Talented Bendigo Pioneers trio in the mix for AFL National Draft

He fields questions from clubs about everything from on-field ability to off-field behaviour and gets requests from recruiters about playing players in different positions.

O'Bree is happy to assist the AFL clubs.

After all, the end game for the Pioneers is not about wins and losses, it's about developing individuals and, hopefully, preparing players to be drafted at AFL and AFLW level.

At draft time the phone calls escalate as AFL clubs do their due diligence.

That's been the case again this year, with recruiters asking plenty of questions about Pioneers' players.

Harvey Gallagher, Jason Gillbee and Noah Long are seen as the Pioneers' most likely to hear their name called in the AFL National Draft or AFL Rookie Draft, which will be held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

In previous years O'Bree has felt like a salesman at times as he talked up his players to AFL clubs.

Not so this year.

"They sell themselves. I don't need to talk them up to AFL clubs,'' O'Bree said of Gallagher, Gillbee and Long.

"Firstly, and most importantly, they're great kids. They're so impressive in the way they handle themselves.

"Ability wise they have so much to offer. I have no doubt they have what it takes to play at the next level."

This time last year, the Sandhurst product was crushed when he was overlooked in the national and rookie drafts.

With the benefit of hindsight, Gallagher said missing out was the "best thing that's happened to me".

He returned to the Pioneers as a 19-year-old overage player and made Carlton's VFL list, but it was off the field where Gallagher made the most improvement.

"It was hard to get a reality check in the moment because you get your hopes up,'' Gallagher said of last year's disappointment.

"Growth as a footballer, but also as a person, is something I've worked really hard on this year."

The late David Meade, the Pioneers' former talent lead, played a key role in Gallagher's development.

"Meadey was massive on leadership,'' Gallagher said.

"We sat down after the draft last year and he told me that we (the club) needed a different Harvey next year and that I couldn't just roll out and do the same thing.

"He put an emphasis on developing my leadership and helping out the younger kids considering I was one of the older players.

"Meadey taught me a lot about leadership. It's not just about leading by example and putting in extra training, it's about building relationships in the club from players to coaches and medical staff.

"I couldn't thank Meadey enough for what he did for me as a footballer and a person."

O'Bree said Gallagher deserved credit for developing his game on and off the field.

"It was so refreshing to watch his growth - off-field more so than on-field,'' O'Bree said.

"The more Havey became a better leader, the more it helped him become a better footballer.

"He never stopped leading, even in the Draft Combine he was helping a team-mate perform better in each test because he had that mindset of developing others.

"I've been super impressed by what he's done.

"He wanted to be runner for our girls' team, so that he could help them develop.

"He coached our V/Line Cup (under-15) team and he requested to coach the "B" team because when he was that age that was the team he was in.

"I was in awe of how he went about it. He put into practice what he's learned in his time with the Pioneers.

"That coaching job was in the week of his draft combine. He sacrificed his own preparation to develop others.

"I know, as a club, we always talk about developing others, but he took that to another level."

On the field, Gallagher overcame a testing start to the season through injuries to have a wonderful season.

He impressed in the BFNL with Sandhurst, at NAB League level with the Pioneers and at representative level in the Young Guns game and with Victoria Country at the national carnival.

After playing most of his footy as a forward or midfielder, the move to half-back with the Pioneers for the second half of the year was a masterstroke.

His ball-winning and running ability off half-back caught the eye of AFL recruiters.

He's now seen as a strong chance to have his name called next week.

"Everyone says it's a childhood dream. It's what you think about when you're a kid playing junior footy,'' he said.

"All the hard work you put in and the sacrifices you make, it would mean a fair bit if I did get drafted."

The running machine from Balranald has the attributes to make the grade at AFL level.

At 192cm he can play at either end of the ground, or on a wing, and that's why several AFL clubs have shown interest.

"When you start thinking about it you do get a bit nervous,'' Gillbee said.

"I've been a bit lucky lately that I've been able to go home and spend time on the farm. That gives me something to do and takes my mind off it.

"I'm a little bit nervous."

Gillbee left home three years ago to move to Bendigo to attend Catherine McAuley College and to enhance his footy prospects.

It was a big decision for him and his family, but it's one he's glad he made.

"Mum always wanted us to go away for school,'' he said.

"My brother and two sisters are at boarding school in Ballarat, but Bendigo doesn't have boarding schools which makes it a bit harder.

"I moved in with a family (the Lowes family) and everything worked out really well.

"Footy wise (being here in Bendigo instead of home) made it far easier in terms of travel for Mum and Dad.

"It was the right decision even though through COVID I spent a fair bit of time at home and did school from home."

Gillbee had a good year for the Pioneers in 2022 and represented the Allies at the national championships.

"I had a few little interruptions with sickness and a concussion which was a bit annoying, but I was happy with how I went this year,'' he said.

"For the Pioneers, in general, it's been an awesome year. We had Oskar (Faulkhead) picked up mid-season (by Gold Coast) and, if everything goes to plan, we could have a few more picked up next week.

"I've really enjoyed the year, it's been a great program and I feel as though I've got the most out of it."

O'Bree said Gillbee would be an asset for any AFL club.

