AFL mid-season draft 2023: Full nomination list and the latest news
Over 300 players have nominated for the mid-season draft yet only around a dozen are expected to be selected. Get the latest intel on who is set to get a second chance.
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Former Carlton and Melbourne defender Oscar McDonald is on the verge of reigniting his AFL career at a third club in next week’s mid-season rookie draft.
McDonald is expected to fill a hole in an injury-hit Sydney backline in the back half of the year after lodging a late draft nomination this week.
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The Swans have been decimated by injury among their key defenders this season, with McDonald shaping as a ready-made replacement after an impressive campaign for Williamstown in the VFL.
The 27-year-old was delisted by Carlton at the end of last season after spending the majority of the past two seasons on the sidelines with stress fractures in his back.
However, he has since got his body right and has played all eight games for Williamstown, averaging 16.8 disposals and 8.3 marks.
McDonald, who measures 196cm, has also rated elite in the VFL for intercept marks (4 a game) and above average for intercept possessions (8.9 a game).
Sydney defenders Paddy McCartin (concussion), Tom McCartin (concussion) and Dane Rampe (neck) are all currently on the sidelines, with uncertainty remaining around Paddy McCartin’s football future.
McDonald’s Williamstown teammate and former Melbourne defender Marty Hore has also attracted some late interest ahead of the mid-season draft, including from the Western Bulldogs and Greater Western Sydney.
Hore, 27, has been the leading intercept player in the VFL this year, averaging 5.6 intercept marks and 10.4 intercept possessions.
Former Sydney ruckman Sam Naismith is understood to have attracted interest from Geelong and is another player to have made a late draft nomination this week.
The 206cm big man has been the best performing ruckman in the VFL this year, averaging 15.1 disposals and 40.9 hitouts a game for Port Melbourne.
Naismith, who turns 31 in July, played 30 games across nine seasons for the Swans before being delisted at the end of last year.
Gippsland Power forward Ryan Maric is tipped to join West Coast, who hold the No.1 pick in next Wednesday’s draft.
The 193cm Maric has spoken to 10 clubs in the lead up to the draft after being a bolter this year following a four-goal haul in the opening round of the Coates Talent League.
Maric booted two goals in an eye-catching VFL debut for Box Hill last weekend and has trained with Hawthorn over the past week.
North Melbourne, which currently holds pick 2, is believed to have its eyes on 204cm Eastern Ranges ruckman-forward Clay Tucker, who is another player to have attracted plenty of interest from clubs.
Oakleigh Chargers tall forward Will Elliot, West Australian speedster Robert Hansen Jr, Calder Cannons halfback Rye Penny and Richmond VFL forward James Trezise are among other players who have caught the attention of a large number of clubs.
Recruiters expect about a dozen players to be selected next Wednesday, less than last year’s mid-season draft when 17 picks were used.
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