Draft Intel: Latest 2024 AFL Draft news from around Australia
The best key forward in this year’s draft has revealed how Matthew Lloyd helped fix his goalkicking troubles. See the club he’s linked to and more draft intel here.
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There’s less than a month to go until the 2024 AFL national draft.
Here’s the latest news from around the country.
WILL TIGERS, ROOS DO A PICK SWAP?
Much intrigue remains over whether Richmond and North Melbourne will do a deal which could land the Tigers the first two picks in this year’s national draft.
It is believed that the Kangaroos are open to trading pick two and a future first-round selection to Richmond, in exchange for picks six and 11 in this year’s draft.
Such a deal would still leave the Tigers with seven early selections this year — at picks 1, 2, 10, 19, 20, 23 and 24 — along with two first-round picks next year.
It would also give North Melbourne access to a second high-end talent in this year’s bumper draft as the club looks to accelerate its rebuild.
The Kangaroos have said publicly that they would “entertain a slide” from pick two, with their focus not being on some of the high-end midfielders at the pointy end of this draft.
North Melbourne has been heavily linked to Gippsland Power utility Alix Tauru, who the Kangaroos could likely still snag at pick six.
Clubs can trade picks leading up to and during the draft.
DRAFT BOLTER FIRMS – AND NO GO-HOME CONCERN
The go-home factor has long been a concern for AFL recruiters.
But there is nothing to worry about for non-Victorian clubs with the draft’s biggest bolter Alix Tauru — besides the fact he may be off the board.
While some prospects would prefer to stay in their current state, the intercept king is more than happy to say goodbye to his home town of Warragul, 105km out of Melbourne.
“(Warragul is) pretty good, it’s expanding at the minute, but it’d be understatement if I said I wasn’t keen to get out of there,” Tauru said with a smile
“It is good communities with all the connections I’ve made from schools and all that and just people I know, but I would be keen to see some nicer golf courses and also weather.”
“I’ve always expressed when they ask me these questions, like West Coast or the Gold Coast, I’m more than happy to go anywhere, anywhere that’s willing to welcome me into the environment, I’d be happy to live there.
“Especially the lifestyle of somewhere like maybe Adelaide or Gold Coast or West Coast, I’d be more than happy to experience new life changes.”
However, it appears increasingly likely he will remain in Victoria anyway given Adelaide is the only club with a selection inside the top 10.
North Melbourne, which holds pick two, Melbourne (five) and Richmond (six) have shown strong interest in the athletic 193 centimetre prospect.
It is understood Adelaide at pick four is unlikely to take him as they eye a midfielder.
Tauru has surged into top-10 contention after an eye-catching back-half of the year for the Gippsland Power and an impressive draft combine.
The high-leaping talent, who can play at either end, won the running vertical jump test and ran the 2km time trial in 6 minutes and 35 seconds.
It has been a whirlwind six months for Tauru, but he is keeping a level head.
“There’s always chances and possibilities, but even if someone was talking about where I might land, I wouldn’t like to hear it anyway,” Tauru said.
“It’s just a bunch of people talk, but I just let them talk amongst themselves. I don’t want to let it get in my head or expectations or anything. I’d be happy anywhere.”
Tauru main goal this year was just to stay on the park after his bottom-age year was wiped out by three ankle injuries and a finger setback.
“I think I just had to prove myself as a half back that I can read the play, I can trust my instincts and read where the ball is and mark it, use my athleticism,” Tauru said.
“So it was just a real confidence thing. I had gain the trust of the coaches to put me in these positions to really play to my strengths and use all my attributes.”
He regularly gets sent draft power rankings by his family and friends which show his meteoric rise.
But the quietly confident prospect doesn’t need the validation.
“It’s more for them, it makes mum happy seeing that because she is obviously not as involved in it as I am,” Tauru said.
“I put my best foot forward and really think I’m playing my best footy and I can stack up against pretty much anyone.
