Veteran AFL recruiter Matt Rendell has singled out Adelaide midfielder Rory Laird as his favourite recruit.
Rendell, who spent years at both the Crows and Collingwood in their respective list management teams, selected Laird in the 2011 rookie draft with pick five.
He suggested there were no other clubs interested in Laird, who has now flourished into a three-time best and fairest winner with 211 games to his name.
“(He was a) little fella, no one interested, zero interest, never spoke, quiet as a mouse,” Rendell – who was Adelaide’s recruiting manager between 2007 and 2012 – told SEN SA’s The Run Home.
“When I was studying the stats of the Championships that year, he played the back pocket role for South Australia, I went through and gee, Rory Laird was top five in a lot of stats.
“You didn’t notice him, you couldn’t notice him. So I went back and watched all his edits and watched his games and I realised he was sneaky good.
“You interview him, you don’t get much out of him. I remember telling the club, I said, ‘Look, this bloke will be fantastic for you. He’ll try his guts out, he won’t say a word, you won’t even know he’s there’.”
Laird debuted in 2013 and spent seven seasons playing as a rebounding half-back before transitioning into the centre and developing into one of the league’s best midfielders.
As Rendell notes: “He’s basically turned out exactly like I thought he’d be. You’re really happy for guys like him.”
Laird has played every game in 2023 and ranks 8th in total score involvements this season averaging 27.7 disposals and 5.9 clearances a game.
Rendell also named Matthew Wright and Ricky Henderson as two of his other favourite recruits from his time at the Crows.
Wright was plucked out of the 209 rookie draft and went on to play 159 AFL games, as did Henderson who was taken in the 2008 rookie draft after switching from a basketball pursuit.