Riley Bice decided to give playing in the Victorian Football League one last shot this season and it paid off with him being drafted by Sydney on Wednesday night.
Bice proved to be a revelation for Werribee this year, averaging 21.1 disposals, 6.9 marks and 4.8 intercepts this season as the Tigers claimed their first premiership in more than 30 years.
Bice’s strong outside run and kicking ability earned him a spot in the VFL team of the year and he was invited to the state combine where he tested well.
Swans head of list strategy and player personnel Chris Keane said Bice was a story of persistence and his athletic ability and experience was hard to go past. Bice was taken at pick 41.
“Riley is a really good story, originally coming from Albury, he persisted at his footy and it’s taken him a while to get through the system but he’s worked his way through to play some really good footy for Werribee this season and deserves his opportunity,” he said.
“He’s a rebounding half back flanker who possesses really good speed and endurance and that combination can be really hard to find.
“He’s already played at VFL level so it’s a bit of a different scenario to under 18 kids who don’t have that exposure so we expect Riley to adapt pretty quickly.”
Speaking to Star Weekly after the draft combine, Bice said it had been a whirlwind after winning the premiership and then the combine.
“I was a bit stunned, I didn’t expect it at the start of the year, it was a bit of reward for effort,” he said.
“It was a bit different as I was a lot older than the other guys, but it was good [the combine].
He said he was just focused on giving VFL a crack, he hadn’t thought about anything beyond that.
An AFL opportunity would be beyond his wildest dreams.
“It’s everyone’s dream,” he said. “That is what you strive to play for.”
