Tara Murray
New Greater Western Sydney forward Aaron Cadman has never been to Sydney, but it’s a new challenge and experience he’s looking forward to.
The Darley local was taken at pick one in the AFL draft on Monday night, as the Giants looked to add a key forward to their list.
The Greater Western Victoria Rebels star said on Tuesday that it was all still sinking in.
“I honestly don’t know how to feel,” he said.
“So many emotions and so many thoughts running through my head, it’s super special… and I got to share it with all my friends and family.”
Cadman went into the draft knowing that he was headed to the Giants, it was a matter whether he went pick one of two.
After bursting onto the scene early this year, the Giants were the first club that spoke to Cadman about the possibility of reaching his football dream.
He said he had no hesitation about making the move interstate.
“They told me last Saturday,” he said. “They came over, Adam Kingsley and the recruiting team.
“They kind of just said do you want to know or not, [I was like] don’t tell me at the start.
“[I] finally gave in and please tell me, they let me know they were going to pick me, it was kind of up in the air whether they were going to pick me with pick one or two.
“The idea of a new beginning and starting fresh and meeting new people excites me.”
Cadman said he knows that there will be pressure on him being the number one draft pick, but he plans to use that as motivation.
“I think it’s going to make me a better player,” he said.
“Round one that is a goal of mine. I want to play really early, obviously I have a long way to go, a lot of improvement and put a bit of weight on in the gym.
“If I can put in the work, [I’ll] hopefully be set for round one.”
Cadman will move up to Sydney soon and will live with Toby Greene in the early days.
The two met on draft night, with Cadman saying Greene was the best bloke ever in the heat of the moment.
“I can’t wait to crack into it and learn as much as I can off him, he’s got a really good footy brain and I can’t wait to pick it.”
Behind Cadman is the Darley community. A group of Cadman’s dad’s mates were in the pub waiting for them on draft night to celebrate.
He’s the latest Darley product to be drafted. Heath Scotland, Brett Bewley and Zak Butters are among Darley players to be drafted.
“It’s massive for Darley Footy Club,” Cadman said.
“They’ve been supporting me the whole way through, they’ve been huge for my development from a young age.
“I can’t thank them enough.”
