By Marc McGowan and Michael Gleeson
There were bolters and sliders, pick swaps, and fairytale stories – and after all the talk of a shallow AFL draft, 64 players’ football dreams were realised over two nights this week.
Some clubs made only two picks, while North Melbourne, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs picked up five recruits and Geelong a league-high six. Here are each club’s selections and how they fit into your club’s plans.
Daniel Curtin in Adelaide colours.Credit: Justin McManus
Adelaide
Daniel Curtin (pick 8), Charlie Edwards (21), Oscar Ryan (27)
The Crows won the Curtin sweepstakes after trading picks 11, 15 and a future second-rounder to the Giants in return for 8 and 17. They did not expect the 197-centimetre Western Australian defender to be available so late in the top 10 until a few days before the draft, but did their homework across the weekend and pulled the trigger on Monday night. Curtin can also play through the midfield, but Adelaide could do with an upgrade in their tall defensive stocks. Edwards is a tall utility who blossomed in the second half of the season after getting his midfield opportunity. Mid-sized defensive dasher Ryan was the shock first-round bolter, but put together a good year for Murray Bushrangers and represented Victoria Country. – Marc McGowan
Brisbane Lions
Logan Morris (31), Luke Lloyd (42), Zane Zakostelsky (51), Reece Torrent (64)
The Lions have one of the best, most experienced lists in the competition, so they want for little. Morris is one of the best contested markers in this year’s draft and was a regular goalkicker at Talent League level – and even spent time down back in the under-18 championships. However, his height (191 centimetres) and lack of athleticism are two of the biggest queries on him. Lloyd is also a tall forward and roared into contention with a strong finish to the season, but is arguably best known for kicking 19 goals in a game for his school, De La Salle. Key defender Zakostelsky was one of the best athletic performers at the draft combine – finishing top 10 in four of the five tests – but his kicking is a concern. Torrent is a classy midfielder from Peel Thunder. – Marc McGowan
Carlton
Ashton Moir (29), Billy Wilson (34)
The Blues were strongly linked to talented forward Moir in the last week, and they made him the last pick of the first round. Other recruiters went off him after an indifferent and injury-riddled follow-up season from last year’s breakout campaign, when he impressed so much he was considered a top-five prospect entering 2023. This was a punt on upside, and Carlton could be richly rewarded if he recaptures his best and handles the AFL environment. They used their second-round selection on Dandenong Stingrays speedster Wilson, who played most of the year in defence before earning some midfield time and finishing the season strongly. – Marc McGowan
Collingwood
Harry DeMattia (25), Tew Jiath (37)
St Kilda, North Melbourne or the Giants were tipped to pick DeMattia before the Pies could swoop, but the speedy Dandenong Stingrays and Victoria Country co-captain was still available. They were weighing up picking a small or a tall with their first selection and ended up going the former, with DeMattia picking football over cricket; a sport he represented Australia in at underage level. He projects as a small forward or defender in the AFL. Jiath came through Hawthorn’s Next Generation Academy and could have joined the Hawks, and brother Changkuoth, if he was still available after pick 40. But Collingwood jumped in before that to select the dashing defender, whose intercepting talents also impressed in a breakout second half of the year. – Marc McGowan
Harry DeMattia is now a Pie.Credit: AFL Photos
Essendon
Nate Caddy (10), Luamon Lual (39), Archie Roberts (54)
The mail was strong that the Bombers were infatuated with Caddy, and they did not want to risk Geelong taking him before them, so they sent selections 11 and 31 to the Cats to swap places and take Caddy at 10. Caddy’s aerial prowess promises to be a valuable addition to their attack and his potential is immense, even if he is not as tall as some key forwards. Lual was Bulldogs-bound as an NGA prospect if he was still available at pick 41, but Essendon beat them to the punch. The defender loves to take the game on but will need to tidy up his decision-making. Roberts, a half-backer with neat skills, was linked to clubs with picks in the 20s, then again in the 30s, but ended up being taken with No.54. – Marc McGowan
