GEELONG recruiting manager Stephen Wells believes the depth of talent in drafts and planning for the future will enable the club to remain a strong entity, on the back of its stunning 2007 premiership – the club's first in 44 years.

Wells, one of the finest and most underrated recruiters in the business, has overseen the construction of the entire Geelong 2007 list, which started way back in 1995 when premiership player Steven King was selected as a concession selection for the loss of Stephen O'Reilly to the then inaugural Fremantle.

But despite challenges of the exchange and drafting period, along with the club's battle to keep its list together under the Total Player Payments system, Wells is confident Geelong can keep progressing with its list.

"We've still got a young list, so we're hoping there will be plenty of improvement in the list," Wells told afl.com.au at the NAB AFL Draft Camp in Canberra.

"Every year, you've got to make changes to your list and there are always good players in the draft and we'll be trying to draft players over the next few years, which will help compliment our list and help us to stay strong.

"We want to have a succession plan, so that when players finish careers, there is someone coming from behind that's had a chance to have some experience and see how our good players have played. [We will] then get them to step in the side then."

The humble Wells typically played down his excellent work in helping build the club's list, saying he was "very proud" Geelong had achieved football's ultimate prize. 

"It's everything you've planned for and you never lose faith that one day all of your hard work and planning will come together, so it's just been fantastic the way it's come together the way it did – it's a real credit to everybody at the club," Wells said.

Although Wells was happy to point out some father/son selections had helped Geelong's cause, he didn't highlight there wasn’t one player selected inside the top six of a NAB AFL Draft in the premiership team.

For the record, Andrew Mackie (2002) and Joel Selwood (2006) were the highest draft selections, both at No.7.

"Every decision you make is about trying to improve your list to give yourself a chance of winning a premiership," Wells said.

"We obviously had some good father/son players come to the club and they've developed fantastically well under the coaches, so every pick you have at the draft, whether it be an early, late or rookie pick, you're trying to do something that will help you win a premiership down the track."

Despite some fine selections such as Mathew Stokes at No.61 in the 2005 NAB AFL Draft, Wells said he admired all of the players he had recruited to club. 

"I don't have a particular favourite – I love them all," Wells said.

"I love to see all of them achieve their potential, whether it's a star player, a late pick or a guy that's come off the rookie list and will do whatever it takes to become a good senior player."

Originally starting with Geelong in 1983, Wells worked with Geelong 1951-52 premiership player and former coach Bill McMaster from 1990-94 in the club's recruiting before taking over the top job.

"He's a fantastic character and I learned a lot from Bill and he's still around the club on the historical committee. I was talking to him after the Grand Final on Sunday and he got as much pleasure out of it as anybody," Wells said.

Wells said he was able to enjoy Grand Final day with his family, after missing plenty of Geelong matches live due to his recruiting commitments.

"I spent the day with my family because in recruiting you spend a lot of time away from your family, so I really wanted to enjoy the day with them and, as it turned out, we were able to enjoy it with the win," Wells said.

"To look around the grandstands and seeing the joy on the Geelong peoples' faces … the impact of the whole thing has been fantastic and it was everything I could've hoped for. It's been fantastic fun the last few days and it's a time I'll never forget."

Wells on …
Steven King – the first premiership player he recruited
"We identified Steven as a developing young ruckman with the Murray Bushrangers and it was just fantastic to see all these years later Steven get his opportunity and play in a Grand Final – and play well. He joined the club as a 17-year-old and has played nearly 200 games now."

Joel Selwood – his most recent premiership player recruited
"For any first-year player to come in and do what he did is just outstanding and full credit to Joel and the coaches. We drafted him with a view to him being a fantastic player for us for a long time and he's done it quicker than we could ever hope for and he's just been a fantastic person around the place as well."

Tom Harley – the Geelong skipper he recruited in a trade from Port Adelaide
"Tom had been a really good player in the under-18 team and he'd been on Port's list for a while and they put a strong list together when they joined the competition, but it seemed there were going to be limited opportunities for him because the list was strong.

“When he was happy to come to Geelong, we were happy to do the trade and not only were we getting a good player and character, we got a fantastic leader as well and his impact this year has been incredible."