RECRUITERS have long memories.
Fremantle list manager David Walls first interviewed Corey Wagner in 2015 when the Queenslander was 18 and a member of Brisbane's Academy.
Now seven years on, Walls has recruited the former North Melbourne and Melbourne speedster, after using Fremantle’s final pick – the third-last pick – in the 2022 NAB AFL Draft.
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Wagner played 19 games for the Kangaroos and Demons across four seasons in the AFL before being delisted by Melbourne at the end of 2020 after he had been given a lifeline via the pre-season supplemental selection period.
After two years out of the AFL system, the 25-year-old is heading west following a VFL campaign that gathered momentum through the winter before a barnstorming finish put his name back on the radar of recruiters.
Walls kept tabs on Wagner's journey and when Port Melbourne coach Adam Skrobalak moved Wagner to half-back in the second half of 2022, the Dockers went to work on the VFL star and learned how keen he was for a third shot at the highest level.
"We lost a bit of depth in the Trade Period and we were aware of Corey and always had him in the back of our mind," Walls told AFL.com.au on Wednesday.
"We've got real faith that he can play a role for us. Losing those guys going out, Corey is one who can come in and play.
"We watched him at Port Melbourne and when he went to half-back I thought his back half of the year was phenomenal. His ball use improved, he used his speed and just backed himself in."
A rookie spot was expected to be Wagner's most likely path back to an AFL list this year, but Fremantle chose to use pick No.57 to reignite his career.
It is understood that some clubs thought Wagner's form for Port Melbourne would have warranted a game at many AFL clubs this year.
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Fremantle's high performance coach Phil Merriman spent 2020 working with Wagner at Melbourne and vouched for his professionalism and athletic prowess, as did many around the Demons when the Dockers completed background checks.
"It's incredible to think of him at 18 and then at 25 in terms of his maturity," Walls said.
"I just thought he had a great perspective on life; he’d gone out and worked and was really well-rounded and desperate to play AFL. Meeting him was the clincher. That’s when we thought he would be a great one to bring in."
The Dockers have a long history of securing undervalued mature-age gold at the draft, dating back to when they selected a 21-year-old Hayden Ballantyne in 2008.
Since then, Fremantle has also landed Michael Barlow (via Werribee), Luke Ryan (Coburg), Lee Spurr (Central District), Greg Broughton (Subiaco) and Lachie Schultz (Williamstown) out of the VFL, WAFL and SANFL.
Barlow was once the poster boy of mature-age picks, while Ryan has won a Doig Medal and All-Australian selection since being plucked out of the VFL as a 20-year-old. Schultz, who was also selected at pick No. 57 in 2018, has also become a regular fixture for the Dockers.
Wagner's path is different to theirs, given his stops at North Melbourne and Melbourne along the way. But there is no doubt he stared his football mortality in the face before fighting hard to secure a third chance at the highest level.
