Clarence wingman Fraser Turner found his way to Richmond on Friday as Tasmania added to what was already its most productive national draft since 2015.
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Less than 24 hours after Northern Tasmanian pair Tarryn Thomas and Chayce Jones were picked up inside the top 10, the 186cm running machine was selected with the Tigers’ pick 58 to follow in the footsteps of fellow former Roo Jack Riewoldt.
Turner was at home with his parents, sister and best mate when his name flashed up on the TV screen.
“The feeling was just relief I guess - picks started to drag on a bit and it was taking a while,” Turner said.
“I’ve spoken to (Richmond) a few times during the year but I guess it was a bit unexpected, but it’s still awesome to go to such a great club.
“You see them as such a high-profile club with big-name players and it’s just awesome to be training with them within a week.”
The 18-year-old will fly over to Punt Road on Sunday and begin pre-season training with his new teammates the following day.
The move is a big one, but the 18-year-old said his new clubmates had already made him feel welcome.
“(Tigers coach) Damien Hardwick gave me a call, and a few players have texted me which is awesome and makes me feel a lot more comfortable heading in on Monday,” he said.
“Obviously Jack Riewoldt is a Tassie boy as well and he played for my junior club Clarence, so I guess there’s a little bit of a connection there.”
Thomas and Jones should also feel right at home at their new clubs, with the former a four-year member of North Melbourne’s Next Generation Academy and the latter set to ply his trade just 15 minutes away from former Launceston coach Sam Lonergan’s Woodville-West Torrens Football Club.
Jones told the Adelaide Crows’ website his phone had not stopped ringing since his name was called out on Thursday night.
“I’m just stoked really, my teachers and stuff have been sending me messages and coaches ... it’s been unreal,” he said.
“All the people that still follow you after you’ve had the experience with them is amazing.”
One of his calls came from none other than Crows star forward Tom Lynch.
“He just called me and I didn’t have his number in my phone.
“So I sort of answered not knowing who it was and he said ‘g’day it’s Tom Lynch, welcome to the club’ … it’s just amazing to get the support.”
In other draft news, Hawthorn threw former Launceston key defender Tim Mohr a lifeline after the 30-year-old was delisted by GWS.
The Hawks selected Mohr with the fourth-last pick of the rookie draft (43 overall), allowing the injury-plagued veteran to enter his eighth AFL season.