AFL draft 2020: Every club’s performance rated
Who were the winners and losers of the unprecedented 2020 AFL draft? Our experts grade the performances of all 18 clubs.
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The 2020 AFL Draft was a marathon event like we’ve never seen before, but which clubs came out on top?
Our panel of experts rate all 18 clubs on their draft night performances, and review what their new recruits can add to their playing groups next season.
ADELAIDE
2. RILEY THILTHORPE
201cm, 100kg, Fwd/Ruck West Adelaide
11. LUKE PEDLAR
182cm, 82kg, Mid Glenelg
25. BRAYDEN COOK
188cm, 74kg, Fwd South Adelaide
28. SAM BERRY
181cm, 81kg, Mid Gippsland Power
38. JAMES ROWE
173cm, 73kg, Fwd Woodville-West Torrens
PRE-SEASON DRAFT: Jackson Hately
ROOKIE DRAFT: Bryce Gibbs
The Crows have a tall who can spearhead their rebuild in attack and support Reilly O’Brien in ruck after grabbing Thilthorpe instead of WA forward Logan McDonald. They added midfield grunt with Pedlar and Victorian Berry – the only non-South Australian of their five picks – and X-factor with Cook. Rowe is a ready-made, mature-age small forward.
VERDICT: A
The Crows have addressed several needs in one draft: a big man up forward, ruck help, midfield toughness, class and a small forward who can play in Round 1. Time will tell whether they made the right call on Thilthorpe ahead of McDonald and Elijah Hollands, but, right now, the club is thrilled and Crows fans should be too.
BRISBANE LIONS
24. BLAKE COLEMAN
181cm, 79kg, Fwd Brisbane Lions Academy
43. HARRY SHARP
180cm, 68kg, Mid GWV Rebels
48. HENRY SMITH
204cm, 96kg, Ruck Woodville-West Torrens
ROOKIE DRAFT: Grant Birchall
The Lions did not enter the draft until late in the first round but will be pleased to get livewire forward Coleman – the younger brother of Brisbane player Keidan Coleman – after matching Collingwood’s academy bid. Sharp is a hard-running wingman who will boost Brisbane’s outside midfield stocks, while Smith is a ruckman who the club will hope can develop around Oscar McInerney.
VERDICT: B-
Brisbane grabbed a bit of everything with the picks it had and Coleman was the standout of the trio. He has X-factor and will be one to keep an eye on. Sharp and Smith are more speculative picks.
COLLINGWOOD
17. OLIVER HENRY
187cm, 77kg, Fwd Geelong Falcons
19. FINLAY MACRAE
186cm, 72kg, Mid/Fwd Oakleigh Chargers
23. REEF MCINNES
193cm, 86kg, Mid/Def Oakleigh Chargers
30. CALEB POULTER
191cm, 74kg, Mid Woodville-West Torrens
31. LIAM MCMAHON
196cm, 84kg, Northern Knights
44. BEAU McCREERY
186cm, 80kg South Adelaide
ROOKIE DRAFT: Isaac Chugg
Collingwood was the most active club on draft night, making a swag of trades and finishing with a large haul. It grabbed two players Henry (brother of Geelong’s Jack) and Macrae (brother of Western Bulldog Jack) who some considered top-15 players before matching a bid on NGA prospect McInnes. Poulter has X-factor and a bright personality that Magpies fans will love, while McMahon and McCreery each offer something a bit different in attack – one as a young tall, the other as a 19-year-old speedster who loves to tackle.
VERDICT: A
After wanting to tear up membership on the back of the Adam Treloar trade period saga, Collingwood fans have been offered plenty of hope by a draft haul that might be critical in relaunching the club’s next tilt at a premiership. Went hard and it paid off.
CARLTON
37. COREY DURDIN
173cm, 73kg Fwd, Central District
41. JACK CARROLL
188cm, 78kg Mid/Fwd, East Fremantle
ROOKIE DRAFT: Luke Parks
Goalsneak Durdin won the Kevin Sheehan Medal in the Under-16 carnival as a small forward with speed and leadership potential but it is WAFL midfielder Carroll who AFL recruiting official Mick Ablett described as the steal of the draft.
“Carlton have got an absolute steal there,” he said of the WAFL colts mid-forward.
