10-minute guide to the 2017 AFL national draft

ONE of the biggest events on the AFL calendar is on this Friday when 18 teams gather in Sydney for the national draft. Here’s everything you need to know.

ONE of the biggest events on the AFL calendar is on this Friday when 18 teams gather in Sydney for the 2017 national draft.

If you’ve been taking a break from footy, on a post-season trip or just need to get up to speed on how it works, who’s up for grabs and how it will impact your club — we’ve got you covered.

CRYSTAL BALL: BUCKENARA’S TOP 50 DRAFT PICKS

FATHER-SON: SHOULD TIGERS BE WORRIED ABOUT NAISH?

HISTORY: BEST LATE-PICK DRAFT GEMS

MARK WILLIAMS: CURLY QUESTIONS I ASKED THE KIDS

2017 AFL NATIONAL DRAFT

WHEN: Friday, November 24, 7pm

WHERE: Sydney Olympic Park

HOW TO WATCH

The draft will be broadcast live from 6.30pm EDT on Fox Footy.

Jason Dunstall will lead a panel of experts including Brad Johnson, Ben Dixon, David King and Sarah Jones.

Get instant analysis and reaction to your club’s picks at heraldsun.com.au.

No. 1 pick Andrew McGrath and the 2016 AFL draft class. Who will be No. 1 this year?

WHO ARE THE TOP PICKS?

The top end of the draft is more open than it has been in years.

Four players are still considered a chance to be taken by the Brisbane Lions with the coveted No. 1 pick: Explosive Western Jets forward Cameron Rayner, Dandenong Stingrays game-breaker Luke Davies-Uniacke, Bendigo Pioneers midfielder Paddy Dow and bolter Andrew Brayshaw.

Other names to watch for early include Jaidyn Stephenson, Adam Cerra, Hunter Clark and Darcy Fogarty.

WHAT THE STATS SAY: CHAMPION DATA DRAFT POWER RANKINGS

Cameron Rayner is a strong chance to go at No.1.

Paddy Dow is also in the mix.

PRE-SEASON AND ROOKIE DRAFTS

Clubs will fill any remaining gaps in their list in the pre-season draft then rookie spots in the rookie draft.

The pre-season draft is scheduled for 5pm next Monday with the rookie draft to follow at 5.10pm.

Both events are conducted via a phone hook-up with AFL House. Follow your club’s picks live at heraldsun.com.au.

Clubs must lodge their final lists with the AFL by 2pm on Wednesday, November 29.

WHICH PICKS DOES YOUR CLUB HAVE?

The Brisbane Lions have pick 1 in the national draft for the fourth time in the club’s history after finishing on the bottom of the ladder.

Carlton and St Kilda have two picks each in the top 10 but Essendon (pick 48), Port Adelaide (pick 47) and Hawthorn (pick 43) don’t enter the draft until late after parting with their early selections in trades.

FIRST ROUND

1. Brisbane Lions

2. Fremantle

3. Carlton

4. North Melbourne

5. Fremantle

6. Collingwood

7. St Kilda

8. St Kilda

9. Western Bulldogs

10. Carlton

11. GWS Giants

12. Adelaide

13. West Coast Eagles

14. Sydney Swans

15. Brisbane Lions

16. Western Bulldogs

17. Richmond

18. Brisbane Lions

19. Gold Coast Suns

Collingwood father-son hope Tyler Brown is put through his paces at the draft combine.

FATHER-SON AND ACADEMY PICKS

The draft order can change on Friday night as the event unfolds, making things more exciting — and complicated — for fans watching at home.

Under a new bidding system introduced in 2015, clubs can match bids by rivals on players they have nominated before the draft as potential father-son or academy recruits.

Every draft pick has a points value (pick 1 is worth 3000 points and pick 70 is worth 39 points), and to match a bid before their own selection a club must pay for the higher pick in draft points.

Last year North Melbourne placed a bid on Collingwood father-son nominee Callum Brown with pick 35 but the Magpies matched the bid to secure Brown, ‘paying’ with its later draft picks, resulting in a shuffle of the draft order.

This year’s father-son nominations are Patrick Naish (Richmond), Jackson Edwards (Adelaide) and Tyler Brown (Collingwood).

The academy players most likely to attract bids are ruckman Brayden Crossley (Gold Coast) and key-position prospect Connor Ballenden (Brisbane Lions).

DRAFT HISTORY

A versions of the draft was held in 1981 but the first modern draft was in 1986 with clubs selecting players in reverse ladder order, with Martin Leslie joining the Lions as the first No. 1 pick.

EVERY No. 1 PICK

1986 — Martin Leslie, Brisbane Bears

1987 — Richard Lounder, Richmond

1988 — Alex McDonald, Hawthorn

1989 — Anthony Banik, Richmond

1990 — Stephen Hooper, Geelong

1991 — John Hutton, Brisbane Bears

1992 — Drew Banfield, West Coast

1993 — Darren Gaspar, Sydney

1994 — Jeff White, Fremantle

1995 — Clive Waterhouse, Fremantle

1996 — Michael Gardiner, West Coast

1997 — Travis Johnstone, Melbourne

1998 — Des Headland, Brisbane Lions

1999 — Josh Fraser, Collingwood

2000 — Nick Riewoldt, St Kilda

2001 — Luke Hodge, Hawthorn

2002 — Brendon Goddard, St Kilda

2003 — Adam Cooney, Western Bulldogs

2004 — Brett Deledio, Richmond

2005 — Marc Murphy, Carlton

2006 — Bryce Gibbs, Carlton

2007 — Matthew Kreuzer, Carlton

2008 — Jack Watts, Melbourne

2009 — Tom Scully, Melbourne

2010 — David Swallow, Gold Coast

2011 — Jonathon Patton, GWS Giants

2012 — Lachie Whitfield, GWS Giants

2013 — Tom Boyd, GWS Giants

2014 — Paddy McCartin, St Kilda

2015 — Jacob Weitering, Carlton

2016 — Andrew McGrath, Essendon

2017?

Brisbane’s first No. 1 pick Martin Leslie.

The draft has come a long way since 1986.

Originally published as 10-minute guide to the 2017 AFL national draft