Friday night was a blur for Nick Coffield.
St Kilda read his name out at pick No. 8, changing the Northern Knights captain's life in an
It all happened very quickly.
Coffield, 18, has always wanted to be drafted and when the moment finally arrived, it was a surreal experience for the dashing defender.
“It’s all pretty surreal; it was a bit of blur hearing your name read out, going up on stage and doing the photos,” Coffield told saints.com.au at the NAB AFL Draft in Sydney.
“It’s obviously been a dream for 18 years, so for it to come true now is pretty crazy. I’m trying to just embrace this once in a lifetime moment.”
For a kid desperate to play AFL, Coffield was prepared to go anywhere to realise his dream. But to land at a Melbourne club, with a list on the rise, was a dream come true.
“Every kid goes through it and I’m just happy playing footy, so I didn’t really mind where I went. To end up at St Kilda – a club with such a bright future – is awesome,” Coffield said.
After being appointed Knights’ skipper at the start of the season, Coffield rose up draft boards around the country as the year progressed.
He was named at half-back in the under-18 All-Australian team following a stellar carnival for Vic Metro, before turning heads at the draft combine in October when the 190cm utility clocked a
“At the start of the year I didn’t expect to play as well as I did, so I over exceeded my expectations. I’m really grateful to be in this position now,” he said.
As one of the more versatile players in the first-round of this year’s draft, Coffield appears set to fill holes for the Saints for a long time to come.