The Blues did their work this year in the draft and free agency period so with late picks could select for needs.
VERDICT: B
Recruited for needs with Durdin given they don’t have many pure small forwards and Carroll could be anything despite being taken in the second round. Just two picks but nailed their execution so a huge off-season given Zac Williams and Adam Saad came in the door.
ESSENDON
8. NIK COX
200cm, 87kg Key Fwd/Def Northern Knights
9. ARCHIE PERKINS
188cm 79kg Mid/Fwd Sandringham Dragons
10. ZACH REID
202cm, 83kg Def Gippsland Power
39. JOSH EYRE
197cm 85kg Fwd Calder Cannons
53. CODY BRAND
195cm 84kg Def Calder Cannons
ROOKIE DRAFT: Martin Gleeson, Dylan Clarke
Four of the five players selected by the Bombers stand 195cm and over. It’s a clear statement from Adrian Dodoro and Rob Forster-Knight to ramp up the club’s height stocks with key-position selections at both ends of the ground. That’s important given the departure of Joe Daniher and the ageing profile of some key defenders. Add to that an explosive midfielder who can provide the X-factor the Bombers are crying out for.
VERDICT: A
Big result for the Bombers with their draft haul covering needs in every part of the ground. It hurt to lose that trio of key players during the trade period, but on the early evidence they look to have nailed the fallout from that.
FREMANTLE
14. HEATH CHAPMAN
193cm 81kg Def West Perth
27. NATHAN O’DRISCOLL
187cm 78kg Mid/Def Perth
50. BRANDON WALKER
183cm 75kg, Def East Fremantle
54. JOEL WESTERN
171cm 64kg, Mid Claremont
ROOKIE DRAFT: Josh Treacy, Bailey Banfield
This was the Dockers’ version of ‘shopping local’, which is understandable given there was no under 18s footy played in Victoria in 2020. They have never been worried about taking interstate kids before, but their depth of knowledge of WAFL players made the decisions a little easier this year. Chapman will be the rebound defender the Dockers are craving, while O’Driscoll is a good inside-mid prospect.
VERDICT: B
Solid result with the draft hand the Dockers went in with. The fact they were able to claim two good picks at 14 and 27 before bids came on their Academy players – Walker and Western – was an added bonus.
GEELONG
20. MAX HOLMES
189cm 74kg Mid Sandringham Dragons
33. SHANNON NEALE
202cm 91kg Ruck South Fremantle
47. NICK STEVENS
192cm 84kg Def GWV Rebels
ROOKIE DRAFT: -
What’s a draft night without the Cats being bold, decisive and backing their own judgment. Stephen Wells has made an art form of it. Geelong traded its future first round pick to Richmond to buy back into the first round of this draft, allowing them to secure athletic mid Max Holmes. He hasn’t played a lot of footy in recent years but looks to have a big upside. They added a ruckman for the future (Neale) as well as a key defender (Stevens).
VERDICT: B-
Given the Cats look set to push deep into the finals again next year, their 2021 first-round pick would likely have been a very late one anyway, so it was good trading to buy back into this draft. Besides, the Cats still have those extra future second picks next year, as a result of the Jeremy Cameron trade. Solid work again from the Cats.
GOLD COAST
7. ELIJAH HOLLANDS
189cm 80kg Fwd/Mid Murray Bushrangers
PRE-DRAFT SELECTIONS: Alex Davies, Joel Jeffrey
ROOKIE DRAFT: Jacob Townsend, Jack Hombsch, Jordan Murdoch, Aiden Fyfe, Ryan Nicholls
Let’s give credit where credit is due. The Suns deserve plaudits – some might even say a medal – for virtually sticking around for the entire three-and-a-half hours of the draft, despite their sole pick coming at No.7. But Stuart Dew and the recruiting team looked to have smiles on their dials throughout the snoozefest. Pick seven (as it ended up being) was always going to snare a good player. But the Suns could barely believe their luck that exciting mid Elijah Hollands was there for the taking.
VERDICT: A
Just one selection, but it was worth it. How good is that Suns midfield going to be in the coming years! Leave aside the fact Hollands won’t be rushed in 2021 given he is recovering from an ACL suffered in February, and just think about how will fit in with the likes of Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson and co in the future.
