Haggerty in Pies’ eyes
This article first appeared on afl.com.au
By Jennifer Witham
After signing to the Collingwood Magpies under the now defunct NSW Scholarship scheme, Western Suburbs’ key-position prospect John Haggerty is eligible to be picked up as a category two rookie in December’s 2013 Rookie Draft.
The Magpies plan to bring Haggerty down from Sydney once he’s finished year 12 at the end of this year.
Collingwood recruiting manager Derek Hine said: “We can potentially give [Haggerty] a sustained period of time down here so we’ll certainly look at that after Christmas.
“[NSW] is a market we thought was beneficial so we just had a go at it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
The 195cm 17-year-old grabbed the Pies’ attention in a state carnival in Albury in 2009, despite picking up the game as an 11-year-old.
Haggerty started playing for the Western Suburbs Magpies as a ruckman – after two years at Newtown before he was signed by the Pies – but has evolved into a key-position prospect.
He played for Sydney University in the NEAFL this year and was named in the NSW/ACT squad for the NAB AFL Under 18 Championships.
He’s also working closely with former Fremantle utility Daniel Gilmore, who is Sydney University’s assistant senior coach and high performance manager.
“He’s got a lot of areas he needs to work on but he’s a hard worker so he’s a chance,” Hine said.
Gilmore said Haggerty had shown plenty of promise in his first season of senior football, and outlined 2013 as a big year for him.
“I was really impressed with how he stuck it out for us in the NEAFL this year. It wasn’t an overly successful year; we were on the end of some pretty big losses,” Gilmore said.
“He’s very level headed and he’s got a good temperament.
“He played key forward, key back, and it was a good opportunity for him, with lots of learning curves.
“He certainly improved as the year went on. As is the case with young players, there were some ups and downs but in general the learning curve was definitely on the improve.
“He’s got a lot of growth to come, and he’ll continue to develop within his own body, but there’s a fair bit to work with.”
Haggerty will combine Sydney University pre-season with training blocks at Collingwood across summer.
He is expected to again push for selection within the NSW/ACT squad for the under-18 championships next year.
The Pies have previous NSW Scholarship holders Jarrod Witts and Tom Young on their senior list, and Michael Hartley is a rookie-listed player.
Adelaide’s Taylor Walker and Sydney Swans premiership player Craig Bird are others to have come through the NSW Scholarship program in the past.
