Adam Cooney says there is a new level of professionalism among the draftees entering the AFL system. 

Taken with the first pick in the 2003 National Draft by the Western Bulldogs, the veteran revealed his preparation for senior football was significantly different to the boys entering the system these days. 

“It’s a bit different nowadays, it’s a lot more professional for the young guys coming through,” Cooney told Bomber Radio.

“There are a lot of academies that the guys go through at 16/17 now, so they’re set-up pretty well. They’ve got dieticians and a lot of good fitness staff around them.”

A South Australian native, Cooney played his junior football with the Flagstaff Hill Football Club before eventually being recruited from West Adelaide in the SANFL. 

18-years old at the time of his debut in 2004, Cooney had a slightly different journey to the start of his AFL career. 

The Bulldogs, who had finished last on the ladder during the 2003 season, were awarded the first pick for the upcoming draft.

Having seen Cooney’s pace and goal scoring ability on display in the SANFL, the club was quick to meet with him at the conclusion of the 2003 National under 18’s Carnival.

The meeting in July between Cooney and the Dogs cemented his place as the number one pick and his future at the Club.

“I was pretty happy with myself for about two months there where I thought I was pretty good,” Cooney said. 

“I probably didn’t train hard enough in the lead up to (AFL) training, so I was probably a bit unfit to be honest when I got drafted.

“I think my first session, we did something ridiculously easy like 10x 100m jogs and I think I threw up after about four of them and then went and hid in the toilets.” 

While he does joke about his beginnings in footy, Cooney let his work on the field do the talking. 

The classy midfielder set a solid foundation in his first year with the Dogs, before truly making a name for himself in 2005 where he played every game, averaged 20 possessions and kicked 21 goals.

It would be his season in 2008, however, that would have him enter the AFL record books. 

On the back of a season where the Bulldogs made it all the way to the Preliminary Final, Cooney averaged 25 disposals and kicked 23 goals.

His consistency throughout the year also saw him awarded the Brownlow Medal, piping Brisbane’s Simon Black by one vote.

Now, as he edges towards his 250^th game, the 30-year old is continually inspired by the effort and tenacity shown by some of the Bombers’ younger players.

His own journey in the AFL has allowed him to see the benefit the added professionalism of junior football gives draftees.

Two players that have particularly caught his eye since moving to the Bombers at the end of 2014 have been Zach Merrett and Darcy Parish.

“Zachy (Merrett) is probably one of the most professional guys at the footy club already. He’s only in his third year of footy,” Cooney said.

“Darc is another one who has come in and just wanted to learn, so I think the more footy that those guys play together, the better we’ll be as a team.

“It’s one of the positives out of this year with a lot of the guys being away, is the the younger guys have had a lot more time to play and get midfield time. Whereas, they’d probably be two to three years off if the other guys would have been here. 

“It’s certainly fast tracked their development to become better players, which will help us become a better team in the next few years.”

Cooney believes that the Bombers have a bright future ahead of them with players like Zach Merrett, Darcy Parish, Aaron Francis, Orazio Fantasia and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti driving that charge.

While the Bombers may not be getting the wins on the board at the moment, Cooney remains passionate about the game. 

“I still love the game,” he said.

“It does have its moments when you’re not winning, but to see the development of our young group…I think it shows the spirit amongst the group is pretty high.

“That’s what keeps me getting out of bed every morning.

“That’s the main thing that the effort is there.

“If the effort and the endeavor from our whole group, I think we can play some pretty good footy even though we’re missing a lot of our players.”