Murray Bushrangers players Ollie Hollands and Brayden George find homes
Two Murray Bushrangers won’t have to travel far to pursue their dreams after being selected by Victorian teams in the AFL draft.
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Two Murray Bushrangers have been selected inside the top 30 after Brayden George found a home in the AFL draft.
He will move to North Melbourne after sliding down the draft order a little, being selected at pick 26.
George impressed in the NAB League, kicking the most goals in the competition early, before rupturing his ACL late in the season.
He is expected to miss part of next year with the injury, which impacted clubs potentially going for him.
Fox Footy analysts believe George, despite the injury, was a steal for the Kangaroos.
“I had Jordan De Goey written down when I saw his highlights,” Fox Footy draft analyst Michael Ablett said.
“The Kangaroos have got this pick right.
“We might not see him much in 2023 but look out 2024 because this kid can play.”
Wingman Caleb Mitchell, who played his footy at Mulwala and Yarrawonga, was the second Bushrangers player selected on Tuesday night.
Mitchell was taken by the Sydney Swans with pick 40 after averaging 18.8 disposals in 10 NAB League games.
George and Mitchell were selected after Ollie Hollands was picked on the first night of the draft.
Hollands will wear navy blue in 2023 after he was selected by Carlton with the 11th pick in the AFL Draft on Monday night.
He now joins his older brother Elijah, who is with the Gold Coast Suns, as an AFL footballer.
Their father Ben played eight games for Richmond in 1999 while his great-grandfather Martin Cross spent time with Carlton in the 1960s.
The 18-year-old enjoyed a standout 2022 season where he earned All-Australian honours while playing for Vic Country in the under 18 national championships.
He impressed at the draft combine after finishing equal-first in the two-kilometre time trial.
“We’re delighted that we were able to call out Ollie’s name on draft night to welcome him to our football club,” Carlton Head of List Management Nick Austin told the club’s website.
“He’s one of the best two-way runners in his draft class, as we saw in testing both pre- and post-season. He knows how to find the football and he can play a number of positions.
“But first and foremost, Ollie is a competitor. He does whatever he can for his team and he leaves nothing to chance: he’s a strong character both on and off the field.
PRE-DRAFT COVERAGE
It looks set to be another bumper AFL Draft for the Murray Bushrangers.
Heading into Monday night’s its first round, it’s believed two Bushrangers — Brayden George and Ollie Hollands — will be selected inside the first 20 picks.
In the past eight years, the NAB League club has had 10 players selected inside the top 20 picks.
George and Holland have both impressed at different stages of the season but the former’s stocks took a hit after tearing his ACL.
He is expected to miss part of next season, which may impact where he falls.
Bushrangers talent manager Mark Brown said George was one of the best forwards in the draft.
“I think in his first five weeks he proved he’s an absolute talent,” he said.
“If you went back and looked at the (NAB League) goalkicking (early) he sat four or five clear.
“He’s got enormous speed, enormous power and is a beautiful kick. He’s a real danger inside the forward line.
“He’s hard to match up on.
“He doesn’t need a lot of touches to change the game, he’s an impact player.”
The Bushrangers top pick is expected to be Hollands, the brother of Gold Coast young Elijah.
Brown said Hollands has the capabilities to be a similar player to Carlton star Sam Walsh.
“He’s not too dissimilar to (him),” Brown said.
“He’s an extremely talented athlete, a state level middle distance runner who won the 2km time trial at the recent combine.
“It highlights his ability to get up the ground, which is his real strength. He can find the ball in the contest and is really clean and good by hand.
“He can then get on the outside with his running ability.”
Brown has no doubt both players will be picked in the first round with the Herald Sun mock draft having both selected inside the top 20.
After the first two are selected, it could be a wait for the Bushrangers to see if anymore players are selected.
Brown said Caleb Mitchell, Ryan Eyers and Toby Murray were all in contention to get picked.
Murray is the younger brother of Adelaide defender Nick Murray and former Collingwood player Sam Murray.
Both Murray and Eyers are key talls at either end of the ground with Murray a forward and second ruck option and Eyers a key defender at almost 200cm.
Brown said both could become good long-term prospects for AFL clubs willing to pick them.
“They would both be on the radar for clubs,” he said.
“Can they develop into really impactful AFL footballers in two, three, four to five years time?
“We think there are some real traits there to think they can.”
In the case of Mitchell, Brown said the Victorian Country winger has had an impressive season, has a strong footy IQ and is capable of being really clean below his knees.
We’ve also compiled a list of the top 15 Murray Bushrangers of all time below.