GWS GIANTS
12. TANNER BRUHN
182cm 75kg Mid Geelong Falcons
15. CONOR STONE
188cm 82kg Fwd Oakleigh Chargers
18. RYAN ANGWIN
184cm 72kg Mid Gippsland Power
58. CAM FLEETON
192cm 85kg Def Geelong Falcons
59. JACOB WEHR
184cm 71kg Def Woodville West-Torrens
ROOKIE DRAFT: Sam Reid, Zach Sproule
With three picks inside the top 20, the Giants were always going to have a good draft. They snared Bruhn with their first pick after the midfielder surprisingly got through Essendon’s three selections. They also added fellow Victorians Conor Stone, a utility with huge upside, and Ryan Angwin, a raw midfielder, with their early picks. They finished off the draft by adding to their backline with Fleeton and Wehr.
VERDICT: A-
Have clawed back ground on the loss of Jeremy Cameron, Zac Williams and Jye Caldwell. Although it will take time for the fresh crop to mature.
HAWTHORN
6. DENVER GRAINGER-BARRAS
194 cm, 78kg, Def Swan Districts
29. SEAMUS MITCHELL
182cm, 72kg, Mid/Fwd Bendigo Pioneers
35. CONNOR DOWNIE
186cm, 81kg, Mid/Def Eastern Ranges
46. TYLER BROCKMAN
180cm, 80kg Fwd/Mid Subiaco
ROOKIE DRAFT: Jack Saunders
The Hawks were able to swoop on the best key defender in the draft in Grainger-Barras after the Swans – which had long been linked to the big West Australian – instead opted for a forward. Mitchell, a lightning quick midfielder/forward, is seen as a steal at pick No. 29. They matched a bid for Downie and also added some more speed with Brockman at pick No. 46.
VERDICT: B
A rare look at a high pick for the Hawks and they landed a beauty in Grainger-Barras. In time, helps free up James Sicily in defence. That gives them versatility.
MELBOURNE
21. JAKE BOWEY
180cm, 78kg Mid Sandringham
22. BAILEY LAURIE
180cm, 75kg Fwd/Mid Oakleigh Chargers
34. FRASER ROSMAN
193cm 86kg Fwd/Mid Sandringham Dragons
ROOKIE DRAFT: -
The Demons landed the son of former St Kilda player Brett with their first selection. Had Brett played another games, young Jake Bowey would be wearing Saints colours right now. He is a classy speedster who is also not afraid of getting his hands dirty. With their next pick, the Dees nabbed Oakleigh Chargers small forward Bailey Laurie. They rounded out their draft with Rosman, a 193cm left-footed forward.
VERDICT: A-
Hardly mentioned in the lead up to the draft, but the Demons would have a swagger this morning. A tidy, under-the-radar haul. Clever stuff.
NORTH MELBOURNE
3. WILL PHILLIPS
181cm, 79kg Mid Oakleigh Chargers
13. TOM POWELL
180cm, 70kg Mid Sturt
36. CHARLIE LAZZARO
179cm, 72kg Mid Geelong Falcons
42. PHOENIX SPICER
173cm, 63kg Mid/Fwd South Adelaide
56. EDDIE FORD
188cm, 79kg Fwd Western Jets
ROOKIE DRAFT: Patrick Walker, Connor Menadue
They surprised many by opting for Phillips over Elijah Hollands, but they may just have landed a future skipper. Phillips oozes leadership, is ready-made and would be a strong chance to play in Round 1. They then added some more midfield grunt with Powell, a ball magnet who had a great year in the SANFL. They then went for some tricks in adding exciting pair Charlie Lazzaro and Phoenix Spicer, who both know their way around goal. Forward Eddie Ford was a slider the Roos were happy to pounce on at pick 57.
VERDICT: B+
Took a punt on the stock market, by ignoring what most thought were the blue-chip buys. This B-plus will be closely watched. Could yet end up an A.
PORT ADELAIDE
16. LACHLAN JONES
184cm, 87kg, Def Woodville-West Torrens
49. OLLIE LORD
195cm, 84kg Fwd Sandringham Dragons
ROOKIE DRAFT: Tyson Goldsack, Taj Schofield
The Power were always going to match the Next Generation Academy bid for Jones, a SANFL premiership defender this year. He can slot into a spot at half-back straight away and, with his high leap, long kick and toughness, is a player Port fans will love. Lord will take time to develop but the club will hope he can eventually complement Todd Marshall and Mitch Georgiades.
