Geelong Cats makes moves for AFL Draft 2021

A mystery man with a basketball background has been scooped up by Geelong in the rookie draft, so who is the Carey Grammar product?

Recruiting master Stephen Wells has shocked the AFL by selecting a true smokey in the rookie draft in Ollie Dempsey.

The Carey Grammar product played up forward in the APS side and is listed as having played three games with Old Carey in under-19s competitions this year.

He played two matches in division 2 and one in division 1, with a five goal haul against Old Scotch in division 2 a highlight.

The draftee was from so left-field that a simple search for “Ollie Dempsey” on Twitter reveals no relevant results before Friday’s rookie draft.

Vision uploaded to basketball website Hudl in 2019 shows a blonde guard playing guard for Carey Grammar and performing well against the likes of Wesley College and Caulfield Grammar.

Elsewhere, former Carlton forward Levi Casboult was chosen by Gold Coast as the second pick in the rookie draft.

Casboult had been courted by several local Geelong clubs before he was given an AFL lifeline.

GEELONG MAKES ITS CHOICES AT NATIONAL DRAFT

The Cats have made five picks on draft night, snaring a South Australian midfielder and Eastern Ranges defender to go alongside three Geelong Falcons.

James Willis, a tough on-baller from North Adelaide, was selected with pick 32 and has shown rapid improvement in the SANFL under-18s.

News Corp Australia’s draft experts describe the 181cm midfielder is described as “a powerful, contested ball magnet who loves throwing his body around, whether it be laying tackles or applying blocks for teammates”.

Geelong Falcons selected by the Cats. Mitch Knevitt, Toby Conway and Cooper Whyte.

“His kicking needs some work but the strong defensive attributes, combined with breakaway speed, power and a strong ability forward of centre, make Willis an intriguing prospect.

“The 18-year-old, who has caught the eye of a number of AFL clubs, finished with 34 disposals, 17 contested possessions and three goals in his last under-18 game for North Adelaide but an ankle injury saw him miss the national championships.”

Defender Flynn Kroeger, taken at pick 48, is described as a “defender with nice skills, good game sense who shapes as an effective role player at AFL level”.

Kroeger has had limited opportunities at junior level due to injury.

Geelong used their other picks to snap up some local Falcons talent, with Toby Conway (24), Mitch Knevitt (25) and Cooper Whyte (64) staying close to home.

AFL Draft: What picks Cats have going into Day 2

Geelong has four draft picks up its sleeve heading into night two of the 2021 AFL Draft.

List guru Stephen Wells said Geelong would again be targeting the best players available at the time, regardless of positional needs.

The Cats possessed picks 24, 25, 32 and 43 prior following the completion of day one of the draft.

“We will be trying to bring players to the club who we hope can have long AFL careers,” he said.

“Because we will have six or seven picks over the national and rookie drafts we will get a good mix of players but that will also be dictated by who has gone by the time we have our picks.

“When we look at our list we are well aware of the players who are closer to the end of their careers than the start so we will look to guys who can develop over the next couple of years to fill positions all over the ground.”

The Cats swapped picks 32 and 34 to gain pick 23 off the Bulldogs on Wednesday night before more pick shuffling took place.

Here’s what Wells has done with similar picks in the past.

We’ll keep you updated on all the Cats’ moves when the action gets underway from 7pm.

Cats pull off pick swap

Prior to the draft, the Addy revealed Geelong was in deep negotiations with the Western Bulldogs about a deal that would see it move up into the early part of Round 2 at this year’s AFL national draft.

The potential pick swap hinged on when bids come from rival clubs for Dogs’ father-son prospect Sam Darcy, whose dad Luke played 226 games for the club.

Sam Darcy, son of ex Bulldog Luke Darcy poses up for pictures before this months draft. . Photo by Michael Klein.

The Western Bulldogs first pick was originally number 23, which has a value of 815 points attached to it.

An early bid for Darcy meant additional points were needed to acquire him, and they eyed off the Cats haul of selections in the 30 – 34 range as one of its strongest options.

In the pick swap, Geelong handed the Dogs picks 32 and 34, in exchange for their first pick.

Pick 30 has a points value of 629, pick 32 has a points value of 584, and pick 34 has a points value of 542.

Darcy is seen as one of the top talls of this year’s draft crop and a bid is expected to come early inside the first round for him on Wednesday.

Geelong list manager Stephen Wells said ahead of the draft while nothing was locked away, the two clubs were both interested on securing a positive outcome, which came to fruition on Wednesday night.

“There is some work being done on that with the father-son picks,” Wells said on Tuesday.

“The Bulldogs have got pick 23 at the moment and Andrew Mackie has been conducting negotiations with the Bulldogs about what that could look like for us to trade up and get hold of that pick 23 to strengthen our draft hand.

Sam Darcy of Vic Metro in action during the 2021 NAB AFL Draft Victoria Training Day at Trevor Barker Oval.

“It is not committed to yet, and of course future selections can be involved as well so we are just trying to work out a deal that is fair to both parties that gives us the best possible outcome.

“Because the bid for the father-son player is likely to come very early in the draft, most of the details will be worked out in advance.”

Follow @lachie_young

Originally published as Geelong Cats makes moves for AFL Draft 2021