Josh Fahey headlines Canberra quartet of GWS Giants prospects eyeing AFL draft

Queanbeyan Tigers defender Josh Fahey has emerged as a potential top 25 draft pick who could attract interest from AFL clubs, whose bid can be met by the Giants.

The Giants have also nominated Queanbeyan product Sam Frost as well as Tuggeranong Hawks duo Josh Green and Fraser Kelly among their academy contingent for the draft, which runs over Wednesday and Thursday next week.

Green is the younger brother of gun Giants midfielder Tom Green, who quickly emerged as one of the game's brightest stars as he established himself as a mainstay in Leon Cameron's line-up this year.

The Giants have nominated a group of rising stars from the club's academy, meaning they effectively have the right of reply should a rival club try to snap one of the players up during the draft.

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Fahey looms as the most likely candidate to land on the GWS list heading into the 2022 campaign with the club keen to match any rival bid from another club.

"Having a bit of sight that you know it's going to be Giants is good. I'm just really excited about it more than anything," Fahey said.

"It is pleasing, especially after growing up in their academy and having so much to do with them, I've been up to the club three or four times for training.

"The Wednesday night, we're just going to have a family and close mates thing at my nan's place. She'll put on a barbecue and whatnot, just in case it did happen on Wednesday.

"Thursday is looking a bit more likely at the moment, knowing now the Giants will match any bid that gets thrown. Thursday does look a lot more likely, so Thursday we'll just be celebrating at my junior footy club at the Tigers Club.

"I obviously grew up there, played all my juniors there, so I'd like to give back to them for the night. I've decided I'd host it there for the night."

But that junior career only started about five years ago.

Fahey had grown up in rugby league and rugby union circles. His father Adam Fahey coached the Queanbeyan Whites and Uni-Norths Owls in the John I Dent Cup before linking up with Canberra Grammar as its director of rugby.

But "it was actually the old man" who pushed his son towards Australian football in a move that kickstarted a whirlwind journey towards the draft.

"He said AFL would probably suit a bit more so I went and had a run around there," Fahey said.

"I actually enjoyed it and then my close mates started playing. It wasn't really a tough decision to be honest, but at the end of the day, I feel like I made the right decision now."

Fahey, Green, Kelly and Frost have all spent time inside the Giants' inner sanctum this year as they chase a dream of earning a spot on the club's AFL list.

"They were training as part of the VFL program and when they went into the hub, they were a part of that. I think they were very lucky with that opportunity, and I know personally they all took a lot away from it," Fahey said.

"It was just good seeing how professional AFL players go about it more than anything, more off-field things than training.

"Obviously with training, you know that comes. It's more off-field, rehab and prehab, extra training, one per center stuff, recovery, stuff they do that makes a difference."

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