AFL draft expert Sam Landsberger reveals his phantom draft top-30 and pick for No.1
ESSENDON is on the clock. Draft expert Sam Landsberger reveals his top 30 draft picks, including the coveted No.1. Is he right? Join the debate.
Draft news
Don't miss out on the headlines from Draft news. Followed categories will be added to My News.
IT’S almost draft time.
Essendon is on the clock with the No.1 pick and our Sam Landsberger has revealed his phantom draft top-30.
HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE PHANTOM DRAFT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
Will it be McGrath or McCluggage or Setterfield at No.1? Will the Lions bid on Gold Coast Academy star Jack Bowes? Will there be a surprise bolter or slider?
We’ll find out on Friday night and so without further ado, here’s our take on the AFL Draft.
1. ESSENDON – ANDY McGRATH (Sandringham Dragons)
H: 179cm W: 77kg
Position: half-back/midfielder
From Round 1 Bomber fans will love this future leader’s explosive pace and creativity. Built for the modern game and has a knack of rising in big games. John Worsfold has declared height no barrier. Think Jason Johannisen.
THE TWIST: Plenty of clubs rate Hugh McCluggage at No.1. Essendon has kept this selection under lock and key.
2. GWS –TIM TARANTO (Sandringham Dragons)
H: 186cm W: 84kg
Position: midfielder/forward
Contested marking has some thinking Nat Fyfe. A game-changing midfielder who kicks goals and has come up the order with a bullet. Could become a premiership player in year one.
THE TWIST: GWS identified McGrath as its man months ago. Will take him if the Bombers don’t, earmarked as a defensive forward and then Heath Shaw replacement.
3. BRISBANE LIONS – HUGH McCLUGGAGE (North Ballarat Rebels)
H: 186cm W: 76kg
Position: goalkicking midfielder
Full-forward Josh Schache will clap his hands if the McCluggage unpacks his bags at the Gabba. Elite finisher who moves as coolly as Scott Pendlebury.
THE TWIST: If McCluggage is crowned No.1, they are likely to snare Ben Ainsworth. The small forward is no flight risk – he wants to be a Lion.
4. GOLD COAST – BEN AINSWORTH (Gippsland Power)
H: 178cm W: 76kg
Position: small forward
Placing this powerful goalkicker at the feet of Tom Lynch and Peter Wright will create havoc. Final month showed he’s a midfield threat.
THE TWIST: Again hinging on Essendon. If McCluggage is dux, Tim Taranto should weave past GWS and Brisbane and into the Suns’ clutches.
5. GWS – WILL SETTERFIELD (Sandringham Dragons/GWS Academy)
H: 189cm W: 80kg
Position: Inside midfielder
A bid from Carlton that the Giants will match. Could Setterfield be the best? His 16 tackles and 10 clearances in a TAC Cup Grand Final screamed future star. Likely to start in the NEAFL, and have a queue of clubs wanting to prise him out.
THE TWIST: Carlton has crunched the numbers and after the AFL allowed GWS to keep its picks a bid is expected here. Fair price, but is the bidding system supposed to be about mathematics or a pure draft?
6. CARLTON – SAM PETREVSKI-SETON (Claremont)
H: 180cm W: 73kg
Position: Midfielder
Most think silk, but tackles and contested numbers huge in the WAFL. Complements Patrick Cripps beautifully.
THE TWIST: Late mail had Jack Scrimshaw in with a sniff. But SOS has liked SPS for a long time and he wants to play in Melbourne.
7. GOLD COAST – GRIFFIN LOGUE (Swan Districts)
H: 191cm W: 94kg
Position: Key defender
Steven May, Rory Thompson and Logue – that’s a dependable backline. This Josh Gibson-type is as athletic as they come and ready for Round 1. Rocket will love that.
THE TWIST: Sharp strategy needed – who do the Dockers want most? Must take that player here.
8. FREMANTLE – JACK SCRIMSHAW (Sandringham Dragons)
H: 193cm W: 84kg
Position: Utility
The prototype. Ace kicking action and can play anywhere, but excels intercepting across half-back. Talent to burn.
THE TWIST: Can they pass up local ruckman Tim English? They need an Aaron Sandilands replacement at some stage.
9. GOLD COAST – TIM ENGLISH (South Fremantle)
H: 205cm W: 90kg
Position: Ruckman
Standout ruckman and best prospect in years. Mobile and wins plenty of the ball, ala Dean Cox. But needs to add 8-10kgs.
THE TWIST: Patience needed but with four early picks the Suns have the luxury of pulling trigger. Or will Will Brodie beckon?
