Wingard, 18, captained South Australia at the NAB AFL U18 Championships this year, averaging 19.3 possessions and winning All-Australian honours.
Full draft coverage including bios and highlights
National recruiting manager Geoff Parker was delighted to have snared Wingard with the club’s sixth selection.
“He’s a highly talented player. He’s been a top five sort of player all season so to get him at six is a really good bonus for us,” Parker said.
PTV: Chad Wingard Highlights
Parker said the club was never certain Greater Western Sydney would overlook Wingard with their first five picks in the draft: “I wasn’t quite sure, but as the days passed leading up to today I was more confident he’d be there and more than happy to read his name out.”
Wingard is highly rated for his courage and desire to have an influence on every game he plays.
“His competitiveness and his ability to want to impact on the game are really impressive. He is capable of doing some freaky things and making things happen for his team,” Parker said.
Hear what Chad Wingard said upon being selected by Port Adelaide
Wingard will be given the opportunity to make an early impact for the Power in 2012, if he can prove he is ready at AFL level.
“As a pick 6 he’s going to be given the opportunity to play,” Parker said.
“How many he can play is the question. He’s still only light, he’s got to do some work and get his fitness base up, but I’d expect him to play a few games for Matty this year.”
Port Adelaide turned interstate for its later selections, picking up two Western Australians in the second and third rounds.
At pick 45 the club opted for 17 year old South Fremantle midfielder Brendon Ah Chee.
“He’s an inside midfielder who can go forward and take a mark,” Parker said.
“But what we really liked about him was his ability to find the ball around the stoppage and clear it with really clean hands. He’s got a little way to go physically and he’s probably not going to be ready to go straight away.
“He’s got to get here and get in the gym with (Head Fitness Coach) Cam Falloon and do some hard work, but we think he’s got some skills that will make him a talented AFL player.”
The Power used pick 51 to claim established East Perth defender Nathan Blee.
“It was his first year at senior football this year and he finished third in their best and fairest, and had some experience against AFL-listed players in the Foxtel Cup and they went through to the semi-finals,” Parker said.
At 21, Blee is ready to play if needed.
“We’re looking at him as a potential player to fill a role for us down back. Matty wanted a key defender just to add a bit to the group. We probably haven’t got quite as many defenders.
“He’s a bit more physically developed than the other boys we’ve selected, but if we got an injury to one of our key defenders, he could come in and fill a role.
“We thought he might get to us at 51, but you never know how it pans out. We were hoping we’d get him there.
Behind The Scenes at 2011 National Draft
