Draft Intel: The latest 2023 AFL Draft news from around Australia
Are the Bulldogs going to miss out on a young gun? Who is making a push up mock drafts? Get the latest news on what is happening in the AFL draft space with this week’s Draft Intel.
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Just five weeks remain in the home-and-away season as some clubs begin to turn their attention to the future, including November’s AFL National Draft.
Here’s the latest news from around the country on some of the hottest prospects.
WILL BULLDOGS MISS ON GUN DEFENDER?
The Western Bulldogs are in danger of missing out on a Next Generation Academy talent who is quickly climbing up draft boards after an impressive under-18 national championships campaign.
Athletic defender Luamon Lual is shaping as a likely top-40 draft prospect, having caught the attention of recruiters while playing for Vic Country in recent weeks.
Under AFL rules, the Bulldogs would be unable to match any bid on Lual within the first 40 picks.
Lual stands just 181cm tall but has a good leap, is strong in one-on-one contests and can break the lines with his speed bouncing out of the backline.
The Greater Western Victoria Rebels product also pushed forward to kick a lovely goal on the run during Vic Country’s final match of the championships against Vic Metro earlier this month.
“Small defenders are so important in today’s footy because so many teams have targeted the small, opportunistic pressure forwards,” GWV Rebels coach David Loader said.
“He’s a great small defender close to goal and he’s a great rebounding halfback.
“I think he’s probably a fairly sought-after commodity at the moment.”
Lual averaged 11 disposals, 3.3 marks and 4.5 intercept possessions across his four national championships matches.
SON OF A CAT PUSHING HIS CASE
West Australian midfielder Clay Hall’s star continues to rise after he produced another strong performance for Peel Thunder in the WAFL seniors last weekend.
Hall logged 22 disposals, three clearances, six tackles, six score involvements and kicked two goals in a 27-point loss to East Perth.
The performance came just a day after Hall was named in the midfield of the 2023 under-18 All-Australian team.
A tough onballer who excels in stoppages with his clean hands and vision, he averaged 27.3 disposals and six clearances across four matches for Western Australia during the national championships.
Hall is the son of former West Coast and Geelong forward Derek Hall but is not eligible under father-son rules given his dad played only two games for the Eagles and 74 matches for the Cats.
“His performances come from his professionalism and work ethic,” West Australian talent manager Adam Jones said of Hall after the championships.
“He’s a really likeable kid, extroverted personality, and ticks all the boxes off-field. He works extremely hard and he got the reward for his efforts.”
Hall is viewed as a likely second-round draft pick this year.
DUURSMA GOES BACK TO THE VFL
Top-five draft prospect Zane Duursma had another taste of VFL football last weekend, lining up for Casey for the second time this season.
A week after dominating the final match of the under-18 national championships for Vic Country, Duursma recorded 10 disposals, two clearances and four score involvements for the Demons.
Duursma, who is the younger brother of Port Adelaide’s Xavier, is an X-Factor mid-sized forward at 189cm who can also have a run through the midfield.
The Gippsland Power product was named in the forward line of this year’s under-18 All-Australian side after averaging 15.3 disposals, 6.3 score involvements and 1.8 goals across his four matches for Vic Country in the national championships.
KANGAROOS TARGETING A TALL AT DRAFT TABLE
North Melbourne has its eye on a talented tall in this year’s draft, but is likely to take the best available midfielder with its first pick.
The Kangaroos currently hold two first-round picks at 2 and 17 and have been strongly linked to Tasmanian midfielder Colby McKercher at pick 2.
However, if Ben McKay departs at season’s end then North Melbourne could be given pick 3 as free agency compensation.
That could allow a play for a tall like 195cm West Australian key defender Daniel Curtin, who is considered a potential top-five pick.
“If you’re picking up the real pointy end, it’s hard to go past the absolute talent,” North Melbourne list manager Brady Rawlings told a club member’s forum this week.
“Clearly when you’re picking inside five, you’re going to pick up some future stars. If that’s the case, we’ll be looking at bringing in the talent. But we’re well aware that we haven’t picked very tall over recent seasons as well so we’ve certainly got that in mind.”
CAN SUNS SNAG FOUR ACADEMY STARS?
The big question as the AFL Draft quickly approaches is how Gold Coast is going to get hold of up to four highly-rated Suns Academy prospects.
Key forward Jed Walter, versatile tall Ethan Read and ball-winning midfielder Jake Rogers are all linked to Gold Coast and are widely regarded as top-12 prospects after starring during the recent under-18 national championships.
The Suns also have a fourth Academy prospect – midfielder Will Graham – who shapes as a potential second or third-round pick.
Luckily, the Suns already loaded up on picks in this year’s draft and on the current indicative draft order they have 4481 points to use.
Making the going a little easier, they would also receive a 20 per cent discount on any bids matched in the first round of the draft.
Hypothetically, if Walter attracts a bid at pick 2 (2014 points), Read attracts a bid a pick 7 (1315 points), Rogers gets a bid at pick 12 (1014 points) and Graham gets a bid at pick 35 (32 points), the Suns would be on the hook for a total of 4668 points.
That’s only 187 points more than what the Suns currently have.
It means it is very possible for Gold Coast to successfully get the four in the door if they choose to, even without much wheeling and dealing in this year’s trade period.
DRAFT ORDER TAKING SHAPE
This year’s AFL Draft order is beginning to take shape, with just five rounds remaining in the home-and-away season.
A tough run home for Fremantle means that Melbourne looks likely to hold on to pick four, which it received from the Dockers as part of the Luke Jackson trade last year.
The Dockers – who sit in 15th spot on the ladder and are one game and percentage behind the 14th-placed Gold Coast – have games to come against Geelong, Brisbane, West Coast, Port Adelaide and Hawthorn.
Melbourne is one of only two teams who currently hold two top-15 picks, along with Greater Western Sydney.
Originally published as Draft Intel: The latest 2023 AFL Draft news from around Australia
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