10. GOLD COAST – JACK BOWES (Cairns Saints/Gold Coast Academy)
H: 187cm W: 78kg
Position: Midfielder
A bid from Sydney that the Suns will match. The eyes of Tom Lynch and Peter Wright will light up when they lead towards Bowes, who has eagle vision and a touch of Simon Black about him.
THE TWIST: There is none. Bowes delivers Gold Coast its first academy star, and if a bid does not come until here he walks in as the biggest first-round bargain.
11. SYDNEY – WILL BRODIE (Murray Bushrangers)
H: 188cm W: 82kg
Position: Inside midfielder
The Swans were smashed in outside run in finals, but at this pick bull Brodie is too hard to pass up. Long in the No.1 frame, could win next year’s Rising Star and takes Tom Mitchell’s place.
THE TWIST: Jy Simpkin would be a better fit and they have long loved Logue. Could bid on GWS academy gun Isaac Cumming.
12. GWS GIANTS – HARRY PERRYMAN (Collingullie-GP/GWS Academy)
H: 184cm W: 70kg
Position: Halfback
A bid from North Melbourne that the Giants will match. Not the quickest, but clean on both feet and a footy diehard his teammates will love. Can play anywhere, like a James Kelly.
THE TWIST: There is none. Perryman is GWS-bound through its rich academy, and if North Melbourne doesn’t bid here Port Adelaide might.
13. NORTH MELBOURNE – JY SIMPKIN (Murray Bushrangers)
H: 182cm W: 75kg
Position: Half-forward
A broken leg won’t scare any clubs off and Simpkin was top-10 before that April injury. Would liven up the rebuilding Roos attack. Clever sidestep.
THE TWIST: Oliver Florent is up to his eyeballs for this pick as the Kangas chase class. If Brodie slipped he would be difficult to ignore.
14. WEST COAST – JARROD BERRY (North Ballarat Rebels)
H: 191cm W: 82kg
Position: Defender
All-Australian half-back flank who is extremely versatile, which modern footy demands. Leadership personified. Safe bet.
THE TWIST: Eagles really like tall defender Josh Rotham, but will probably hope he’s at their next pick. A top-10 slider would likely trump Berry. Could it be English?
15. GWS GIANTS – ISAAC CUMMING (North Broken Hill/GWS Academy)
H: 184cm W: 74kg
Position: Defender
A bid from Adelaide that the Giants will match. A late invite to Friday’s draft suggests a bid could even come inside top 10. Remember Nakia Cockatoo’s 11th hour arrival in 2014? One of the better kicks.
THE TWIST: None. GWS will match the bid after the AFL decided not to strip it of draft picks.
16. ADELAIDE – WILL HAYWARD (North Adelaide)
H: 185cm W: 77kg
Position: Forward
Another layer of spark to a lethal attack. Nine goals in a preliminary final and four in a Grand Final shows he has tricks. Booming kick. Where is Troy Menzel at?
THE TWIST: The Crows are very keen on Cedric Cox and will also consider power athlete Jordan Galluci.
17. PORT ADELAIDE – ALEX WITHERDEN (Geelong Falcons)
H: 186cm W: 80kg
Position: Defender
A broken leg denied Witherden the chance to develop into a midfielder, but boasts a booming right foot and will come ready for pre-season. Little return from previous drafts means Port must nail this pick.
THE TWIST: If Hayward slips he would be handy and it will be interesting to see who they rank higher – Witherden or Jordan Galluci?
18. BRISBANE LIONS – DANIEL VENABLES (Western Jets)
H: 185cm W: 82kg
Position: Midfielder
Injuries restricted his 2016 but Venables is a quality over quantity disposals winner and just turned 18. Grandson of North Melbourne’s 1930-31 captain Johnny Lewis.
THE TWIST: If Berry is available he’d be a logical combination with McCluggage. North Ballarat and Vic Country teammates would help each other settle.
19. PORT ADELAIDE – TODD MARSHALL (Murray Bushrangers)
H: 197cm W: 86kg
Position: Key forward
Boom or bust pick, but with Butcher and Schulz gone Marshall makes sense. He only teased this year but glows with potential. Trumps the Dogs by one pick.
THE TWIST: With multiple first-round picks the Power could read out English, should the ruckman slide like Brodie Grundy.
20. WESTERN BULLDOGS – CEDRIC COX (North Ballarat Rebels)
H: 184cm W: 70kg
Position: Defender
Halls Creek to Camperdown to the Kennel. Blessed with ability, Cox’s blistering run and link-up work from half-back caught the Dogs’ eye. Graph charting the right way.
THE TWIST: Todd Marshall seems the No.1 priority and they also like Hayward. Dalrymple’s record means you’d back whoever they grab to blossom.
