Stephen Wells remembers that one of his greatest concerns in the lead-up to the 2001 national draft was that Jimmy Bartel would be selected before Geelong had a chance to nab him.
The Cats' first selection was pick eight, but Bartel had been such a standout junior player that there was talk he might feature in the top five selections.
"Jimmy had not only played for Vic Country in the under-18 national championships two years in a row, he had been an All Australian two years in a row," Well recalled in an interview with Cats Media.
"It was clear that he was a very competitive player, and also one with terrific skills and versatility.
Wells had also been impressed with Bartel's attitude when he had interviewed him in the lead-up to the draft.
"I just remember Jimmy being himself," Well recalled. "He was a very mature young man. I think he realised that he had some opportunities that were going to come his way through the draft.
"He was understanding of the fact that he was going to be drafted pretty early.
"But he was also humble enough and smart enough to know that he had a lot of work ahead of him and that playing AFL footy wasn't going to come easily."
As it turned out, the clubs with selections prior to Geelong all passed on Bartel.
Hawthorn took Luke Hodge with pick one, St Kilda selected Luke Ball with pick two and West Coast chose Chris Judd with pick three.
Graham Polak (Fremantle), Xavier Clarke (St Kilda), Ashley Sampi (West Coast) and David Hale (North Melbourne) were selected between picks four and seven.
Having breathed a sign of relief when the Kangaroos went for Hale, Wells happily announced that the Cats were taking Bartel with pick eight.
"I can't speak for the other clubs and where they rated him, but we wouldn't have been surprised if Jimmy had been selected before our first pick," Wells said.
"So I was very pleased to be able to call out Jimmy's name on draft day."
Wells was delighted to be able to use the Cats' first pick on a local lad, who had come through the ranks at Geelong league club Bell Park and had been a standout performer in the TAC Cup with the Geelong Falcons.
"To have a local player as well credentialed as he was, and with that drive to be the best, was a nice thing for our club," Wells said.
Wells' decision to select Bartel has proven to be an inspired choice.
Almost 15 years down the track, the boy from Bell Park has played a lead role in one of the Cats' greatest eras of success.
And after winning the Brownlow Medal in 2007, premierships in '07, '09 and '11, and the Norm Smith Medal in the last of those Grand Finals, Bartel will cap an extraordinary career by playing his 300th AFL game when the Cats host the Western Bulldogs on Friday night.
"Jimmy has done all through his career what he was doing as a 17- and 18-year-old, and that is being a very reliable performer who loves a contest," Well said.
"300 games is a brilliant achievement by Jimmy. He's been a magnificent contributor to the Geelong footy club through his whole career.
"Everything that he's achieved has been an expression of his natural talent but also how hard he has worked and how determined he is and how professional he is in the way he goes about his preparation."
Bartel, now 32, has made his name as a big-game player, with that reputation cemented when he won the Norm Smith Medal in 2011.
"There have been plenty of big games for Jim to perform in, and I think he's proved himself to be very reliable," Wells said.
"No matter what the game is, no matter the situation, we've known through his 299 games so far that Jimmy is always going to do his best to help the team."
One of Bartel's greatest strengths in the latter part of his career his been his versatility.
Having won the Brownlow Medal as a midfielder, he has more recently evolved into a utility who can play anywhere on the ground.
"To be a player who gets to 300 games you've certainly got to be resilient and adaptable," Wells said.
"Jimmy's a very versatile player and has been happy to take on whatever role the coaches have wanted him to over the course of his career.
"That's been to our team's great benefit."
Like everyone else connected with the Geelong footy club, Wells is very proud of what Bartel has achieved.
"Jimmy's had a lot of support along the way, but he's driven his success himself," Wells said.
"He's adapted to situations, he's been very coachable, he's been a great team member.
"It's one thing to have the talent that Jimmy had has a 17- or 18-year-old.
"But to be still playing great footy all these years later shows that he's also a very, very strong character and has got that truly professional attitude that you need to survive in the AFL this long."
