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Mature age Fremantle Dockers midfielder Brett Bewley believes being drafted later in life has allowed him to focus purely on football.
“I’ve come into the system with a carpentry qualification, I don’t really need that extra focus of what I’m going to do when I finish my career. I can focus solely on footy at the moment” Bewley told Sports Breakfast.
Bewley found being drafted at 23 has been beneficial so far on his AFL journey.
“When I was 18 I would have loved to have been on a list. It’s been my dream since I was a young kid. If I look back now and got my chance then, I might have only lasted a year or two. I don’t think I was prepared for anywhere near the amount of work that needs to be done. But it was something I was able to learn coming through the VFL.”
After spending 5 years at VFL club Williamstown, Bewley was drafted by the Dockers in the 2018 National Draft and initially found the going tougher than expected.
“You can get stuck in your ways. I was training hard, but working during the day. The day was structured around the 8-9 hours at work, roll into training, get home and do it again the next day. I found when I got into the AFL there’s that window where you are at the club, and then when you are away from the club you need to find some meaningful things to do with your time. It’s a good opportunity to refine those skills and it gives you a bit of a mental edge as well”
When asked about the draft age debate, Bewley was on team raise.
“My opinion would be all for raising the draft age”
IMAGE: Fremantle Dockers
