Angus McLennan’s football journey at senior level is only just a few days in, but it’s the one-of-a-kind prelude to landing at St Kilda that makes his story even more remarkable.
Born in Australia and raised in Cairo for six years, Aussie Rules was a completely foreign – and unknown – concept in the baseball and soccer-mad nation. While the Sherrin did make the trip over to Egypt, it never really took off, with McLennan only starting his footy career at Glen Iris Under-11s a few years after returning to Australia.
The now-graduate of the Saints’ Moorabbin Airport Next Generation Academy was close to a shoo-in to get drafted in 2021 before a serious shoulder injury saw him bypassed in that year’s draft.
After close to 18 months of recovery, McLennan’s unconventional journey reached its final destination last Wednesday, arriving at St Kilda as a Category B Rookie.
McLennan is the fifth player from the Saints’ NGA to be drafted to the club, and the seventh overall following Bigoa Nyuon (Richmond, 2019) and pick No. 7 from this year’s National Draft, Cameron Mackenzie (Hawthorn).
“It’s very surreal to be here now, to be honest. It’s been a bit of a different journey where I started and how I got here,” McLennan told saints.com.au.
“It was a pretty dark six, seven months watching your mates get drafted and everything, but definitely having the NGA and being able to speak to Nick Dal Santo (NGA Head Coach), Jack Henty (NGA Lead) and the physios helping me through it was definitely awesome.
“Seeing a few of the boys in Mitch Owens and Marcus Windhager get through to the Saints last year was a bit of a kick to give it another crack.”
A retreat to the family beach house in Barwon Heads after the draft gave the time and clarity for McLennan to reset and reassess his football ambitions.
The decision – spurred on partly by the selections of Windhager, Owens, Jack Peris and Josiah Kyle to St Kilda – was made to dig in the heels and have another shot at making it onto an AFL list. It ultimately paid off.
After a delayed start to the 2022 NAB League, McLennan regained his footing playing as a forward for Sandringham Dragons, earning Premiership honours by season’s end.
The 19-year-old even featured in the VFL for Sandringham Zebras for a handful of games and was named in St Kilda COVID-19 top-up list for 2022.
But it was the moments away from the ultra-competitive, nerve-filled side of the game that saw McLennan “fall back in love” with footy again.
“That whole time (in the lead-up to the 2021 Draft) I was still hopeful of getting picked up, but nothing really happened in the end,” McLennan said.
Just being with mates at the oval and being detached from feeling like you had to perform, that really helped me get back into it.”
McLennan was a member of the Moorabbin Airport Next Generation Academy for three years, crediting the availability of RSEA Park’s first-class facilities and Head Coach Nick Dal Santo for helping him get to where he is today.
“It was unbelievable just seeing the professionalism and having players just walk around while you’re in at the club,” McLennan said.
“The access to facilities that no one really gets besides the players and NGA boys, it was definitely a massive help in getting me to where I am now.”
For all the twists and turns in his eventual arrival to St Kilda, McLennan now has a completely clean page to write his first entry as a Saint.
The goal, simple as it may be, is just as clear.
“Everyone’s the same - just put your head down and earn the respect of your peers. I can’t wait to get started properly.”
