Sport
Officially a Crow: Friends and family come together as Josh Rachele goes at pick six in AFL Draft
Shepparton Swans product Josh Rachele will officially call Adelaide home, with the Crows selecting the mercurial small forward with pick six in Wednesday night’s AFL Draft.
Rachele, who shot into top-10 calculations with a blistering NAB League campaign that yielded 11 goals from four games, had been heavily linked to the Crows in the lead-up to the draft and will add serious spunk and pizazz to the club’s up-and-coming forward line.
It was a dream come true for the 18-year-old — Rachele detailed the emotions he felt when his name was finally read out.
“It was pure excitement, it didn’t feel surreal at the time and then when I actually saw my name on the board it was an experience I will never forget,” Rachele told AFC.com.au
“Mum and Dad were obviously pretty emotional, but just being able to spend that moment with them and my brothers was very special, and I think they are just as happy as me and can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
The 18-year-old’s journey to the AFL is a little different from most, as he gave up football in his formative years to join Melbourne City’s youth academy squad with aspirations of becoming a professional soccer player.
Despite his prodigious talent with the round ball, he always knew he would return to football and said he was thrilled to begin his AFL journey in Adelaide and follow in the footsteps of one of his biggest inspirations growing up.
“I am extremely excited to move to Adelaide, I have been there a couple of times in the past, so I am keen to get back down there and meet everyone,” he said.
“I have always had a big interest in Eddie Betts, being a Carlton supporter growing up, so I have always had a close eye on him and obviously playing the position I play he was a very exciting player at the Crows and someone I strive to be like in the future.”
The prospect of an Eddie Betts replacement is something the club is extremely excited about, with national recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie rapt to be able to welcome the small forward to West Lakes.
“The fact that he performed so well as a midfielder and won the (Kevin Sheehan) medal, he was clearly on the radar,” Ogilvie said.
“But with COVID and a lot of interruptions in between, the fact he got to play 13 games was a real positive for us and we got to see him. The game against Geelong when he played for Australia, he had a good body of work and he performed really well, and he was the one who kicked goals.
“He’s exciting, powerful, confident, he has a lot of what we like and what we need and that was a part of the ground we wanted to address.”
While the man himself spent the night in Melbourne alongside his family and other top prospects, players and supporters from the Shepparton Swans gathered at Princess Park to watch the draft — with rapturous applause and celebration engulfing the social rooms when AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan read out his name.
Among those watching on at Princess Park was Rachele’s uncle Mark Georgiou, who said he could not be prouder of what his nephew had achieved.
“We all are (proud) as a family, watching Josh grow up over the years he has always had a really good head on his shoulders and always displayed talent, be it football or soccer, and most importantly he has a strong work ethic,” Georgiou said.
“We just hope he gets an opportunity, and he takes it as far as he can.”
The Rachele-Georgiou family has a rich history with the Swans, with three generations of footballers coming through the club.
Georgiou explained the impact the club had had on his nephew’s journey to the AFL.
“From the Rachele side, his grandfather, his father, his uncles have all played and from his mum’s side we have all had a strong involvement in the club over the years as well,” he said.
“Shepparton Swans has virtually been a second home for both sides of the family and has definitely had a major influence on Josh’s journey to the AFL.”
Rachele joins fellow Shepparton native Jordon Butts at West Lakes, with the former Bears premiership star enjoying a break-out season at full-back for the Crows in 2021.
He also becomes the eighth Lemnos/Shepparton Swans product to find his way on to an AFL/VFL list and is the highest draft selection to come out of the club, eclipsing Hawthorn speedster Jarman Impey, who was originally selected by Port Adelaide with pick 21 in 2013.
As Rachele embarks on this exciting next phase of his life, uncle Mark had this message of support for his beloved nephew.
“I think Josh will adapt well to the AFL, he has always been touched in with elite level sport having spent time with Melbourne City, so I don’t think he will be too overawed,” he said.
“From his mother’s side of the family we will always be watching him closely at the Crows, but we will always maintain our first passion, which is Collingwood.”