“It’s good recognition but I don’t get wrapped up in it too much. It’s nothing set in stone.”
THE KEY FORWARD WHO ‘COPIED’ ESSENDON CHAMPION’S ROUTINE
The best key forward in this year’s draft class copied the goalkicking approach of a former Essendon champion but could instead be pulling on a Melbourne jumper next year.
Recruiters lauded Harry Armstrong for his marking this season, along with the fact that he “kicks goals, not behinds” when opportunities present.
That has not always been the case, though, with Armstrong being forced to get to work on his goalkicking last year.
He regularly stayed back after training and worked to bed down a routine with his school coach at Haileybury College, Matthew Lloyd.
“It wasn’t always natural. It’s something I’ve worked hard at,” Armstrong said of his goalkicking.
“It’s pretty much thanks to Lloydy, to be honest. Last year I kicked a lot of points and then I got to work on it after almost every training session with Lloydy. He showed me the technique he thought was best and I just copied it, pretty much. It hasn’t let me down so far.”
Across three games for Vic Metro during the under-18 national championships this year, Armstrong kicked 9.3 at 75 per cent accuracy.
In the Coates Talent League with the Sandringham Dragons he kicked 27 goals at 61.4 per cent accuracy, while there was also a 10-goal haul for Haileybury this year.
“He’s been an inspiration,” Armstrong said of Lloyd.
“I’ve learnt so much from him as well. Playing as a key forward, having him as your coach, there wouldn’t be too many better. He’s so invested and I’ve got so much out of him.”
A Geelong fan, Armstrong models his game on Jeremy Cameron and similarly works hard up the ground to provide a marking option.
The 195cm forward’s contested marking stood out this year, along with his speed, athleticism and an improved ground ball game.
Rival clubs believe Melbourne (pick five) could be first to pounce on Armstrong in next month’s draft, potentially getting in before St Kilda.
Armstrong said he felt he had developed strongly this year after not being exposed to the Coates Talent League in 2023 due to a “random” hip infection late in the season.
“Coming in this year I was just wanting to play as many games as possible,” he said.
“The more games I played, the more confident I was in myself.”
NO ISSUES FOR TRAINOR AFTER KNOCK
Highly-rated defender Luke Trainor says he had no ongoing issues from a concussion in September that saw him miss out on playing in a Coates Talent League premiership.
Trainor has sustained multiple head knocks over the past two years, which have been a talking point in the lead up to the draft.
However, the Sandringham Dragons product quickly recovered from the latest knock and sat out testing at the draft combine earlier this month due to an unrelated hip issue.
“It’s all good. I was running the day after or two days after,” Trainor said of the recent concussion, which occurred in a quarter-final win over the Calder Cannons.
“Then I wasn’t going to play again for the season, I just took time off and then ramped up training in the last couple of weeks. I tried to get right but my hips sort of flared up a bit.”
Trainor spent the Grand Final on the Dragons’ bench, helping with interchange rotations.
However, he had been part of Brighton Grammar’s unbeaten title-winning side in the APS competition in August.
“Going 10-0 is something that’s pretty hard to do and a lot goes behind the scenes of it,” Trainor said.
“Even though we’ve got such a talented team, we nearly lost some games and it’s really hard work to win 10 games in a row.”
GOALSNEAK’S WORK WITH TRADED PIE
A Collingwood turned Port Adelaide forward played a part in Murray Bushrangers goalsneak Joe Berry’s strong pre-season that saw him start the year with a bang.
Berry plays his local footy with the Wangaratta Magpies, where Joe Richards was plucked from by Collingwood in 2022 after turning heads in the in the Ovens & Murray league.
Having seen Richards wreak havoc at local level, Berry got the chance to learn off him over the summer.
“I used to go up and watch Joe and how he went about it and back then he was dominating,” Berry said.
