AFL Draft 2020: Tears flow in No. 1 pick's emotional moment

The AFL 2020 Draft kicked off with an emotional moment for boom star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, the No. 1 pick.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan

The 2020 AFL Draft went where it's never gone before - as a virtual TV event held in locations across the country.

COVID-19 restrictions forced the draft to be based out of the AFL Review Centre (ARC) where all eight rounds and and 122 picks - if needed - will be crammed into one night of mayhem.

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Melbourne teenager Jamarra Ugle-Hagan saw the event start full of emotion as his family broke down in tears following his selection with the No. 1 pick.

Ugle-Hagan was wrapped up into a hug by his mum after the Crows selected him with the first overall pick. 

However, the Bulldogs pulled off a draft coup by matching the Crows' offer because he is a product of the club’s Next Generation Academy.

The selection made history on Wednesday night as Ugle-Hagan became the Western Bulldogs' first ever No. 1 draft selection.

The star prospect said straight after his selection that his father had also broken down in tears. 

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan

"It means a lot, I’ve never seen my dad cry before, so it obviously means a lot," he said.

"I dunno, it’s just an unreal experience."

The 18-year-old is also the first Indigenous player to go No. 1 in the draft since Des Headland in 1998.

The key forward is also expected to become the richest teenager in the history of the game on Wednesday night as a result of the improved economic forecasts for 2021 and the game's Total Player Payments pool.

As the No. 1 pick, Ugle-Hampton will receive a $10,000 cash payment from the draft's corporate sponsor. Speculation earlier this month suggested that with match payments of $4000, first round picks at the 2020 Draft could earn up to $200,000 in their first year in the game.

The Herald Sun reports the payments - on top of their base salary of $100,000 - would see Ugle-Hagan become the richest teenager the game has seen.The picks will be flying in right through to 10pm (AEDT) with around 60 selections expected to be made.

AFL 2020 DRAFT ORDER - ROUND 1

1 - Western Bulldogs, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan

2 - Adelaide Crows, Riley Thilthorpe

3 - North Melbourne, Will Phillips

4 - Sydney Swans, Logan McDonald

5 - Sydney Swans, Braeden Campbell

6 - Hawthorn, Denver Grainger-Barras

7 - Gold Coast Suns, Elijah Hollands

8 - Essendon, Nikolas Cox

9 - Essendon, Archie Perkins

10 - Essendon, Zach Reid

11 - Adelaide Crows, Luke Pedlar

12 - GWS Giants, Tanner Bruhn

13 - North Melbourne, Tom Powell

14 - Fremantle, Heath Chapman

15 - GWS Giants, Conor Stone

16 - Port Adelaide, Lachlan Jones

17 - Collingwood, Oliver Henry

18 - GWS Giants, Ryan Angwin

19 - Collingwood, Finlay Macrae

20 - Geelong, Max Holmes

21 - Melbourne, Jack Bowey

22 - Melbourne, Bailey Laurie

23.  Collingwood, Reef McInnes

24 - Brisbane, Blake Coleman

25 - Adelaide, Brayden Cook

26 - St Kilda, Matthew McLeod-Allison

 

Originally published as AFL Draft 2020: Tears flow in No. 1 pick's emotional moment

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