Cornell capped off a spectacular week for AFL in the Riverina when he was picked up by Geelong with selection nine in Friday’s Rookie Draft.

It could not have come at a better time for the 18-year-old, who dealt with the disappointment of missing out in Tuesday night’s AFL National Draft and the one-year anniversary of his father Mark’s passing on Thursday.

“It’s a pretty good way to top it off,” Cornell said.

“I’d say (Dad) would be very proud.”

With his mum Julie at work, and his siblings away and at school, Cornell was home alone when he heard the news on Friday.

Cornell, a member of the famous Daniher family, had the AFL website on screen but walked away for a moment only to be bombarded by congratulatory texts.

“I started to get texts from a few people and I hadn’t even looked yet,” he explained.

“I was absolutely rapt. It was both relief and excitement at the same time.

“I thought this is unreal, then I thought, where am I headed? So I jumped on and saw Geelong and thought that’s perfect.”

Geelong and Greater Western Sydney (GWS) both made contact with Cornell after Tuesday night. The Giants informed him they would not take him on Friday, while the Cats confirmed their interest.

“They rang (on Thursday) and said they were interested but couldn’t guarantee anything,” Cornell said.

Cornell will move to Geelong on Sunday and is rapt with his new home.

“I instantly thought of Patty Dangerfield,” he said.

“We had the nationals at Geelong and I liked it. Being from Ungarie and then Wagga, it’s a smaller city too.”

Former Ganmain junior Sam Murray was also picked up in the Rookie Draft, going to Sydney Swans.

Murray played in two junior premierships at Ganmain before moving to Henty with parents Peter and Alison. He played at Wodonga Raiders this year.