Taken at Geelong’s first pick in today’srookie draft, the club welcomed another South Australian tall, Tom Read, atpick 14.
Recent reports have described the 200cmattacking ruckman as a better mark than most and a capable kick with a solidwork ethic.
Unfortunately, due to a debilitating illness, theyoung 18-year-old from the Sturt Football Club was unable to showcase his truetalent until this year.
Diagnosed with orthostaticintolerance three years ago, an illness that causes long-term fatigue, Read was unable to attend school most days, let alone play a fullgame of football.
According to the Adelaide Advertiser,Read’s blood pressure, whenever he was upright, would fall whilst his heart ratewould increase due to a lack of blood being pumped around his body.
“We originally didn’treally know what was going on,” Read told Adelaide Advertiser.
“I was just tired,exhausted ... and didn’t really snap out of it.
“I’d get out a coupleof times a week at school, but a lot of the time I was just watching movies andtaking it easy.
“It was prettyfrustrating, not being able to play as well or as much as I could.”
Once diagnosed by adoctor in Melbourne, Read, who went 18 months before being properly medicated,was finally able to work his way back into playing a full game of football.
From the beginning ofthe year, after starting with a few quarters here and there, Read had becomewell enough to run-out a whole game of football, playing as a forward ruckman.
“All the time I wasslowly getting better,” Read said.
“Right now I feelbrilliant.”
When it came to meetingwith recruiters, Read was confident to say that his illness was no longer anissue.
“I tell the clubs theworst is behind me and it’s only looking up,” Read said.
“With the right sort offitness and management I’ll be able to play at 100 per cent in the near future.”
Read, who played forthe same club as Geelong’s recent draftee Dean Gore, will become closer to hisdream when he arrives at Simonds Stadium on Friday.
“When I was little itwas always the dream to grab it out of the ruck in the last seconds of a grandfinal to kick a 100m goal” Read recalled.
“To be able to playfooty at the highest level would be amazing.”
Despite Read missingout on the national draft, dual premiership Sturt player and Double Blues’development manager, Colin Casey, would be thrilled that the Cats have givenhim the opportunity to prove his worth as an emerging footballer.
“Fingers crossed thatsomeone takes a punt because when he comes good they’ll have an absolute gem,”Casey said ahead this year’s draft.
