Last Wednesday morning, Isaac Conway was rightfully dispirited as he pulled on his work boots and set off for another day of work as an apprentice electrician.
The day before, Conway had heard that it was unlikely that the Lions would take him in the Rookie Draft – meaning the elusive AFL career that he had been striving for since he was a kid might not eventuate.
“I was at the gym on Tuesday afternoon after work and I got told that the news probably wasn’t going to be too good on Wednesday” Conway told lions.com.au.
It was the bitterest of pills to swallow for the hard, inside midfielder who had captained the Queensland side in the Under 18 National Championships.
“My heart sunk,” Conway said,
I got home and Mum and Dad knew I was a little bit upset and they talked about what I could do next year and what path I might want to take in the future.”
But there had obviously been some miscommunication – or a late change of heart – because Conway’s name was read out with the Lions’ first rookie selection (Pick No.6 overall).
“I woke up Wednesday morning ready for another day of work and then my phone started going off and they were all saying congratulations,” Conway said.
“I couldn’t figure it out because I knew I wasn’t getting picked up and then my best mate from Melbourne called me and said ‘Mate, you got picked up by Brisbane.
“I couldn’t believe it.
“I was trying to finish off my job I had to do for work and it took me about two hours to put up a meter box, because I was on the phone and so excited.”
Despite being considered one of the top draft prospects in Queensland at the beginning of the year, Conway admits that he struggled towards the end of the year.
“I let myself down a bit with work in the back half of the year,” the 184cm, 83kg off-the-rack midfielder said.
“Working full time and training in the afternoon took its toll on my body and I was really fatigued.
“When it came to testing at the combine, it all fell apart, which certainly didn’t help my chances of getting picked up.”
As a Lions Academy member, the 18-year-old affectionately known as ‘Izzy’ was thrilled to be drafted by the Lions and is keen to make sure that the Club is happy with its investment.
“Brisbane has done a lot for me over the past few years so I’m really grateful to be given the opportunity by the Lions and hopefully repay the faith that they’ve shown me.”
A natural leader, Conway is physically ready-made for AFL football and believes that a strong pre-season in the right hands will put him in good stead for the future.
“I’m looking for a good pre-season and a consistent year and hopefully show the coaches that I’m here to stay and want to be a part of the Club,” he said.
“As an inside mid, I want to try and learn a lot from Brent Moloney and I want to try and pick Blacky apart and see what he thinks I can keep improving on.”
