NEW recruit James Sellar says he wasn’t confident about gaining another opportunity in the AFL.
Sellar, who was selected at No.54 in last Thursday’s NAB AFL Draft, said it was “super disappointing” to be delisted by Adelaide at the end of the 2011 season. But he added he was delighted to be given a fresh start with Melbourne.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I wasn’t sure going into the Draft what was going to happen,” he said.
“To hear my name called out at [selection] 54 was a big thrill. It was good for me to get a second chance - not a lot of players get the opportunity to get a second chance. I’m looking forward to making the most of it.
“I went through a couple of months of not knowing what was going to happen. With my management, we spoke to a lot of different clubs and did the best we could, so I’m just grateful to the Melbourne footy club for giving me an opportunity.”
Sellar said he had a good relationship with new director of sports performance Neil Craig, his former coach at Adelaide.
But he wasn’t sure how much Craig influenced the decision.
“I pretty reasonable relationship with Neil at Adelaide. He’s a very professional man, footballer and coach so I’m thankful if he did put in a good word, then it helped me,” he said.
But Sellar conceded his time at Adelaide, after he was selected at No.14 in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft, was “frustrating at times”.
“The things that happened in the past, while they all haven’t been positive, they’ve helped me learn and I’ll try not to make the same mistakes twice,” he said.
“[I] was in and out of the side a lot - particularly in the last few years.
“I’m really looking forward to putting my best foot forward and really making the most of this opportunity that Melbourne footy club has given me.”
The versatile tall said coach Mark Neeld has already indicated to him that he will play in defence.
“I think I play my best footy at AFL level down back,” he said.
“I’ve spoken to Mark Neeld and that’s the reason that they’ve drafted me here - to play down back to fit next to Jared Rivers, Colin Garland and James Frawley and work really well with these guys.
“A lot of those guys are young as well, so hopefully we can all grow and develop and grow a pretty tight-knit unit down back.”
Sellar, who was selected at No.54 in last Thursday’s NAB AFL Draft, said it was “super disappointing” to be delisted by Adelaide at the end of the 2011 season. But he added he was delighted to be given a fresh start with Melbourne.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I wasn’t sure going into the Draft what was going to happen,” he said.
“To hear my name called out at [selection] 54 was a big thrill. It was good for me to get a second chance - not a lot of players get the opportunity to get a second chance. I’m looking forward to making the most of it.
“I went through a couple of months of not knowing what was going to happen. With my management, we spoke to a lot of different clubs and did the best we could, so I’m just grateful to the Melbourne footy club for giving me an opportunity.”
Sellar said he had a good relationship with new director of sports performance Neil Craig, his former coach at Adelaide.
But he wasn’t sure how much Craig influenced the decision.
“I pretty reasonable relationship with Neil at Adelaide. He’s a very professional man, footballer and coach so I’m thankful if he did put in a good word, then it helped me,” he said.
But Sellar conceded his time at Adelaide, after he was selected at No.14 in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft, was “frustrating at times”.
“The things that happened in the past, while they all haven’t been positive, they’ve helped me learn and I’ll try not to make the same mistakes twice,” he said.
“[I] was in and out of the side a lot - particularly in the last few years.
“I’m really looking forward to putting my best foot forward and really making the most of this opportunity that Melbourne footy club has given me.”
The versatile tall said coach Mark Neeld has already indicated to him that he will play in defence.
“I think I play my best footy at AFL level down back,” he said.
“I’ve spoken to Mark Neeld and that’s the reason that they’ve drafted me here - to play down back to fit next to Jared Rivers, Colin Garland and James Frawley and work really well with these guys.
“A lot of those guys are young as well, so hopefully we can all grow and develop and grow a pretty tight-knit unit down back.”
