Jacob Hopper’s words in an interview ahead of the November 24 draft delighted Crows president Mick Fraser.

“Within our last 10 years, we’ll have had three guys go on through our juniors to AFL, with Jacob Townsend and Kurt Aylett as well,” Fraser said. 

Collingullie’s Matt Kennedy is also touted as a top 10 draft pick, giving the Riverina unprecedented exposure.

“It’s uncharted territory – it’s priceless,” AFL southern NSW manager, Jason McPherson, said.

“It’s a perfect example that the pathway works and the under 14s and 13s from Collingullie and Leeton have seen the Matt Kennedys and Jacob Hoppers train and go through.

“And it’s generating history that probably country Victoria have had – creating history that people want to be a part of.”

There’s depth in the pool of Riverina talent this year too, with Narrandera’s Matt Flynn and Mangoplah-CUE products Jock Cornell and Harry Himmelberg also live chances of being drafted.

And if players being drafted are a boost for their junior clubs and local development programs they also offer a tangible link for regional fans to AFL clubs.

“No-one barracks for the AFL,” is how McPherson explains it. 

Participation manager for southern NSW, Marc Geppert, said the involvement of three Riverina players in Hawthorn’s dominant era is proof of the value of role models at clubs.

“That day out at Gumly when Luke Breust and Matt Suckling were home – htat was unreal to see the amount of kids that were following them around all day,” Geppert said.

“You can’t put a price on that sort of stuff.”

The beauty in the Kennedy story is two-fold: he’s a role model for Collingullie’s juniors, a club that has struggled at times; and he’s only been in the AFL talent and representative system for one year.

“The flip side is… if you’re good enough, you’ll still make it,” Geppert said.

With this year’s draftees set to join a host of Riverina players on club lists – including Harry Cunningham, Jacob Townsend, Jake Barrett, Zac Williams, Dougal Howard and Max King – the sport sees a golden opportunity in a golden generation.

“It’s getting the Harry Cunninghams (into schools) talking about leadership and hard work and what it means to be a kid who has grown up in Wagga,” McPherson said.

“Instigate a dream for the kids who are going to these schools.”