Before the 2014 NAB AFL Draft began, Josh Deluca’s uncle put him on the spot and asked him what his perfect outcome would be.

“Being selected by Fremantle or West Coast…being able to stay at home would be the best feeling in the world,” he responded.

And when Fremantle’s general manager of player management Brad Lloyd called out his name with pick 68, Subiaco star Deluca did get that feeling.

“I’m over the moon,” he said.

“I don’t know if I could be happier. I just couldn’t believe it…it was so hard to watch, I was getting so nervous towards the end there, I just couldn’t believe it happened.

“I was sitting next to my girlfriend, my brother and some of my best friends.

“As soon as we saw Fremantle Dockers had a pick, my girlfriend squeezed my arm because she obviously wants me to stay at home as well.

“The feeling I had when my name was read was probably one of the best feelings I could have possibly imagined.”

Despite realising his AFL dream, the 182cm midfielder/forward admitted some nerves towards the end when the remaining names were being called out.

“I was just thinking, maybe it was not going to happen,” Deluca said.

“I wasn’t very confident to start with that it would happen, but when it did, it was mind blowing…it was amazing.”
 

Deluca played 12 league games for Subiaco in the WAFL this season, including the winning Grand Final in which he excelled.

He has already named Nat Fyfe and Stephen Hill as some of his favourite players on Freo’s list, and he is following in their footsteps well by approaching the AFL with a professional mindset.

“I’m just thinking about the next couple of days,” he said.

“I want to transition well and get stuck into it, put my best foot forward and give all I can to the club and get the best result possible.”