AFL Draft 2024: Draft Intel, latest news from around Australia
Vic Metro has unveiled a stacked squad ahead of the under-18 national championships — which includes at least nine first-round draft fancies. Plus, the latest mid-season draft news and more.
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Preparations are ramping up ahead of the start of the under-18 national championships later this month, while the AFL mid-season rookie draft is also just weeks away.
Here’s the latest AFL Draft news from around the country.
TOP PROSPECTS HEADLINE STRONG SQUAD
Vic Metro has named a stacked squad for the AFL under-18 national championships, headlined by at least nine players who are tipped to be first-round picks in November.
Likely top-10 picks and AFL Academy members Josh Smillie, Levi Ashcroft, Luke Trainor, Jagga Smith and Christian Moraes were all named as part of the 31-player squad on Thursday.
Harry O’Farrell, Taj Hotton, Tom Gross and Murphy Reid are among other players in the squad who have been discussed as first-round draft prospects.
There were 11 Sandringham Dragons players picked, highlighting the continued strength of that Coates Talent League program.
Vic Metro — which is a clear favourite to win the championships title this year — will again be led by Dragons coach Rob Harding and will train together for the first time next Tuesday.
Harding said that the ability of players to come together and their ability to play secondary roles would be key for the team and its prospects.
“The panel that picked the Metro squad for this year was really cognisant of the fact that there were a lot of midfielders in it and that’s been picked with the idea that they will play in multiple positions,” Harding said.
“A lot of what we talk about with the boys is that the better this group connects and the better they play, the more likely they are to get drafted. We saw last year with 15 Allies boys getting drafted out of that championship team, the recruiters really respect the success of the championships. You need to put your best foot forward as a group, and that makes the individuals shine as well.”
Eastern Ranges big man Iliro Smit has been selected as Vic Metro’s ruckman, despite playing for the Young Guns in recent weeks and remaining eligible for the mid-season rookie draft.
Essendon NGA prospects Isaac Kako and Jayden Nguyen and St Kilda NGA pair Adrian Cole and Lennox Hofmann are some other players to watch.
Vic Metro’s national championships campaign kicks off with a match against the Allies on June 9.
TIMELY HAUL FOR KEY FORWARD
A key forward who missed selection for the Sandringham Dragons last year has bolted into the Vic Metro squad on the back of a timely bag of goals last weekend.
Bailey McKenzie booted 7.3 from 23 disposals and 13 marks (six contested) in the Dragons’ win over the GWS Giants Academy in the Coates Talent League last Sunday.
He recorded 216 SuperCoach ranking points in what was the second-highest rated game of any player for the round.
The performance came a day before a final meeting of Vic Metro selectors on Monday.
McKenzie, who measures 191cm, has played four games for the Dagons this season after being overlooked for the club’s 69-player squad as a bottom-age prospect in 2023.
“We always rated Bailey as a high-level talent,” Dragons coach Rob Harding said.
“He just wasn’t going to get an opportunity, potentially, last year. But he’s come back with a greater application to his training and he’s got incredible footy smarts, Bailey.
“The seven-goal performance against GWS’s Academy on the weekend certainly helped his prospects of getting into this squad.”
SHARP START TO BOTTOM-AGE YEAR
One of the leading prospects for the 2025 national draft is again dominating the SANFL under-18 competition this year.
Central District midfielder Dyson Sharp produced his highest-ever rated game as he propelled his side to a 30-point win over Woodville-West Torrens last weekend.
Sharp racked up 34 disposals (24 contested possessions), six marks, 17 groundball gets, 11 clearances, 12 tackles and booted two goals.
Those stats saw him post a whopping 239 SuperCoach ranking points.
Across his first six games in the competition, Sharp has now averaged 26.8 disposals and 157 ranking points – despite still being 16 years old.
A back-to-back All-Australian at under-16 level, Sharp is a fierce competitor and has been named as one of 11 underage player in South Australia’s squad for the under-18 national championships this year.
That squad is headlined by top-age players including Sid Draper, Ben and Lucas Camporeale and Tyler Welsh, who are among the state’s top draft prospects this year.
South Australia begins its campaign with a clash against the Allies on May 26.
YOUNG GUNS PUSH THEIR CASE
A host of AFL mid-season draft prospects made the most of another chance to impress recruiters in the second Young Guns game last Sunday.
