really just begun.
“This year was a big learning curve,” Allison said.
Allison, a versatile midfielder played most of his first year in the Lions NEAFL team, before making his debut, alongside Sam Skinner, in Round 18.
“Fages [Senior Coach Chris Fagan] always told me what I had to do to play in the Seniors. I was lucky enough to get that opportunity and then hold my spot,” Allison said.
“Playing the last five games of the year was massive for my development.”
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