Sam Lalor is bound for Punt Road.
The Geelong Grammar student awarded the Allen Aylett Medal after being taken at pick number one in the 2024 AFL Draft.
Lalor said he’d known for a few days his name would be called.
“They came over to my house on Monday night,” Lalor told Fox Footy.
“I was able to tell some close family and friends, but I also had a lot of people here who didn’t know which was special.”
Geelong Grammar Head of Football and Sports Performance Mentor Troy Selwood says it was a great reward for Lalor.
“He’s such a terrific kid,” he said.
“It hasn’t been an easy couple of years for him, but I’ve been blown away by the way he’s handled himself.
“I think he’s going to bring something really special with him to the Tigers.”
Selwood praising Lalor’s ability.
“He has the game challenging qualities you are looking for,” he said.
“He wins the ball in tight, his marking is outstanding when he goes forward as well.
“There have been so many comparrisons to Dusty (Martin) but I compare him to (Jordan) De Goey and (Christian) Petracca because of his explosiveness when he has the ball in his hands.
“He’s going to be a great player and we’re really excited for him.”
Luke Trainor will also join Lalor at Punt Road.
The grandson of Geelong icon Doug Wade, tall defender Trainor was taken at pick 21.