Fremantle
Cooper Simpson (35), Ollie Murphy (41), Jack Delean (60)
The Dockers liked Simpson -- a midfielder who had an injury-interrupted season – enough to hand over a future third-round pick to move up from No.38 to Richmond’s old 35. He could possibly make his AFL living as a forward, where his decision-making and skills could come to the fore. Murphy, a 200-centimetre defender who was Victoria Metro’s MVP, shot up the draft board in the first half of the year – at one point he was rated on the top-10 fringes – but a difficult end to the season left him one of the biggest draft sliders. Delean is a small forward who could eventually help cover for Lachie Schultz’s departure. – Marc McGowan
Draft slider: Ollie Murphy.Credit: AFL Photos
Geelong
Connor O’Sullivan (11), Mitch Edwards (32), Shaun Mannagh (36), George Stevens (58), Oliver Wiltshire (61), Lawson Humphries (63)
The Cats liked a number of players at their first pick and were able to add Essendon’s second-rounder while moving back one spot before selecting the highly rated O’Sullivan, a 198-centimetre defender also capable of going forward. Edwards adds to the club’s ruck stocks after once being rated a potential top-10 pick, while 26-year-old midfielder Mannagh’s chance finally arrives after a standout VFL season for Werribee, including kicking six goals in the grand final. Stevens, who captained the AFL Academy, is not a great athlete but is tough, skilled and had a prolific campaign at all levels. Small forward Wiltshire’s X-factor and brilliant form for Barwon Heads in the Bellarine league caught Geelong’s attention, while Humphries, a midfielder, was another who has developed since first being eligible to be drafted two years ago. – Marc McGowan
Gold Coast
Jed Walter (3), Ethan Read (9), Jake Rogers (14), Will Graham (26)
A dream result for the Suns to have four home-grown academy talents walk into the club – and they were all good enough to attract first-round opposition bids. Walter, a powerful key forward, may have challenged Harley Reid to be the No.1 pick in an open draft, while Read is something of a unicorn: a 202-centimetre ruckman who ran the two-kilometre time trial in fewer than six minutes and has the kicking skills of a midfielder. Rogers is only 170 centimetres tall, but is a contested-ball beast known for his team-first approach and ball-winning ability. Graham was the last of the quartet to have his future secured, but his mixture of speed, toughness and versatility makes him a strong addition for Damien Hardwick’s side. – Marc McGowan
GWS
Phoenix Gothard (12), James Leake (17), Joe Fonti (44), Harvey Thomas (59)
The Giants sprung the first draft surprise when they nabbed Gothard with their first pick after trading down the order in a deal with Adelaide. They were linked with Leake with their original top-10 selection but opted for Gothard first, potentially to get ahead of North Melbourne’s interest and are big fans of the small forward and believe he has significant upside. GWS ended up with Leake, anyway, and the Tasmanian interceptor could play a role at either end after a hugely impressive season rocketed him up draft boards. Fonti impressed as a defender this year, with his athletic traits helping seal his AFL berth. Thomas is a club academy player who can go through the midfield, but his future might be more as a small forward. – Marc McGowan
Hawthorn
Nick Watson (5), Will McCabe (19), Bodie Ryan (46), Calsher Dear (56)
Having brought Jack Ginnivan in during the trade period and then prioritising Watson early in the draft, the Hawks now have a new generation of small forwards to take the baton from premiership hero Luke Breust. The Hawks also knew they had tall, versatile father-son selection Will McCabe in their back pocket as a certain later first-rounder. The bid for him didn’t come through until 19. But knowing he was coming in, the Hawks knew they had the balance of a quick tall defender and a smart small forward in the first round. Bodie Ryan was an impressive intercept defender and runner who, like McCabe, has already played some senior SANFL footy. A second father-son choice, Calsher Dear, like his late father – premiership player Paul – is a mobile tall forward, which means, across their four picks, the Hawks have brought in two talls capable of playing either end of the ground, a clever forward and a running back, making for a balanced suite of picks – Michael Gleeson
