JACK Slattery's assessment of his draft chances last year, in his 18th year, is blunt. 

"I was not in the mix at all," he said. 

Having missed out on playing with Woodville-West Torrens' under-18 squad the previous season as a bottom-ager, he forced his way into the team and kicked 15 goals from 11 games but in his draft age season he didn't meet with any clubs. 

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When the draft came and went without his name being called, he was far from surprised. But he was also adamant there was more left to show.

Fast forward eight months after last year's draft and the tall forward is certainly on the map now. As an over-ager, having been overlooked in his draft year of 2025, Slattery returned to the Eagles' mix and has played reserves this season.

But it's his recent championships for South Australia, where he was the carnival's leading goalkicker with 16 majors and the under-18 All-Australian full-forward, which has dramatically risen his draft stocks. 

"I knew I potentially had it in me. I saw guys like Mitch Marsh take his chances at the championships and I didn't feel like I was that far off the pace. He's about seven or eight months older than me, so maybe he had a bit of extra development, but I just knew I wasn't that far off the mark and if I maybe got an opportunity like I did at state level, that I'd hopefully be able to take it," Slattery told AFL.com.au.

He's done that and more. After kicking one goal in South Australia's clash with Western Australia, Slattery followed it with bags of four against Vic Country, five against Vic Metro and six against the Allies to be SA's spearhead. He describes being named in the All-Australian team – as one of only four South Australians – "a bonus".

"I'm really happy with how it went from a personal standpoint and from a team view as well to come second. It was a great experience. I hadn't been around the state program so I'm grateful for the opportunity and happy to play all four games and to contribute," he said.

"There's a bit of chat after you have one good game whether it's just a once-off good performance, so I knew there's a lot of pressure it back it up and I was really happy to do that on two more occasions."

Dig deeper into the 192cm forward's background and kicking goals has always come comfortably, with the 18-year-old closely following Brisbane star Logan Morris and Hawthorn great Jack Gunston as the type of crafty taller forwards who use their smarts to be dangerous forwards.

Last year he kicked more than 50 goals in all competitions he played and he is hoping to take his goalkicking confidence back to reserves level now that South Australia's carnival is completed, with the ambition to get a game in Woodville-West Torrens' league side. 

"I want to stay levelheaded. You need to put as many performances in together as a block of games, so that's the key for me and I'm still trying to do that now with potentially five or six more important games to finish the season," he said.

Slattery has overcome non-selection before to bounce back. That was first experienced at under-12 level when he didn't make the state team – the difference being then that his father, Chris, was on the coaching panel of that side. Since then he has taken over to be head coach of the under-12s team, which is the starting point for plenty of talented draft prospects every year.

"He was assistant coach in my year so when I didn't get picked in 2019 he wasn't the main guy. I was a late bloomer," Slattery said.

"He's been the main coach for five years now and they won it a couple of years ago, so he really loves it. He gets me out umpiring every now and then."

Slattery is busy away from footy, having finished school last year and is studying commerce at Adelaide University, having received a scholarship for Adelaide firm William Buck. That runs over three years, including an internship in the second year of his degree. 

"That's a four-week internship at the firm and then if they like what I do at the end of my degree, they can offer me a job," he said.

That sounds good, too, but he is also eyeing off the draft's possibilities in November, having moved right into recruiters' minds through the championships.

"It would mean everything," he said. "I'm definitely a bolter. If you told dad a year ago that I was a chance to get drafted he would have said 'No way', because it's really come from nowhere this season. I knew I had it in me to perform like this but I'm super grateful and it would be amazing."