VERDICT: A-
Port Adelaide will be stoked to finally get Jones on its list and to put him on the opposite halfback flank to reigning best and fairest Darcy Byrne-Jones, while Lord – the grandson of Geelong Brownlow Medallist Alistair Lord – is one for the future but it was not a huge haul.
RICHMOND
40. SAMSON RYAN
203cm, 96kg Lions Academy/Sherwood (QAFL)
51. MAURICE RIOLI JR
176cm, 81kg, St Marys/Oakleigh Chargers
ROOKIE DRAFT: -
Samson is very much a project ruckman, having turned 20 on draft night, but it adds to the Tigers’ ruck stocks with Ivan Soldo out for 2021 with a knee reconstruction. Rioli might have done what relative Daniel did by roaring home in his senior draft year but played only a handful of NTFL games so they got him cheap.
The Tigers made a bid for Essendon academy selection Josh Eyre, which the Dons matched, then the Dons returned the favour in forcing a bid on Rioli.
VERDICT: C+
Any time a Rioli comes in the door it is a lovely slice of romance but the Tigers traded their first-rounder for Geelong’s 2021 first-rounder then had only two later picks.
Their improvement will come from a welter of kids already on the list, but limited involvement in the draft.
ST KILDA
26. MATTHEW ALLISON
194cm, 81kg, Calder Cannons
45. TOM HIGHMORE
192cm, 81kg, South Adelaide
ROOKIE DRAFT: -
Strathmore product Allison stopped the clock at 6.17m in the 2km time trial as a marking forward and showed his athleticism with his 20m sprint time, with the developing tall the son of Coburg Team of the Century forward Brian.
Highmore is a former Allies and GWS academy product who led the SANFL for intercept marks this year, so Saints fans will hope he can follow the path blazed by Cal Wilkie.
VERDICT: B
The Saints knew they needed one more tall project forward and have nailed their recent mature-aged selections so fans will back them in on Highmore, who couldn’t have impressed more in 2020.
SYDNEY
4. LOGAN MCDONALD
196cm, 85kg, Fwd West Perth
5. BRAEDEN CAMPBELL
180cm, 73kg, Mid Syd Academy (matched bid)
32. ERROL GULDEN
176cm, 71kg, Mid Syd Academy (matched bid)
ROOKIE DRAFT: Malachy Caruthers
Snapped up McDonald after he fell to them at pick 4, defying what many thought and passing on Denver Grainger-Barras after being constantly linked to him. The WA product will be the perfect replacement when Lance Franklin hangs up the boots. Then were able to match bids for the highly rated duo of Campbell and Gulden.
VERDICT: A
The Swans will be rapt with their draft haul. Have added some serious quality to a rebuilding side.
WEST COAST
52. LUKE EDWARDS
187cm, 78kg, Mid/def Glenelg
57. ISIAH WINDER
180cm, 79kg, Mid Peel Thunder
ROOKIE DRAFT: Zane Trew, Daniel Venables
Had to wait to get into the draft and when they were on the board the Eagles took a punt on Edwards, who was passed up by the Crows as a father-son option. The son of Tyson is an elite ball-user and decision maker but does have question marks over his speed. The Eagles then went for the smooth-moving WA product Winder who plays taller than his 180cm.
VERDICT: C
Hard to do anything of note when your picks are that late in the draft and the Eagles went for potential.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
1. JAMARRA UGLE-HAGAN
196cm, 85kg, Fwd Oakleigh Chargers
55. DOMINIC BEDENDO
188cm, 74kg, Mid Murray Bushrangers
ROOKIE DRAFT: Lachlan McNeil, Roarke Smith
As expected matched a bid from the Crows for Ugle-Hagan and walked away with the best player in the draft. That meant the Bulldogs had to wait 54 picks later to again be on the board and they took tall wingman Bedendo, who shot onto the draft radar with some blistering times at the combine.
VERDICT: A
Had to pay for it but came away with the best kid in the land. A great draft for them.
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