“He’s had a great year (with Collingwood) as well, but I actually did a bit of sessions over summer with him and caught up with him a couple of times. It was pretty cool to see how he goes about it, he super clean and quick, so that’s something I try to bring into my game.
“I knew him alright before he left to Collingwood, but we’ve got the same manager as well.
“It was great to pick his brain and whatnot, so it was cool.”
It is not out of the realms of possibility that Berry ends up playing alongside Richards at the Power, who is in need of another quality small forward.
Port Adelaide is among a group of clubs in the 10-20 range to show interest in the speedy small forward, the Power holding pick 13 which they received in the Dan Houston mega-trade.
Berry has another Collingwood connection through Wangaratta in premiership player Ben Reid.
As senior coach of Wangaratta, Reid gave Berry the chance to play against men as a 17-year-old last year.
But the Pies are well out of the picture for Berry, only entering this year’s draft at pick 52.
A dynamic 181 centimetre forward, Berry lit up the Coates Talent League with 16 goals in his first five games and also impressed for Vic Country.
He says his hot start to the season was off the back of hard work.
“At the start I just had a really big pre-season and having that confidence in my body and just doing a lot of the sessions and doing extra stuff was pretty big over pre-season,” Berry said.
“Weight sessions, running sessions. But also kind of before I went back to Bushies, I was pretty big on continuing to do my craft. So a lot of ground balls, a lot of craft around goal stuff and it held me in good stead.”
Berry loves watching Hawthorn All-Australian Dylan Moore go about his business – but he is also no chance of joining the Hawks given their first pick is at 33.
“Some of his workrate is something I try to bring into my game,” Berry said.
“Also Toby Greene as well, because he is that hybrid who can play up the ground but also deep. Also a past player as well is Robbie Gray, I have watched a fair bit of his football and he is just so dynamic.”
HOW MANY PICKS WILL THERE BE?
Clubs are expecting about 65 selections to be made in November’s national draft, “give or take” a few.
Richmond is likely to secure at least seven players, but the majority of clubs are planning to use three to four selections.
Some clubs with the option to select up to four players will consider who is left on the board with at their final pick and whether to use it or instead invite players to train on over summer via the Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period.
While clubs are bullish on this year’s draft, scouts also believe that there are good delisted free agents available who could add depth to some lists.
An early list of draft nominations was circulated to clubs this week, with 504 players listed.
Draft nominations close on November 13.
DRAGONS RUNNER A ‘GOOD DRAFT SMOKEY’
Top-five draft prospect Levi Ashcroft has declared teammate Jhett Haeata a “good draft smokey” as he attracts a little bit of late interest from clubs.
Haeata finished third behind Ashcroft and Luke Kennedy in the Sandringham Dragons’ best and fairest count this year.
He missed the club’s premiership after suffering a broken arm in round 16, but showed strong abilities in the middle part of the Coates Talent League season in a range of positions.
“He’s gone very under-the-radar,” Ashcroft said.
“He’s a great runner, really smart and he kicked heaps of goals throughout the season playing a bit of midfield, forward, wings. He’s a very versatile player, which I’m sure clubs are going to be attracted to that. He’s a real talent and he’ll be a good draft smokey.”
Haeata told his story to CODE Sports last week, revealing he was forced to move schools because of relentless bullying and then got in with the wrong crowd before getting his life back on track through football.
He attended the Victorian state draft combine earlier this month.
FOOTBALL COMMUNITY FAREWELLS TOCE
A memorial service was held for former Richmond and St Kilda recruiting manager Chris Toce on Thursday, with strong attendance from across the football community.
Attendees described the service as “raw” and “moving”, with Toce having been a respected recruiter who showed great dedication to his job.
He worked at Collingwood (2010-14) and St Kilda (2015-2023), before joining Richmond as the club’s national recruiting manager in March this year.
Toce lost his battle with an aggressive form of cancer last Wednesday morning, age 41.
Originally published as Draft Intel: Latest 2024 AFL Draft news from around Australia
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