CENTRAL District Football Club junior star Corey Durdin is now a Carlton Blue after being selected at pick 37 in this past Wednesday’s national draft – one of 14 players plucked out of the SANFL on the night.
Speaking with The Bunyip on Monday following his first day at the new club, Durdin said it was everything he expected – and more.
“Throughout the year Carlton caught up with me quite often – they came for a home visit and everything – so I sort of had the idea they were really interested,” he said.
“I was expecting really good things when I got here, but it’s been even better than what I thought – we had a really good, hard session, and all the boys are really motivated.
“Blokes like Zac Fisher, Ed Curnow, Eddie Betts, Adam Saad and Zac Williams were all here today… what stands out with someone like Ed is his work rate and the intensity he trains – that really set the tone for me.”
Carlton’s head of list management Nick Austin said the Blues were excited by what they’d seen from Durdin, and praised the level of SANFL competition.
“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Corey to our football club for what we think will be a long career in navy blue,” he said.
“What stood out with Corey is his exposure to arguably the best footy the country can offer outside the AFL – he’s tough, he’s quick, he’s clean and he’s a competitor at the end of the day.
“He’s shown that he can play a number of roles, originally starting out as a midfielder but having a real impact as a small forward in the last few seasons – that’s probably where we see him starting off.
“He’s a really clever footballer and someone who we can see just getting better and better, particularly learning from someone like Eddie Betts.
“We think our members and supporters will love what Corey has to offer going forward.”
Durdin said for a number of years now he has known the early part of his career would probably take place in the forward line, and has been working tirelessly on his craft.
“The past couple of years I’ve been doing a lot in my small-forward craft, and I’ve been playing that role with Central District,” he said.
“It’s about really focusing on my pressure and kicking goals – it’s something I’ve had to adapt to after being a midfielder, but I’m actually really loving it.”