All the reaction from the mid-season draft as Zac Walker and Tom McCarthy settle into AFL life

It’s the mid-season draft moment that went viral – but who was it that stole the show at Tom McCarthy’s watch party? Chris Cavanagh tracked down the now famous friend.

A Richmond VFL teammate of mid-season draftee Tom McCarthy says he hopes he didn’t steal the No.1 pick’s thunder after going viral for dressing up as an Eagles mascot at the watch party.

Will Bravo danced with joy at the McCarthy family home in Melbourne on Wednesday night after his good mate was selected by West Coast.

Word had got around in the days leading up to the draft that the Eagles would select McCarthy and other friends wore West Coast playing tops under their jumpers, which they revealed after the selection was made.

However, Bravo had gone all-in from the start of the night.

“The costume itself was actually a bit of a coincidence,” Bravo told the Herald Sun.

“I had that from Mad Monday about two years ago and it was still in the shed. I’d bought it online.

“When I heard he was getting picked up by West Coast I thought, ‘This is the perfect time to bring this out’. I didn’t actually tell him at first. I rocked up and knocked on the front door and met the family in the costume and they thought it was bloody hilarious. It was pretty entertaining.

“I’ve seen it (the vision) everywhere on social media – on Fox Sports and all that. I’m getting messages from everyone saying, ‘I saw you on TV last night and you were hilarious’. It’s definitely got some reception.”

The viral moment of the AFL mid-seson draft

It came after Tom McCarthy was selected by West Coast with pick 1. Picture: Rob Lawson/AFL Photos

Bravo said he did question whether he might have rained on McCarthy’s parade with the choice of outfit, but his mate did not have a problem with it.

“He was all for it,” Bravo said.

“That was one thing I did think of – I might have stolen his thunder here a little bit. But he thought it was hilarious.

“I was saying it would be bloody awkward if they don’t pick him up. But it was awesome when they did.”

An apprentice carpenter who is working his way back to VFL level after suffering a knee injury last year, Bravo said McCarthy had taken huge strides forward with his game over the past 12 months and was ready to grab his AFL opportunity.

“It’s a pretty special story, coming from Division 2 in the ammos to getting picked up by Richmond (VFL),” Bravo said.

“At first I didn’t really know who he was at all and then he played his first year and went all right, but this year in the pre-season he really started dominating.

“I think he’s got everything it takes. He’s a great young man, which definitely helps. But the skill and talent that he’s got is amazing. With his speed and his run off half-back, I think he could slot into any side. I’m keen to see what he can do.”

McCarthy was the first of 18 players selected in the mid-season rookie draft on Wednesday.

Diehard Dog ‘all over the shop’ after Bevo’s call

– Jon Ralph and Paul Amy

As a Western Bulldogs diehard, a young Zac Walker shed a few tears after the 2016 premiership.

On Wednesday night after the club drove to Phillip Island to hand him a Bulldogs jumper, new coach Luke Beveridge was shooting the breeze with him about the local surf conditions.

The 19-year-old Phillip Island key defender was one of the surprise selections of the mid-season draft, rebounding from the disappointment of missing the cut at Coates Talent League club Gippsland Power last season.

His performances for the Phillip Island Bulldogs and four fine games for the Power as an over-ager this year were enough for the Dogs to swoop after taking WA’s Michael Sellwood at pick five.

Phillip Island president Chris Ross said it was an exceptional rise for a “wonderful young man” who started in the club’s juniors.

Walker still couldn’t quite believe his elevation. His mates mobbed him after his name was called and his destination to the AFL confirmed.

Zac Walker with friends and family after being drafted on Wednesday night

“I am over the moon. My manager Dylan Smith laid it out for me yesterday and said they had four blokes they were looking at and two picks, so I was 50-50,” he said.

“I didn’t make the first cut (for the 2024 Gippsland side). I thought I had played all right in the practice match but it was pretty shattering. It might have been pretty easy to give up or not give it my best show, but a massive thanks to coach (former AFL player) Cam Pedersen and the Phillip Island boys, who gave me every opportunity to prove myself.

“I am a Dogs diehard. It’s insane. ‘Bevo’ was the first bloke to ring me and I was lost for words. I was all over the joint. He was having a chat to me about the surf down Phillip Island, and Bont (Marcus Bontempelli) and Libba (Tom Liberatore) texted me this morning.

“After we won the grand final I might have cried a bit as a little kid, but all my life was just Doggies.”

An interceptor with pace and tenacity, Zac Walker joins us from the Gippsland Power 💪 pic.twitter.com/CxcgLQ0NQK

— Western Bulldogs (@westernbulldogs) May 28, 2025

Gippsland Power region manager Scotty McDougal said Walker’s story was all about persistence.

“His natural go-to is as an intercept marking defender. He’s comfortable reading the ball in the air and he’s courageous in the air as well. He’s as brave a mark as you’ll see,’’ he said.

“He’s been a work in progress since he was 16. He’s had really elite parts to his game and he’s had bits he’s had to work on, and he just puts his nose down and does it. His talent is his intercept marking and he reads it really well and he’s not afraid to come off his man and impact the contest, but his actual one-wood is how hard he’ll work and dedicate himself to getting better at every session. That’s his best asset.’’

Although Walker was overlooked for the squad last year, the Power kept track of him and invited him back as a 19-year-old player this season, impressed by his performances against men in the West Gippsland league.

McDougal acknowledged Phillip Island’s “fantastic support’’ of Walker.

He said the club and the community were “tight-knit’’ and had nurtured their junior star.

“That part of the story cannot be undersold, what the Phillip Island footy club has done for him, not only with his footy, but getting him a part-time job as a teacher’s aid so he could concentrate on his footy,’’ he said.

“They’ve been right behind him through this whole process. They’ve really wrapped their arms around him.’’

Originally published as All the reaction from the mid-season draft as Zac Walker and Tom McCarthy settle into AFL life