GEELONG list manager Stephen Wells says three of the Cats’ selections in Tuesday night’s NAB AFL Draft were driven by long-term thinking.

Mature-age midfielder Sam Menegola, who was previously on the rookie lists at Hawthorn and Fremantle, will be a big chance to play AFL footy in 2016.

But the others - Ryan Gardner, Wylie Buzza and Matthew Hayball - will take some time to develop.

“Gardner, Buzza and Hayball are a long way off,” Wells told geelongcats.com.au after the draft.

Gardner shot to prominence after a brilliant performance in the Allies team that played in a curtain-raiser before the AFL Grand Final.

But Wells was impressed by him before then.

“He did a good job for Tasmania in the under-18 championships,” Wells said.

“He did a decent job on Grand Final day, but also playing senior football [for the Burnie Dockers] against some guys that have had senior AFL experience was part of the overall package that we took into account.”

Buzza only took up Aussie Rules in 2010 after previously playing rugby league.

A big, bustling forward, he will be given plenty of time to develop in the VFL.

“Wylie’s got a long, long way to go, but he’s got a chance to develop into a big, strong forward, and he’ll certainly give it his best chance,” Wells said.

“He’s got a good personality and we’re very confident that he’ll do his best.”

Hayball caught Wells’ eye while playing in the SANFL under-18 competition for West Adelaide.

“His skills and ability - his attributes - really impressed us,” Wells said.

“We’re hoping that as his body develops he can continue to grow as a footballer.”

The story of Menegola, meanwhile, is one of persistence.

“He was at two clubs where it would have been very, very hard to get a game,” Wells said.

“They were both very successful, with strong lists.

“He went back to the WAFL this year and played a different style of game and couldn’t have done any more. He actually dominated.”

Looking at the draft overall, Wells was happy with the way the Cats’ involvement went.

“It panned out as we expected,” he said. “We anticipated a lot of players going before our picks and did the work on the ones at the back end.

“As it turned out, we knew the players that we did end up selecting very, very well.”