Caleb Poulter will get a second shot at an AFL career after being taken by the Western Bulldogs in the AFL mid-season rookie draft.
Having been delisted by Collingwood last year after 12 games, Poulter joined the Bulldogs Victorian Football League team for this season.
The move paid off with the Bulldogs taking him with the 10th pick in the mid-season draft.
The 20-year-old is averaging 17 touches and three tackles per game in the VFL.
Poulter featured in some match simulation for the Western Bulldogs during the summer, and he will add vital depth and versatility to the squad for the remainder for the 2023 season.
Bulldogs’ national recruiting manager Dom Milesi said Poulter would be a welcome addition to the AFL list.
“We are pleased to be able to bring Caleb into our AFL program full-time,” Milesi says.
“Caleb joined in for a portion of the Bulldogs pre-season, impressing with his running ability and ball handling skills, and he will provide valuable depth to our list heading into the second half of the season.
“The 20-year-old fits into our age profile with plenty of upside left in the South Australian youngster, bringing a sense of versatility and reliability after a couple of years in the AFL system with Collingwood.
“We followed Caleb closely throughout his draft year and as a top 30 pick clearly has attributes to make him successful at the top level.”
Speaking to the Bulldogs media team after being picked, Poulter said it was pretty surreal. He revealed that the Bulldogs told him 10 minutes beforehand that they were planning to pick him.
“Pretty surreal, it’s a crazy feeling,” he said. “Obviously I got delisted six months ago and just trying to put my best foot forward.
“The Western Bulldogs are a great club and [have a] great atmosphere… Sort of lost for words a the moment.
“[It’ll] sink in the next couple of days.”
