STURT has gone some way to mitigating the loss of several senior players by signing a pair of former AFL-listed youngsters.

Ex-Carlton halfback Joe Anderson, 22, and delisted Hawthorn small forward Cameron Stokes, 21, have both been lured to Unley.

Anderson played 17 games from 2007-10, while Stokes, a former Sturt junior, played 20 games over three years.

Their signings follow the departures of Brant Chambers (retired), Jacob Bowen (retired), Ryan Herring (Perth), Nick Wark (university), Jace Bode (Norwood), Toby Thurstans (retired), Salim Hassan (study), Ben Nelson (retired), Scott McGlone (work), Brad Vassal (work) and Jon Giles (Greater Western Sydney).

Double Blues football operations manager Duane Massey said Anderson and Stokes - both of whom hail from the Northern Territory - were quality players and people.

"They've been on AFL lists for two or three years and I think they'll come in and add some experience but also they're top-shelf fellas," Massey said.

"Joe's very, very fit and a strong, running defender who's had three or four years at Carlton and is going to be very, very handy for us.

"Stokesy will play on the ball, small forward and wing and we're hopeful he can provide some real spark up forward, which is something we don't have a lot of.

"Hopefully if they go well enough they get their chance at the AFL again."

A childhood friendship born from fishing and hunting together in Darwin has lasted the journey for this SANFL pair.

JOE Anderson and Cameron Stokes are proof that best mates stick together.

They've known each other since they were four, hunting magpie geese and ducks in the bush and hunting the footy on the field for Darwin's Buffaloes.

``Our families were close growing up,'' Stokes said.

``Joe came from Katherine but ever since we were young we went hunting and fishing together.''

They both graduated from the NT's under-18 program to AFL ranks and found themselves in Melbourne by 2007.

Stokes was rookie listed by Hawthorn and Anderson was drafted by Carlton and they still saw each other every fortnight.

But as fickle as the world of AFL can sometimes be, three years later they were spat out the other end delisted in 2010 after 37 games between them.

``It was good experience, I learnt a lot from all the coaches and senior players,'' Anderson said.

``It made me more aware of the structures and gameplans.

``Darwin footy is pretty free flowing and everything changed dramatically when I got to Carlton.''

Stokes showed promise but knee and shoulder reconstructions stopped him in his tracks.

Now living together in Adelaide they hope to resurrect their AFL careers and have chosen Sturt and the SANFL over the NT Thunder and QAFL to do so.

Would have been nice symmetry if they went to Norwood as compensation for Duigan and Puopolo

All the best to Joey

Joey Anderson's younger brother Jed is a chance to b drafted - article touches a bit on Joey coming to terms with his delisting by the Blues

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/t ... 2750u.html

I spoke with Jed a few times at the Draft Camp. Wonderful lad who I first met in late 2006 when Joe came to live with Caz and I. He has had a very, very tough 2 years as the article reports. It was great to see him with a smile on his face, spring in his step and a renewed determination to make it in the AFL. He's a real talent and should excite supporters the way he plays.

Regards Cazzesman

if there's a tougher test to see how a youngster deals with adversity I'd like to see it