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Robey, conversely, has come from further back.<\/p>\n
No AFL club had spoken to him prior to July this year. Three months later, all 18 had contacted him.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo think that I\u2019ve come this far since the start of the year is pretty awesome,\u201d he tells foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot to be proud of over the past 12 months.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sullivan Robey. Picture: Graham Denholm\/AFL Photos\/via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u2018NOT MUCH TIME OFF\u2019: THE SUMMER GRIND<\/p>\n
Robey was overlooked by the Dandenong Stingrays in his 16th year and wasn\u2019t even on a Coates Talent League list at the start of his draft year.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not as if he wasn\u2019t putting in the effort.<\/p>\n
Robey\u2019s final game of 2024 was an Under 19s game for Rowville against Noble Park. He reckons he then had one week off before getting \u201cstuck into pre-season and working on myself\u201d.<\/p>\n
From early September 2024 to late March 2025, Robey was in the gym six days a week. He also followed and completed a six-day-a-week running program that he\u2019d designed alongside older brother Beck. Four nights a week, he hit up Holm Park Reserve in Beaconsfield \u201cwith a dozen balls and a rebound net\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere wasn\u2019t much time off,\u201d Robey says. \u201cI was pretty motivated and keen to get as far as I could.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had heaps of room for improvement, but I literally wanted to do everything I could \u2013 aerobic, sprinting, footy, skills, whatever it was. I think that there was very little that I wasn\u2019t doing in that pre-season, to be honest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just wanted to make it. I didn\u2019t want to come into the next season and be a fringe player and be the 20th best kid on the squad. I wanted to make it so there was no doubt possible I\u2019d come into a squad and I\u2019d be in the top three.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sullivan Robey running at the AFL National Combine 2km Time Trial. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake\/AFL Photos\/via Getty Images\\Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Which made the next setback hard to take.<\/p>\n
Robey, who\u2019d previously attempted to get a transfer from the Stingrays region to the Eastern Ranges but failed, finally got a trial with the Ranges a week before Round 1 of the Coates Talent League season.<\/p>\n
He missed the squad. He just couldn\u2019t squeeze out some of the 19-year-olds already playing a similar role.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was pretty damaging to know that I\u2019d put in that big body of work and, just like that, it\u2019s all kind of gone to waste,\u201d Robey says.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I knew all that hard work hadn\u2019t gone out the window just because of one week.\u201d<\/p>\n
PREMIER DIVISION TO PREMIERS<\/p>\n
Robey vowed to \u201capply myself back at Rowville\u201d, confident his \u201chard work would show one way another\u201d.<\/p>\n
After starting the season in the Under 19s, Robey was promoted to the senior side. The Hawks, too, play in the Premier Division of the Eastern Football Netball League, so it was a high standard of opposition.<\/p>\n
Working under Rowville premiership coach Ben Wise and assistant James Gwilt \u2013 an ex-Saint and Bomber who played 152 AFL games \u2013 Robey built serious momentum playing as a forward, leading to consecutive three-goal hauls against Doncaster East and Mitcham.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat gave me a lot of confidence to know that I wasn\u2019t just a one-hit wonder,\u201d Robey said. \u201cIt was a few good games that I\u2019d chained together playing that forward role.<\/p>\n
Sullivan Robey at Rowville.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
\u201cPlaying those handful of games with the bigger bodies \u2013 some ex-AFL and ex-VFL boys \u2013 and even playing alongside a few of VFL boys, it gave me a lot of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
By June, Robey was back on the radar of the Eastern Ranges, who had vacant squad spots emerge.<\/p>\n
Ranges goalsneak Lachy Dovaston sensed his team was about to get a significant mid-season boost.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came in halfway through the year and that first training, he was just taking contested grabs and was such a big unit,\u201d Dovaston tells foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cStraight away me and \u2018Xav\u2019 Taylor said \u2018he\u2019ll be playing in a week or two\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
And he did. And he <\/p>\n
And all that hard work, all that persistence and patience, indeed paid off.<\/p>\n
Robey kicked 6.1 and averaged 16 disposals from his first three Coates Talent League games to earn, initially, a state combine invite. Then came an explosive, jaw-dropping late-season burst, capped off by four goals from 13 disposals and five marks against the Dragons in the Ranges\u2019 premiership triumph over the Sandringham Dragons.<\/p>\n
Robey had, indeed, rampaged his way up draft boards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did feel like I was in a little bit of a rush coming in mid-year and I wanted to speed things up and get my manager to push me out there and give me the most opportunities I could,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now that I look back at it, it wasn\u2019t much of a rush. I played a handful of games and luckily Eastern went to the grand final. It\u2019s all kind of worked out.<\/p>\n
Sullivan Robey of the Eastern Ranges celebrates with teammates. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake\/AFL Photos\/via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been pretty exciting to know that I\u2019ve come into a group that\u2019s a really solid team that did a lot of winning throughout the year, so I\u2019m thrilled to be a part of that journey all those boys had. For them to bring me on mid-year \u2013 I mean they\u2019ve had pre-seasons and years together in the past through the program \u2013 and treat me like I\u2019ve been there for the past couple of years is pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018PRETTY ROUGH\u2019: BLUNT TAKE ON BREAKOUT MATCH<\/p>\n
The standout Robey game came against the Western Jets in a wild Wildcard Round game: Three goals from 40 disposals, nine marks and seven inside 50s. From the outside, you\u2019d think it was a statement performance to those who\u2019d doubted him.<\/p>\n
