Brisbane, Gold Coast nail draft picks to help secure future, writes Andrew Hamilton
BRISBANE and Gold Coast not only nailed the AFL trade period, the two Queensland clubs set themselves up for the future at the draft, says Andrew Hamilton.
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QUEENSLAND’S two AFL clubs have nailed their off-season recruiting.
A successful trade period for the Lions and Suns not only filled specific holes in their best 22, it also put them in a dream position for the draft.
The Suns gathered four picks in the top-10, the Lions traded pick No.2 and got in return the picks to secure Hugh McCluggage - the player they wanted all along - and Jarrod Berry.
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The talent the two clubs introduced on Friday night is undoubted.
Many recruiters rated McCluggage as the best player in the draft while Gold Coast academy graduate Jack Bowes would have been in the top-three conversation had he not been all but quarantined for the Suns by their wealth of top-ten picks.
What elevated the Suns’ and Lions’ drafting was their careful planning about retention.
The Suns’ three Victorian recruits — Ben Ainsworth, Jack Scrimshaw and Will Brodie — are all managed by Paul Connors, who also looks after their best player, Tom Lynch.
Connors looks after his clients’ football situation as closely as their financial situation — he can see success for Lynch and his new teammates at the Suns.
In selecting three teammates from the North Ballarat Rebels — McCluggage, Berry and Cedric Cox — the Lions have done all they can to offset any homesickness.
Berry impresses immediately and not only for his powerful physique. He appears to be mature beyond his years and although he is quiet and composed, he also presents as tough and self- assured.
Of course the best weapon in the battle for player retention is success and while it won’t happen overnight, the influx of young talent onto the Lions’ list has been significant the past two years.
McCluggage and Josh Schache were picks No.3 and No.2 respectively, Eric Hipwood and Berry are in the top-20.
Alex Witherden and Cox were 23 and 24 while Jacob Allison is another Lions Academy graduate, joining Hipwood, Harris Andrews and Ben Keays.
Originally published as Brisbane, Gold Coast nail draft picks to help secure future, writes Andrew Hamilton
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