The Young Guns scored a thumping 69-point win over Vic Country at Craigieburn, with some of the forwards proving standouts.
Essendon VFL forward Oskar Smartt spent significant time through the midfield and was the leading disposal winner on the ground for the Young Guns with 22 touches, along with six marks, five clearances and two goals.
The performance came after the 180cm Smartt — who was overlooked in last year’s draft — had booted three goals in the first Young Guns game against Vic Metro.
Eastern Ranges product Remy MacLean also did his draft prospects no harm as the athletic 196cm key forward finished with 4.2 from 12 disposals and six marks.
Geelong Falcons ruckman Joe Pike kicked three goals from 10 disposals, while also having 20 hitouts sharing ruck duties with Iliro Smit.
Pike’s Geelong Falcons teammate Liam Kershaw and former Falcons graduate Tobyn Murray were among other Young Guns to draw praise for their performances.
WA FORWARD ON MID-SEASON RADAR
Clubs are keeping a close eye on West Australian key forward Jasper Scaife, who has quickly emerged as a mid-season draft prospect.
The 197cm West Perth product was this week named in a 34-man WAFL State squad ahead of their clash with South Australia at Optus Stadium on May 19.
That match looms as a final audition ahead of the mid-season draft on May 29.
Scaife, 20, if a former Fremantle Next Generation Academy member who was overlooked in his draft year in 2022.
He kicked 22 goals from 16 WAFL Reserves games last year, before cracking a senior WAFL debut in round 1 this season.
Scaife has gone on to average 11.8 disposals, 6.5 marks (1.8 contested) and has kicked eight goals from his first four senior WAFL matches to catch the attention of scouts.
Former Port Adelaide ruckman Brynn Teakle, who was a train-on player with Collingwood over pre-season, has also been included in the WAFL State squad after a strong start to the season with East Fremantle.
Teakle is also eligible to be selected in the mid-season draft.
LANGFORD LIGHTING IT UP
Tough midfielder-forward Harvey Langford is kicking goals, making an impressive start to his draft year across all levels.
The Dandenong Stingrays co-captain had some nice moments in the AFL Academy side’s clash against Footscray’s VFL team last weekend, including booting the opening goal of the match after starting forward.
He went on to feature in a stacked midfield and finished with 14 disposals, two marks and three clearances.
A strong-bodied player with burst speed and a penetrating left-foot kick, Langford is a good size at 190cm and looks up to Western Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli.
“I like how he’s able to get down forward, impact on the scoreboard and in the air,” Langford said.
Through the AFL Academy program, Langford had an opportunity to train with Melbourne during pre-season and was able to work closely with some other onball stars.
“That was at a different level, seeing some of the best players in the country,” he said.
“Christian Petracca and (Jack) Viney were looking after me. It was pretty cool to be under their wing for a week.”
Langford averaged 19.7 disposals, 6 marks, 3.7 clearances, 8.3 score involvements and kicked five goals across his first three games of the season for the Stingrays in the Coates Talent League.
SUNS ACADEMY DEVELOPING STARS
Gold Coast forward Jake Rogers says the club’s Academy has been “huge” in his development, amid a league review into the draft bidding system.
The AFL has flagged potential changes to the bidding process for Academy and father-son prospects as early as this year in a move which could ensure fairer prices are paid for Academy players.
Rogers — who was named the round 7 AFL Rising Star nominee — joined the Suns Academy at under-12s and spend almost a full pre-season with the club leading into his draft year in 2023.
Gold Coast matched a bid from Sydney on Rogers at pick 14 in last November’s national draft.
The Suns also got three other players through the door from their thriving Academy last year — Jed Walter (pick 3), Ethan Read (pick 9) and Will Graham (pick 26).
“The Academy’s been huge, giving you opportunities to come into the four walls of the AFL group like I did last year when I did the pre-season,” Rogers told this column.
“I feel like I was just a step ahead on that front because I got the opportunity to do that.
“It gives all young kids an opportunity to really nourish their skills and work on that game, but also create really good men and women.”
The Suns have access to another Academy ace this year in Leonardo Lombard, an exciting first-round prospect who plays a similar role to Rogers as a midfielder or half-forward.
“We’re really good mates, me and Leo,” Rogers said.
“He’s an absolute ripper and he’s going to be a great footballer. He’s already having a good year. So hopefully he can keep that up and hopefully, maybe, he’ll be on our list at the end of the year.”
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