Scopus one week, AFL the next: Jewish footy player about to kick his biggest goal

ASHLEY BROWNE meets Harry Sheezel, the Scopus student who has become the first Jewish player to be drafted into the AFL in a generation.

Harry Sheezel walked out of his final VCE exam last week feeling the same jubilation but none of the anxiety of his fellow Year 12 classmates at Mount Scopus College.

The rest of the cohort will be sweating come the morning of December 12, when the results ping on their phones. How well they go could well shape the rest of their lives.

But not for Sheezel. His career path is already set in stone. In less than a week from now, he will become an AFL footballer and with the potential to become a great one.

The AFL’s national draft takes place over a couple of nights next week. But Sheezel won’t take long to discover his fate. He is set to be among the first four players selected. Almost universally, it is predicted he will be selected by North Melbourne, which is great news for his close-knit family who would prefer that he stay in Victoria rather than be drafted to one of the eight clubs located in different parts of Australia.

He is no “flight risk”, as the football commentariat refers to drafted players who return to their home state as soon as they can, but in an interview this week with The Jewish Independent, Sheezel says he was honest when he met with the non-Victorian clubs.