"He can play in all three areas of the ground and players at his size with his running ability don't come around that often,'' O'Bree said

"He could play as a hard-working half-forward that's hard to match up on because of his running ability, height and his marking ability.

"He could be suited to wing or half-back as well. It's exciting because he has so many strings to his bow.

"What I like is that he's very independent and his character is sensational. He gets along with everyone and his mood is very even.

"Players in this environment can have big peaks and troughs, but Jason is always the same.

"He's a credit to his family."

The Echuca-raised Long has long been regarded as one of the most talented players in country Victoria.

The problem for Long was he couldn't get on the park.

The COVID pandemic and then a knee injury put paid to 2021 for the classy ball magnet.

Just when he thought his run of bad luck had ended, he broke his collarbone in the first minute of the first game this year.

"Looking back on it now I'm almost grateful for the injuries because they taught me some lessons,'' Long said.

"I've learned some things about myself that I probably wouldn't have learned if I hadn't been injured.

"As an 18-year-old there were some valuable learnings that I can, hopefully, take into the AFL."

Long, who was a boarder at Geelong Grammar the past two years, rallied through the adversity and made a successful return to, firstly, school and NAB League footy, and later in the year representative footy.

"I was happy to get back to play at 100 per cent again,'' he said.

"I tried to turn a negative into a positive, and I was happy with the way I played, but at the same time I wasn't satisfied.

"I was grateful to get the chance to come back and play for Vic Country and I was happy with what I achieved."

The injuries and modified pre-season meant Long didn't have the fitness load of his counterparts.

That meant a change of role. Instead of the midfield role he was accustomed to, he spent most of his time inside forward 50.

"I put a lot of effort into the forward stuff this year and I want to keep putting that work in,'' he said.

"I want to be a midfielder and I love playing midfield, but I am very open to playing as a full-time forward as well.

"The AFL clubs stress that the forward line stuff is as important, if not more important, than the midfield stuff.

"Every club has seen it as a positive, which gives me the encouragement to keep working hard on it."

O'Bree agreed that the injuries could have been a blessing in disguise for Long.

"Potentially, we would have played him as a midfielder because that's where he played all his junior and representative footy,'' he said.

"Yes, he's a very good midfielder, but this year he's shown that he's versatile and that he can be a great opportunist and small forward.

"I don't like comparisons and there are a number of comparisons that could be made for a player of his size.

"What I really like about Noah is how clean he is. In today's footy that sets you up really well.

"I think he ticks every box - he's a great kid, he works hard and he has the ability."

Long is keeping an open mind about what could eventuate next week.

"It would be amazing for my name to be read out because of the tough times,'' Long said.

"It would be a reward for effort.

"If it doesn't work out I'm prepared to go into adult life, but I certainly won't give up on achieving my dream.

"Harvey (Gallagher) is a perfect example of what can happen. He was overlooked in his first year and is now so close to being picked up.

"He's a pretty good role model to look back on."

O'Bree would like to think Gallagher, Gillbee and Long will all find AFL homes next week, but he's well aware how unpredictable the draft can be.

He has had plenty of phone calls from AFL clubs about the trio, but that is not always a great guide.

Leading into the 2020 AFL National Draft and Rookie Draft, Collingwood did not speak to O'Bree once about Jack Ginnivan.

The Pies swooped on Ginnivan with selection 20 of the rookie draft and he's gone on to become a Collingwood fan favourite.

"I wouldn't be shocked if a player in our program outside of Harvey, Jason and Noah gets selected,'' O'Bree said.

"Sometimes it just takes one passage of play for an AFL club to see something they like. You just never know."

Round 1

1. GWS

2. North Melbourne

3. North Melbourne

4. Essendon

5. Gold Coast

6. Hawthorn

7. Geelong

8. West Coast

9. St Kilda

10. Carlton

11. Western Bulldogs

12. West Coast

13. Melbourne

14. Sydney

15. GWS

16. Collingwood

17. Sydney

18. GWS

Round 2

19. GWS

20. West Coast

21. Western Bulldogs

22. Essendon

23. North Melbourne

24. Hawthorn

25. Collingwood

26. West Coast

27. Collingwood

28. St Kilda

29. Carlton

30. Fremantle

31. GWS

32. St Kilda

33. Port Adelaide

34. Brisbane

35. Brisbane

36. Brisbane

37. Melbourne

38. Brisbane

Round 3

39. Western Bulldogs

40. North Melbourne

41. Hawthorn

42. Sydney

43. Fremantle

44. Fremantle

45. Gold Coast

46. Adelaide

47. St Kilda

48. Hawthorn

49. Carlton

50. Hawthorn

51. Collingwood

52. Hawthorn

53. Richmond

54. Essendon

55. Brisbane

56. Adelaide

57. GWS

58. Geelong

Round 4

59. Adelaide

60. Port Adelaide

61. Essendon

62. Richmond

63. Hawthorn

64. Carlton

65. Fremantle

66. Essendon

67. Western Bulldogs

68. Gold Coast

69. Sydney

70. Fremantle

Round 5

71. West Coast

72. Port Adelaide

73. St Kilda

74. Carlton

75. Western Bulldogs

76. Richmond

77. Fremantle

78. Melbourne

79. Collingwood

80. Sydney

Round 6

81. St Kilda

82. Richmond

83. Melbourne

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