Jeremy Laidler at draft camp and as a Cannon

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GEELONG rookie Jeremy Laidler knows making it to an AFL club isn’t easy, so he wants to make his time with the Cats count.

Laidler has now been with the reigning premiers for a little more than a month, having been selected by Geelong in December’s NAB AFL Rookie Draft.

That day came as quite a relief for the highly-talented 18-year-old, whom many had considered a likely pick up a couple of weeks earlier in the NAB AFL National Draft.

After a stellar season for the Calder Cannons – who like the Cats tasted premiership success on the MCG on September 29 – Laidler and Cannons teammate Ashley Arrowsmith were among the notable names missing when the national draft was completed on November 24.

And the now-settled Cat admitted it hurt at the time.

“I had gone to the draft camp, where I spoke to about seven clubs [so] I was pretty disappointed,” Laidler said.

“But I always thought if I just keep working hard – I’ve always had a thing that put me back, because I got dropped from last year’s [2006 TAC Cup} Grand Final side – so I had to come back from that.

“And then knowing that I didn’t get drafted, so I had to go and train … I was training at Coburg, and then I was training at Richmond [in the week prior to the rookie draft].”

However the Tigers were after a ruckman in the rookie draft and so informed Laidler that his chances of them selecting him were slim.

“I spoke to Port Adelaide and had a meeting with the Kangaroos [before the rookie draft], and my manager said Geelong were pretty keen on me,” he said.

“As it turned out Geelong picked me up and I’m just rapt to be down here now and be on the rookie list.”

One of the things the Cats – and all AFL clubs – liked about Laidler was his ability to play a variety of roles.

He won the Cannons’ best and fairest award in last year’s premiership, but admitted he was unsure where his future at the Cattery would be after being a jack-of-all-trades in 2007.

“I don’t know really where they’ll play me, I can play wherever,” the 189cm Laidler said.

“The first half of the year I played full-forward, half-forward and then I moved into the middle for a little bit and then in the finals I played centre-half back and across half back.”

Laidler, originally from Tullamarine but now living in Geelong, is also strong overhead and booted 26 goals for Calder last year.

The Cannons have enjoyed an era of success in the TAC Cup although Laidler says having the likes of Brownlow Medallists running around at training was a new and exciting experience.

“It’s huge … the first day I thought it wasn’t real, training with like… Jimmy Bartel, Gary Ablett and Otto [Brad Ottens] and [Cam] Mooney,” he said.

“I just thought it was fake and it wasn’t happening, like I wasn’t meant to be here.

“But they’re just so welcoming down here, and I’m really enjoying it.”