1. Steven Johnson
One of the greatest players to play for Geelong and the best Murray Bushranger, in our opinion, to play AFL. Johnson made 293 appearances for both the Cats and GWS and kicked more than 500 goals. A damaging small forward, who could also win the ball in the midfield, Johnson had plenty of tricks to fool defenders and score goals. He is a three-time premiership player, a three-time All Australian and won the Norm Smith Medal in 2007.
2. Brett Deledio
The former number one draft pick is one of the best Richmond players to play in the last 20 years. Capable of winning the ball in the midfield, or playing on the forward or back flanks, and has elite kicking skills. He is a two-time All Australian and a two-time best-and-fairest winner for the Tigers. Deledio played 275 games and kicked 197 goals.
3. Clayton Oliver
Could be the greatest Murray Bushranger ever in time and some would argue he is now. Oliver is one of the best players in the game and is a contested possession machine. Oliver is a three-time All Australian, a four-time Melbourne best-and-fairest and premiership player.
4. Barry Hall
One of the best forwards in the game of the past 20 years who brought fear to defences in the competition. Hall was the first player to kick 100 goals for three different sides, Western Bulldogs, St Kilda and Sydney and played in a grand final with two of them. Hall won a premiership with Sydney in 2005. Often maligned for his indiscretions on the field, Hall was still a talented forward who kicked 746 goals from 289 games.
5. Fraser Gehrig
At West Coast, where he started his career, he played as a utility and on the wing before transitioning to the forward line in the later stages of his career, when he joined St Kilda. Gehrig won the Coleman Medal in 2004 and 2005 and was in the All Australian team in 1997 and 2004
6. Steele Sidebottom
Should bring up game 300 next season for Collingwood. Sidebottom is one of the best Pies players this millennium, being in the All Australian team in 2018 and being a two-time Collingwood best-and-fairest winner. The midfielder also won a premiership in 2010. Sidebottom famously kicked 10 goals for the Bushrangers in the 2008 TAC Cup grand final.
7. Joel Smith
One of the best halfbacks in the competition during the 1990s and early 2000s. Smith played more than 200 games for St Kilda and Hawthorn and was named in the All Australian team in 2001 and 2003.
8. David Mundy
The most capped AFL player who played for the Murray Bushrangers. Mundy played 376 games for Fremantle and played in the club’s only grand final in 2013. Mundy was an elite midfielder who also played at times at half back. Mundy is an All Australian, in 2015, and won Freo’s best and fairest in 2010.
9. Adem Yze
A kicking machine who was one of the leading players for Melbourne during the 1990s and 2000s. Yze won Melbourne’s best-and-fairest in 2001 and was named in the All Australian team in 2002. Yze played more than 270 games with most of them either at half back or half forward.
10. Steven King
A premiership winning ruckman who starred at two clubs during his career. King played in the 2007 premiership with Geelong and made almost 200 appearances for the Cats. He was a best and fairest winner with Geelong in 2000 and 2002 and made the All Australian team in 2000. For St Kilda, he made more than 50 appearances.
11. Ben McEvoy
One of the best ruckman of the past 15 years. He helped Hawthorn to two premierships in 2014 and 2015. Capable of playing in defence and in the ruck, McEvoy starred in the ruck, through his hit outs and his ability to move around the ground and take critical contested marks.
12. Jack Crisp
A dual best-and-fairest winner at Collingwood, Crisp has now played 200 games in the AFL. Starting at Brisbane, Crisp moved to Collingwood at the end of the 2014 season and has established himself as one of the best at the club. Capable of playing in the midfield or defence, Crisp is a prolific ball winner and capable of using his speed to create havoc to rival defences.
13. Justin Koschitzke
A career maligned with injury. At his best, he was one of the best forwards in the game who could ruck as well. But he wasn’t able to get to the level consistently. Koschitzke played 200 games and kicked 247 goals. He won the AFL Rising Star award in 2001.
14. Jack Ziebell
The North Melbourne captain has played more than 250 games in his career. Regarded as one of the toughest players in the game, with his attack on the contest, Ziebell has played in both the midfield and in the forward line with plenty of success in his time in AFL. He’s kicked 182 goals in his career and averaged more than 22 disposals a game in three seasons – 2016, 2017 and 2021.
15. Daniel Cross
A ball winning machine in the midfield, Cross was one of the leading stars at the Western Bulldogs during the 2000s. He played 249 games, 210 with the Bulldogs and 39 with Melbourne. In 2008 he won the Dogs best-and-fairest and in five seasons at the club he averaged more than 25 disposals a game.
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