Being overlooked for this year’s Under 18 National Championships proved to be a blessing in disguise for dedicated draftee Matthew Signorello.

The lightly framed but strong-willed midfielder impressed with 23 possessions and a game-high six clearances for Vic Metro in a trial against Northern Territory in April, but he wasn't rewarded by Metro selectors in what was a strong final squad.

A competitive clearance-winner, Signorello was told he needed to improve his outside game and use the ball more by foot, with just seven kicks among his 23 touches in the trial.

It was stinging blow for the Ivanhoe Grammar student, who also missed selection in the Under 16s representative team despite starring on the national stage at Under 15 and Under 12 level.

But the omission only spurred Signorello on.

“It motivated me to chase my dream that much harder and try and prove them wrong,” Signorello said after being selected by the Crows with pick No.62 at Friday night’s National Draft.

“It gave me that motivation and I carried that with me right throughout the season.”

The 184cm, 72kg onballer continued to dominate at Ivanhoe, playing every game of the school football season to claim the team’s best and fairest.

But it was Signorello’s performances with the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup that brought him to the attention of AFL recruiters.

He averaged 23 possessions and kicked seven goals to finish fifth in the Knights’ best and fairest count despite only playing eight games. Signorello worked hard to add balance to his craft, but it was his uncanny ability to extract the ball from stoppages that remained his biggest weapon.

Five fast facts: Matthew Signorello

Signorello ultimately sealed his path to Adelaide with a standout yet bittersweet end to his 2016 season.

He injured his right shoulder in the Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria (AGSV) vs Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS) clash in early August, but still finished the game as his team’s top possession-winner.

He then fronted up the following week for the Northern Knights and produced the best TAC Cup performance of his career. Signorello topped the stats sheet yet again with 30 possessions, nine clearances and two goals in a losing side against a star-studded North Ballarat team featuring Hugh McCluggage, Jarrod Berry and Cedric Cox.

It proved to be his final match of the year.

“My shoulder was still a bit sore from the previous game, and I got the news that I had a torn labrum in my shoulder joint,” Signorello said.

“I’m not sure how I did it. I don’t even know when it happened, but I managed to play out that game. Then it just got really sore and I found out later that it was torn.

“I had to sit out the rest of the year and have surgery on it.

“It was a frustrating way to finish the year.”

The injury prevented Signorello from testing at October’s State Draft Combine, but Crows National Recruiting Manager Hamish Ogilvie, who was in the stands at Eureka Stadium to witness Signorello’s courageous performance, had already seen enough.

“Matty Signorello is a player we’ve known about for a fair while and we tracked him pretty closely,” Ogilvie said.

“We were a bit nervous getting him through to our second-last pick, but we’re really pleased (to get him).

“His real weapon is his ball take. He’s really clean and hard at the footy.”

Matthew Signorello highlights

His crisp hands are key to his dominance at stoppages, and Signorello said it was a skill he hopes to build the rest of his game around.

“I’ve worked really hard at it and I wanted to make that something that I’m elite at,” he said.

“I did a lot of work with my coaches and they helped me out heaps to be clean with my ball handling.

“They felt that if I can be elite at that, then it will help me out with so many other areas of my game.”