Hawks draftee Nick Watson alongside club great Michael Tuck.Credit: Getty Images
Melbourne
Caleb Windsor (7), Koltyn Tholstrup (13)
The Demons went for the best available talent. Happily for them, that coincided with delivering them two players who perfectly fit their needs. Windsor is a quick athletic running player who is a good user of the ball to help with transition and delivery into their forward line and Tholstrup is a dynamic forward who can rotate through the midfield. - Michael Gleeson
North Melbourne
Colby McKercher (2), Zane Duursma (4), Tayler Goad (20), Wil Dawson (22), Riley Hardeman (23)
This is a transitional draft for the Roos. If this does not provide the platform for future success, nothing will. With a plethora of elite players taken in recent years, the Roos now add two ready-to-play youngsters in McKercher and forward/mid Duursma. They also added two future tall talents – Goad and Dawson – both standing above 200 centimetres, and a quick running half-back in Hardeman. – Michael Gleeson
Colby McKercher in his Roos colours.Credit: Justin McManus
Port Adelaide
Thomas Anastasopoulos (48), Lachlan Charleson (52), Will Lorenz (57)
Having done most of their work in the trade period by bringing in Esava Ratugolea, Ivan Soldo, Jordon Sweet and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Port were mere onlookers on night one as they did not have a pick in the first round. To get into the draft they traded a future fourth-rounder for North’s pick 48 (a pick the Roos were not going to use) to move up and select lively small forward Anastasopoulos, as well as quick, pressure small forward Charleson. – Michael Gleeson
Richmond
Kane McAuliffe (40), Liam Fawcett (43)
Another club that was a bystander on night one, the Tigers moved back further in the draft on night two, twice trading backwards. Starting the night with pick 35, they finally took a pick at 40 and selected powerful running player McAuliffe. The Tigers had been long-term fans of South Australian key forward Fawcett; they were keen on him all year. – Michael Gleeson
St Kilda
Darcy Wilson (18), Lance Collard (28), Angus Hastie (33), Hugo Garcia (50), Arie Schoenmaker (62)
Coach Ross Lyon wants runners, and that is what the Saints got with their draft hand. Wilson, Hastie and Garcia are all quick, hard runners, and they rounded it out with a clever small forward in Collard. Wilson, their first pick, is an elite athlete (second in the two-kilometre time trial at the combine) and good ball user, while Hastie is a 190-centimetre runner off half-back, and Garcia a strong contested player and good runner. Tasmanian defender Schoenmaker, who is a booming kick, was a draft slider, but the Saints fancied him as an early pick. – Michael Gleeson
Sydney
Will Green (16), Caiden Cleary (24), Patrick Snell (53)
The Swans have been excellent at trading for mature rucks, but they used their first pick to secure 204-centimetre Green, a quick, mobile, modern ruckman. They were also able to secure academy player Cleary after Collingwood made a bid for the aggressive midfielder. They then took Snell, a Brisbane academy player who plays as a key defender. – Michael Gleeson
West Coast’s Harley Reid.Credit: Justin McManus
West Coast
Harley Reid (1), Archer Reid (30), Clay Hall (38), Harvey Johnston (49)
The Eagles had the easiest and hardest decision of any club. The easiest was to decide Reid was the best player in the draft. The harder decision was whether to keep that pick or trade it for more players. In the end they stuck with the elite player. They then moved up in the draft to claim 203-centimetre key forward Archer Reid, younger brother of Essendon’s Zach. They also focused on inside mids, with Hall and Johnston. - Michael Gleeson
Western Bulldogs
Ryley Sanders (6), Jordan Croft (15), Joel Freijah (45), Lachlan Smith (47), Aiden O’Driscoll (55)
With an abundance of talls already on their list, and knowing they had father-son Croft coming in the first round (Sydney bid on him at 15), the Dogs were comfortable in targeting the midfield, where they had long earmarked Sanders. With later picks they took clean wingmen Freijah and O’Driscoll and secured a long-term ruck prospect in Smith. – Michael Gleeson
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