Western Bulldogs Mid-Season Draftee Caleb Poulter has told the emotional story of finding out he'd been delisted by Collingwood at the end of the 2022 season, as well as detailing his draft day, Magpies experience, and cherished relationships with Jack and Mikayla Crisp.
Poulter was swooped on by the Magpies in Round 2 of the 2020 National Draft, playing 11 games throughout a promising rookie campaign. However, he managed just one game in 2021 before being delisted by Collingwood at the end of 2022.
Poulter and partner Sam Guggenheimer spoke on Guggenheimer's podcast,ย Just For Girls, discussing numerous topics, most notably Poulter's AFL career thus far.
The 20-year-old first discussed the 'surreal' experience of draft night, labelling Collingwood 'the biggest team' in the AFL.
"You sort of have a few clubs that are more interested than others, I literally only had one interview with Collingwood throughout the year, so when they called my name up, pick 30 or whatever it was, it was surreal, it was crazy," Poulter told Guggenheimer.
"Collingwood [is] such a rich name in itself, it probably is the biggest team in the AFL at the moment, so to be able to go to Melbourne and go to such a strong team like that with a big supporter fan base, so many highly-talented names, coaching-wise and playing-wise, it was just unreal."
When Poulter, a South Australian native who played his junior football with Woodville-West Torrens, first became a Magpie, he moved in with Jack Crisp and his wife, Mikayla, as he learned the ropes as an AFL footballer.
The Bulldogs wingman expressed his immense gratitude to the Crisps, affirmative in his belief he wouldn't have reached his current point without their assistance and support.
"I actually truly don't believe I'd be where I am now without them," Poulter claimed.
"They sort of taught me the ropes and everything I needed to know, and obviously Jack's played 200-and-something games in a row, so I think to be able to live with him for two-and-a-half years and be able to learn everything that he did was so unreal."
Despite Poulter's exciting beginning to his AFL career, it wasn't all smooth sailing at Olympic Park, as he was dropped to the reserves and things started to spiral downhill.
"I didn't play that well, I wasn't playing my brand of footy, I wasn't all that there, and it's not because of any reason in particular, it's just because of, I'm still a young 18-year-old learning to play the game that I love, and I just wasn't playing my brand of footy," Poulter detailed.
The smooth-moving left-footer was ultimately delisted by the Magpies at the end of last season, forcing him to truly assess the direction of his footballing future.
Guggenheimer recalls the moment Poulter discovered his Collingwood fate while they were holidaying in Bali post-season, also noting Poulter's shutting everyone else out afterward.
"We were in Bali, I remember it so vividly, you got a call and you stepped outside, and you laid on the bed out near the pool in our villa, and you were out there for, like, 15 minutes, I just thought you were on your phone ... I come [outside] and you were bawling, you were crying, and you just said 'I've been delisted', [those were] the words you said," recounts Guggenheimer.
"It was the first full day of our holiday, I was like 'What the f---?'
"You were very bad at communicating with people, you ghosted everyone, you ghosted your teammates, you ghosted Jack, you ghosted your coaches, you were like 'f--- them' in a way," she said.
"I think you were a bit angry, you didn't really have any answers, no one really answered your questions so you were kind of like 'f--- this' and you threw it all up."
Poulter acknowledged his distress during that period of time but stated he doesn't 'hold any grudges' toward anybody at Collingwood as a result of his unceremonious departure.
"I was obviously pretty upset at the time," he started.
"Instead of dealing with it in the right way, I just stopped replying to everyone.
"I think I was just one of the ones that fell out of favour and that's just how it is sometimes in a professional environment.
"I obviously got drafted there under completely different people and then new people come in and have different feelings and ways about you but I don't hold any grudges."
Poulter began this season playing for Footscray in the VFL before the Bulldogs offered him an AFL lifeline at the league's mid-year draft in May, playing his debut game for Luke Beveridge's side in Round 16 against Fremantle.
"Luckily now it's worked out (playing with the Bulldogs), it's probably a blessing in disguise, I'm forever grateful for them (Collingwood) and what they did."
Poulter and the Bulldogs face off against the SydneySwans at the SCG on Thursday night.
