Veteran St Kilda recruiter John Beveridge at the Morabbin Oval facilities. Picture: Derrick den Hollander Source: Derrick Den Hollander / News Limited
MATTHEW Rendell thinks it is a miracle John Beveridge has survived 30 years in AFL recruiting.
Not so much because of the blazing scrutiny that accompanies each draft pick, but because one of the game's most revered drafting figures has lasted, for the most part, without using technology.
To his mates, there is not a person who deserves a Saints premiership more than the 74-year old, who still keeps junior vision of club legends Stewart Lowe and Robert Harvey stockpiled on old VHS tapes.
He is the kind-hearted scout, who over three decades has ushered almost every player through Moorabbin's doors, still popping in to see many of their parents on long drives to under-18 games in the country.
His memory is legendary. Beveridge can recall Olympic marathon champions back to 1896 and remember the shoe sizes of John Newcombe (size 11) and Arthur Ashe (eight), from his early working life as a sales rep for Dunlop.
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Even VFL coaching great Allan Jeans would refer to Beveridge when he was a stats man in the 60s, as "the professor".
But as he confronts one of the most pivotal drafts in St Kilda's recent history, with three picks inside the top-20, it is unlikely you'll find the names of his favourite players in a spread sheet.
Rather, former Saints list manger turned Collingwood recruiter Rendell recalls the handwritten notes and post-it pads that would be piled up on Beveridge's desk, containing all the precious information.
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"What I can't believe in this modern age of recruiting is how he has survived without one clue about how to operate a computer," Rendell said.
"He once had 10,358 emails in his inbox because he didn't know how to delete them.
"I said 'If you get a hit by bus tomorrow whose name am I going to call out?' He said 'It's all there in my book'.
St Kilda CEO Michael Nettlefold with recruiting manager John Beveridge Source: News Limited
"But you looked over at all the bits and pieces of paper and it would have taken me a month to sort it all out."
Beveridge takes the jibes in good nature, laughing at his lack of technological know-how and his short-sightedness that until a recent cataract operation, meant he could only see one half of the field, without his binoculars.
But a more respected figure at St Kilda is hard to find.
The man who now works in a part-time role under recruiting chief Tony Elshaug, has a long list of draft hits, which paved the Saints way into three grand finals (1997, 2009 and '10) and three preliminary finals (2004, '05 and '08).
He plucked James Gwilt from suburban football, Sam Fisher at No. 55, rookied Stephen Milne and discovered Barry Hall at No. 19. He hit the jackpot with Lenny Hayes at No. 11 and Nick Riewoldt, when he was a skinny Queenslander, at No.1.
Nick Reiwoldt in full flight Source: News Limited
And he delivered Harvey a quarter-time gee-up in a Victoria under-19 practice match that helped ignite career that spanned a club-record 383 games and two Brownlow Medals.
"He hadn't touched the ball and it was obvious footy at that point didn't really mean that much too him," Beveridge said.
"I said to him 'For God's sake you are good enough to be in this team but get a bloody kick'. He went a bit better after that.''
Robert Harvey in game No. 350. Source: News Limited
It's that nose for talent which gives Geelong recruiting master Stephen Wells great comfort whenever he spots Beveridge, who he labelled "one of the gentlemen of the industry", at the same ground.
"You knew if John Beveridge was there, you were at the right place," Wells said.
Even during these troubled times for St Kilda, Beveridge fiercely defends the club's record and position.
"It annoys you when they say 'the same old St Kilda'," Beveridge said.
"Prior to last year, we were the only club to win at least 11 games for 10 successive years, so I say 'what's the same old St Kilda?'"
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The same old St Kilda discussion of recent times has often focused on the lost years at the draft table between 2006-10.
But there were some triumphs, too.
Ben McEvoy was picked No. 9. Jack Steven 42. Jarryn Geary and Clinton Jones were rookies. The failed Andrew Lovett trade was meant to be "the icing on the cake".
Ultimately, his heart still skips a beat when he discovers a fresh talent.
He also tried to convince Aaron Sandilands' father into encouraging his boy to nominate a year earlier than he did and invited Michael Barlow to train after a dominant year at Shepparton United.
"I used to be very guilty of falling in love with the blokes who were very athletic and not like the blokes who were fairly slow," he said.
"But the smart midfielders who rise to the level and have a tank, although they might not captivate the eye, they can play.''
It was Shane Warne's lack of athleticism that cost him a football career, despite the legendary leg-spinner kicking seven goals in the Saints under-19s.
"He had beautiful hands and a beautiful kick," he said.
"He got promoted to the reserves and a Carlton player had four bounces down the wing and he was Warney's man and where was he? He was in the goal square."
Finding the next Saints star drives him as much as ever.
The mission gets him out of his chair and out to the under-18 teams' huddle at every quarter time break on freezing Melbourne mornings.
"You think will I see something or won't I? I probably won't, but you might run into someone that might give you bit of information, like 'such and such has had the flu all week, no wonder he isn't playing well','' he said.
"Sometimes you notice things, like is he paying attention? How's his attitude?"
He remains a prized part of the Saints recruiting staff.
"He brings a great balance to our meetings because we do roll out the numbers," football boss Chris Pelchen said.
"John will put all the numbers aside and ultimately decide whether he thinks the guys can play or not.
"We don't take away that right at all, especially a man with as much as wisdom on football as he has."
After managing the Saints zone from 1983, when they picked squads of 50 15-and-a-half year olds from local areas, Beveridge was draft boss from 1994.
He stepped down from the main role in 2006 under ex-head coach Grant Thomas.
"I said to 'Thomo' it's time to bring in someone younger, not that I don't want to do it, but you can't have an older person being recruiting manager for too long," he said.
The quest for St Kilda's second premiership goes on, but as much as Beveridge craves a flag, it would be more for others' sake, according to Thomas.
"He is a guy with incredible nature, he is so giving and caring," Thomas said.
"So, when you talk about winning premierships, John Beveridge wouldn't be thinking about himself.
"He would want it for all the other St Kilda people and that's the kind of wonderful person he is."
