AFL draft 2022: All the latest draft news and intel

Sydney recruiting boss Simon Dalrymple has confirmed the club’s interest in a late-blooming Victorian, while also hinting at a possible draft night trade. Here’s the latest.

Elijah Tsatas. Picture: Getty Images

Sydney is open to either trading up or trading down its two first-round selections in next week’s national draft as multiple Victorian clubs search for extra picks inside the top 20.

The Swans currently hold picks 14, 17, 42, 69 and 80 in the national draft, where they intend to select three players.

Sydney has made its intentions clear in recent weeks that it would like to move up the draft order if a club was willing to move out of the top-10.

However, it would also be happy to move one of those picks further back in the order if a suitable deal came along.

“We’re certainly open to that (trading down pick 14 or 17),” Sydney national recruiting manager Simon Dalrymple told the Herald Sun Footy Podcast.

“You need to be flexible and agile so we would certainly be similar to moving the other way in going forward to try and get into the top group. We’re open for discussions around that as well.”

The Swans are open to trading their two first-round selection in this year’s draft. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

Carlton and Melbourne are among the clubs on the hunt for an extra top-20 draft pick.

Essendon is interested in moving its pick 22 forward or back, which would be swallowed up if a bid for father-son Alwyn Davey Jnr came before it.

Greater Western Sydney has also placed its pick 19 on the trade table for the right price, with the Giants already holding three of the first 18 picks and another selection at No. 31.

Clubs are now blocked from trading picks in the lead up to the draft, but are able to complete live trades of selections during the event.

Dalrymple – who formerly worked for the Western Bulldogs – confirmed the Swans had strong interest in Victorian key defender Josh Weddle and South Australian ruckman Harry Barnett if they retain picks 14 and 17.

Josh Weddle takes a strong mark for Vic Metro. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

“Josh has really come on in the last 12 months. He’s a fantastic athlete and a real pro off the ground,” Dalrymple said.

“(Barnett) is a pretty solid, well-developed player who has shown a real capability to impact aerially and has played some senior footy. He’s not a ruckman that would need to put on a lot of weight.

“I’ve recruited Tim English in the past at a similar sort of pick (pick 19 in 2016) and he’s going all right now.”

Tasmanian rebounding defender Lachlan Cowan and Victorian mid-sized forward Brayden George are two other players who are firmly in the frame for the Swans.

WA gun in Vic trio’s sights, Dons’ likely steal

- Jay Clark

Essendon will attempt to bolster the size and strength of its midfield brigade with its first pick in Monday’s national draft.

The Bombers have pick four and are considering a number of options from a bunch of taller midfielders including Mattaes Phillipou (190cm), Reuben Ginbey (189cm) and Elijah Tsatas (186cm) to help beef-up their centre clearance arsenal under new coach Brad Scott.

The Bombers have one of the shortest midfield groups in the competition with Dylan Shiel (182cm), Zach Merrett (179cm), Darcy Parish (180cm) and Jye Caldwell (183cm) attending the most centre bounces for the club last season.

It leaves the Bombers shorter than each of last year’s top-four teams, although Essendon tried to address the issue, in part, grabbing 192cm fringe onballer Will Setterfield, from Carlton, as part of a late pick swap in the trade period.

Setterfield is eyeing an onball berth from Round 1 next season in a bid to sharpen the Bombers’ clearance work after finishing second-last for clearances and contested possessions in 2022.

Based on their top-four centre bounce players, Essendon has an 181cm height average in the engine room, compared to top-four combatants Geelong (185cm), Sydney Swans (184cm), Collingwood (188cm) and Brisbane (183cm).

Mattaes Phillipou celebrates a goal. Picture: Getty Images

Zach Merrett is part of Essendon’s smaller midfield mix. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

It is why rivals are expecting Essendon to target some midfield height to help give the club’s centre clearance unit an extra dimension after 18 years without a finals win.

Tsatas has long been considered a top-five talent for his brilliant playmaking and burst out of the middle, however clubs have questioned his ability to tackle and defend as part of an all-round midfield game.

It means Essendon has also put considerable work into athletic midfielder Phillipou who is considered to have significant upside and goal scoring ability, along with Western Australian Ginbey.

At pick six, Hawthorn is also strongly considering Ginbey, while 182cm Queenscliff ballwinner Jhye Clark is a leading target for Geelong at pick seven.

St Kilda, which has pick nine, is weighing up Ginbey (if he slides past West Coast at pick eight) and 189cm Cam McKenzie, and is set to offer Liam ex-Blue Stocker a trial to train with the club after the national draft.

Stocker was delisted by Carlton after 28 games in four years in navy blue and is eager to re-ignite his AFL career at a new club.

News Corp revealed earlier this month Greater Western Sydney is open to trading pick 19 in this year’s draft for a future first-round selection as it weighs up offers from rivals.

The Giants will likely assess offers on the night after using picks 1, 15 and 18 as part of a bumper draft hand.

Collingwood, at pick 16, has been linked to a move on hard-working Sandringham midfielder-forward Charlie Clarke.

Clarke has surged up draft boards across the country this season with his instinctive goal kicking and clever link-up play up the ground.

Reuben Ginbey could go as high as pick five. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Clubs urged to consider Bombers NGA

— Chris Cavanagh

Clubs have been urged to consider a “tremendous talent” who is being tipped to slide far enough down the draft order next week to be picked up by Essendon for a steal.

Bombers Next Generation Academy member Anthony Munkara played only limited football this year, having returned home to the Tiwi Islands mid-season due to multiple family tragedies.

However, the 188cm high-flying forward excited recruiters in the games he did play in the first half of the year.

Munkara kicked 9.6 in a school match for Westminster College last year and caught the eye while playing for Australia’s under-18 team against Collingwood’s VFL side in May.

“You can clearly see he’s got some tremendous talent,” NAB AFL Academy coach Tarkyn Lockyer said.

“In his AFL Academy game, he performed really well. To do that against a quality opposition in Collingwood’s VFL side speaks volumes. He’s exciting and when he gets the ball in his hands he’s got so many tricks and his skills are electrifying. I’m sure Essendon would be pretty keen for him to slide through the draft a little bit and hopefully take him as an NGA player. He’s certainly got an enormous amount of potential.”

The first 40 picks in this year’s draft are protected from NGA bids being matched, which means a rival could freely select Munkara earlier.

Essendon would be able to match a bid on Munkara if he slides beyond pick 40.

Originally published as AFL draft 2022: All the latest draft news and intel