For Robey, however, it was anything but.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, no it wasn\u2019t (completely satisfying),\u201d he bluntly says.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the stats sheet it looks pretty, but now that I look back at it and look at the footage \u2013 and I\u2019ve spoken to a few clubs and a few people around footy \u2013 I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a pretty game to watch back over, in terms of disposal (efficiency) and how I played \u2026 It was pretty rough through that game, probably not one of my best displays of disposal.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he initially presented at the Stingrays, Robey was 175cm. Now he\u2019s a 192cm player who Dovaston describes as a \u201cbull\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just a big body. He throws his weight around at the contest,\u201d he says of Robey.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd his skills, he\u2019s an unreal kick and his ability to finish with goals is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sullivan Robey of the Eastern Ranges. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake\/AFL Photos\/via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Robey has all the attributes required to be a strong AFL player. He\u2019s super competitive with an infectious willingness to hunt the ball. He spreads well from congestion and, most games, he\u2019s a good kick. He\u2019s powerful, energetic and confident. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m that high half-forward who links with the mids and the deep forwards, but can also impact the scoreboard and can kick straight, which is really important. I also have the versatility to go through the midfield and be clean at ground level,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to take bits off Hugh McCluggage. I probably have him in height and weight, but he\u2019s versatile through the forward line and the midfield, especially his midfield display (in the finals). But then also how he gets the scoreboard and how clean he is and that forward 50 is really impressive. I like to model my game off that.\u201d<\/p>\n
TOP 10 LOOMS \u2026<\/p>\n
Melbourne was the first AFL team to reach out to Robey following his third Talent League match. As Robey says, it\u2019s \u201cpretty much skyrocketed from there\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the end of the combine, I\u2019ll be up to all 18,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The Demons didn\u2019t have a first-round pick when they first met with Robey. Now they have two (Picks 7 and 8) thanks to Christian Petracca\u2019s departure to the Gold Coast Suns.<\/p>\n
Petracca traded to Suns for three picks | 02:01<\/p>\n
While Willem Duursma and Cooper Duff-Tytler are widely considered the top two prospects in this year\u2019s open draft pool \u2013 Robey said he\u2019d take Duursma if he had Pick 1<\/a> \u2013 Robey is now considered among that next tier of non-club tied players.<\/p>\nRichmond (Picks 3 and 4) and Essendon (Picks 5 and 6) both have multiple selections prior to the pair of picks for Melbourne, which might have to trade up the draft order if it really wants Robey.<\/p>\n
For what it\u2019s worth, Robey is an Essendon supporter. \u201cDad\u2019s dad used to fly aeroplanes, so Dad just inherited the Bombers,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Robey\u2019s parents have clearly been the biggest influences.<\/p>\n
Mum, Brooke, was diagnosed with bowel cancer midway through 2024 and underwent chemotherapy before thankfully being given the all-clear this year.<\/p>\n
The Robey\u2019s know a thing or two about fighting through adversity.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust Mum\u2019s resilience over the past couple of years has been really impressive and I\u2019ve taken a lot from her in terms of pushing through,\u201d Robey says.<\/p>\n
Sullivan Robey. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake\/AFL Photos\/via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cDad as well, just how he\u2019s handled everything and what he does with his job and how he treats us boys is really important. I take a lot from both them.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Robey always believed he\u2019d eventually make the AFL, he was prepared for a slow burn of earning a lifeline as a mature-age recruit and winning his way onto a list via a state league team.<\/p>\n
So for him now to be in the top-10 mix is wild.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always had a bit of belief that I\u2019d get my opportunity one way or another,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was just whether that time was going to come this year or in the next couple of years. I was never in doubt, to be honest, I always knew that I had what it takes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think mentally, I\u2019m more than prepared to be honest. Physically, there\u2019s a lot for me to work on in terms of skills and stuff like that. But I think it\u2019s exciting to know that this is my base level and that I\u2019ve got a really high ceiling ahead of me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019m lucky enough to get on an AFL list, I\u2019m looking forward to learning off a few of the best, getting into all the facilities and having the freedom to really strive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sullivan Robey is the biggest bolter in an AFL draft since Clayton Oliver. In fact, the Rowville Rampager\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228159,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,689,55,639,45979,3423,137905,60346,137902,19120,7803,93782,137903,137894,127778,93807,3435,4603,51244,2105,9130,11288,7492,12138,137901,137908,74060,7804,137896,137906,93775,3430,137900,677,137909,15641,137897,62283,137898,137904,2523,137899,85,93760,137907,38156,3424,79471,137893,3185,137895,3485,660,3520],"class_list":["post-228158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-beck","tag-ben-waterworth","tag-ben-wise","tag-bowel-cancer","tag-breakout-match","tag-christian-petracca","tag-clayton-oliver","tag-dandenong-stingrays","tag-doncaster-east","tag-dovaston","tag-draft-mail","tag-eastern-football-netball-league","tag-eastern-ranges","tag-final-game","tag-first-round-draft-picks","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-gold-coast-suns","tag-grand-final","tag-hawthorn-hawks","tag-hugh-mccluggage","tag-james-gwilt","tag-jaw-dropping-late-season-burst","tag-mature-age-recruit","tag-melbourne-demons","tag-mid-season-boost","tag-midfield-display","tag-multiple-selections","tag-murray-bushrangers","tag-noble-park","tag-oceania","tag-one-hit-wonder","tag-open-draft-pool","tag-premiership-ride","tag-premiership-triumph","tag-ranges-goalsneak","tag-rise-back","tag-senior-side","tag-six-day-a-week-running-program","tag-sports","tag-state-combine-invite","tag-state-league-team","tag-statement-performance","tag-stats-sheet","tag-sullivan-robey","tag-surge-led","tag-time-trial","tag-vacant-squad-spots","tag-vic-country","tag-victoria","tag-western-jets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}