21. SYDNEY – LUKE RYAN (Coburg VFL)
H: 185cm W: 87kg
Position: Halfback
Swans monitored Ryan at the Calder Cannons and loved his breakout VFL year as an intercept defender. Reads the play beautifully, resembling Easton Wood.
THE TWIST: John Longmire met Florent last Sunday and so passing twice would be tough. Could be Brennan Cox, unless Logue reaches their first pick.
22. ESSENDON – OLIVER FLORENT (Sandringham Dragons)
H: 182cm W: 74kg
Position: Half-forward/midfielder
Sandy teammates Florent and McGrath would be a dream package. This classy user is resilient and has learnt trundles from Luke Breust.
23. BRISBANE LIONS – JORDAN GALLUCI (Eastern Ranges)
H: 180cm W: 78kg
Position: Midfielder
The Vic Metro co-captain is a ripping find here. Big leap, power athlete and once scored a 226-point SuperCoach game in the TAC Cup. Chris Fagan would be beaming.
24. BRISBANE LIONS – JACK GRAHAM (North Adelaide)
H: 180cm W: 81kg
Position: Midfielder
The Lions have been dead last in contested footy for some time. This strong midfielder captained South Australia and wins his own ball.
25. ST KILDA – JOSH BATTLE (Dandenong Stingrays)
H: 192cm W: 89kg
Position: Key forward
Elite endurance but lacks a bit of zip, Battle shapes as a third forward. Would add yet another dimension to a Saints attack swelling in potency. Added Jack Steele and Koby Stevens via trade so might be OK for midfielders.
26. GEELONG – SAM POWELL-PEPPER (East Perth)
H: 187cm W: 90kg
Position: Inside midfielder
Powerful midfielder who is too good to ignore here. Has never recorded 30 disposals, but a respected young man who can burst through packs.
27. CARLTON – SHAI BOLTON (South Fremantle)
H: 175cm W: 69kg
Position: Outside midfielder
Another West Australian and more outside run, which the Blues desire. Bolton’s pace sizzles and he shone in the All-Stars game.
28. WESTERN BULLDOGS – JORDAN RIDLEY (Oakleigh Chargers)
H: 192cm W: 79kg
Position: Key defender
The Dogs lost Joel Hamling and Dale Morris can’t go on forever. Ridley is versatile and wins a lot of the ball, ticks under Bevo. Might also consider Footscray stars Ben Long and Mitch Hannan, the speccy king.
29. RICHMOND – ELLIOT HIMMELBERG (Redlands)
H: 196cm W: 84kg
Position: Defender
Key back just keeps growing and plays with an aggressive streak Tiger fans will like. Brother Harrison debuted for GWS this year.
30. COLLINGWOOD – BRENNAN COX (Woodville-West Torrens)
H: 193cm W: 92kg
Position: Key defender
With smalls Daicos and Brown to come the Pies fill a hole and go tall backman here. Strong overhead.
THE QUESTIONS
WHY ISN’T MY CLUB IN THE 30?
Jordan Lewis’s clubs – Melbourne and Hawthorn – traded out of the first two rounds. The Demons enter at pick 47 and Hawks recruiter Graham Wright (check) must wait until No.81, the Sam Mitchell selection. Clarko told Wrighty to “get to work” at the best-and-fairest and his bullseye trade period made for a bleak draft. Jaeger says hi.
HOW COME THE DRAFT ORDER HAS CHANGED?
The new bidding system means the order is fluid on draft night, with selections floating backwards and forwards as academy and father-son prospects are secured. The Giants, Suns and perhaps the Pies are likely to go into draft points deficit. That means they could have 2017 selections could shuffle back to afford players tonight.
WILL THE PIES SECURE DAICOS AND BROWN?
At Black Caviar odds to land both. And in a dream result, expected to use their No.28 pick before matching bids. Callum Brown reminds some of Caleb Daniel and Josh Daicos’s smarts and positioning are straight from the old man’s textbook.
WHO WILL WIN THE DRAFT?
Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, just for a change. This is a throwback to the expansion years with the Suns and Giants set to share eight of the best 15 talents. Imagine if Todd Marshall didn’t walk out on the GWS academy? Not a good year to be a TAC Cup gun, with 18 of the first 23 picks set to play outside Victoria.
Originally published as AFL draft expert Sam Landsberger reveals his phantom draft top-30 and pick for No.1
Full rankings: AFL Draft’s top 60 prospects rated and scouted
The 2024 AFL Draft is just over a month away, and to get you ready for the arrival of footy’s next generation, our draft experts CHRIS CAVANAGH and DAN BATTEN rank every prospect.
Inside AFL’s draft combine: See the standouts, surprise packet
Draft hopefuls for both the AFL and AFLW were put to the test at this year’s combine, with one Victorian key forward producing a stunning 20m sprint. See the results and more here.