AFL Draft 2020: Stars, smokies and all the kids you need to know
From the No. 1 pick contenders and Academy guns to the bolters and the potential surprise selections, these are the kids and key questions set to shape the AFL Draft.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The next generation of AFL stars will take centre stage at this year’s national draft on December 9.
Like everything else in 2020 this year’s event will be unique — clubs will gather remotely and submit their selections online — but the quality of the elite talent on offer is as good as ever.
Here’s who to watch for on draft night.
Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
THE TOP OF THE CLASS
There is little debate around who the best player in this year’s draft is, with Western Bulldogs Next Generation Academy member Jamarra Ugle-Hagan considered a standout.
The Bulldogs used the trade period to secure some extra draft points, giving them the ability to match an early bid on the key forward who has been likened to a young Lance Franklin.
Ugle-Hagan — who stands 196cm tall and weighs in at 95kg — is a freak athlete who kicked 9.4 in a game for scotch College as a bottom-age player last year and also booted 24 goals from nine NAB League games.
“He is a very special football talent,” one AFL recruiter said.
“We’ve had some really good drafts in recent years including (2018) when the Kings (Max and Ben) got drafted and Bailey Smith and Sam Walsh. Jamarra would have been in contention for No.1 in any of those drafts. That’s how special he is.”
THE POTENTIAL NO.1
Whether Adelaide reads out Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s name first or not largely doesn’t matter, because the Western Bulldogs will match the bid and secure their Academy star.
So who will the Crows actually get with their No.1 selection?
Riley Thilthorpe looms large – literally.
The 201cm key forward from West Adelaide had a sizzling season in the SANFL, averaging 11.9 disposals, 4.1 marks and kicking five goals across nine games.
A one-time state level ice hockey player, the athletic big man has been labelled “the ultimate football package” who can win the ball both in the air and at ground level.
Being a homegrown talent makes Thilthorpe all the more tempting for the Crows.
THE BOLTER
Another name the Crows are considering reading out at No.1 is Logan McDonald, who has elevated himself from a likely first-round selection to a top-five lock this year.
Unlike draft hopefuls in Victoria, the West Australian was able to play football for Perth in the WAFL this year and grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
He finished the year as the fourth-highest goalkicker in the WAFL with 21 majors from nine games in his debut year of senior football.
“Not too many kids at 18 can go to WAFL level and average two or three goals and take half a dozen marks as a power forward,” former West Coast spearhead and Western Australia under-18 coach Peter Sumich said.
“If you’re talking about a bolter in the top-end, he’s the one.”
THE QUESTION MARK
There are no question marks over Elijah Hollands’ elite talent, but there are always a few over a player coming off a dreaded ACL injury.
Hollands had surgery in early March after rupturing his ACL at training in February, but resumed running in early October and his recovery so far has been “smooth sailing”.
A dynamic forward-midfielder who hopes to become a midfielder-forward at AFL level, the Murray Bushrangers product featured in every game for Vic Country at the 2019 under-18 national championships and also shone brightly in the Under-17 All Stars match on the MCG on AFL Grand Final day with 24 disposals, five clearances and two goals.
“Some clubs might be put off by the fact he’s had a knee injury, but knowing Elijah it’s just a setback that will make him even more determined,” one recruiter said.
“He’ll do the work, he’ll come back, he’ll be fine. He’s an exciting talent.”
THE MATT ROWELL CLONE
He played with Gold Coast midfielder Matt Rowell last year and there are a lot of similarities to be drawn between Will Phillips and the 2019 No.1 draft pick.
“You just watch him go from contest to contest to contest,” former Collingwood recruiter Matt Rendell said of Rowell.
“(He’s like an) Energiser Bunny and he just keeps it going. You don’t see kids like that. There is a kid in this draft like that. There’s another one exactly like him — Will Phillips.”
Considered one of the top midfielders in this year’s draft, prolific ball-winner Phillips averaged 22 disposals, 4.3 clearances, 5.5 score involvements and 103 SuperCoach points across 10 NAB League games last season.
On the big stage in last year’s Grand Final, he also rose to the occasion to kick two goals from 16 disposals.
He won’t go at pick No.1 like Rowell, but lock in Phillips a top-10 selection.
THE ‘TWINKLE-TOES’ ONBALLER
Some recruiters believe Tanner Bruhn has “got the most class” of any small-medium size midfielder in this year’s draft.
Bruhn has also been compared to Richmond captain Trent Cotchin in the way he attacks the football in the contest and breaks through packs.
“I just think he’s got twinkle toes,” one recruiter said.
“I like blokes like that whose feet don’t touch the ground in traffic and they use the ball well. He’s a bit like Cotchin I think on his feet. Scott Pendlebury goes laterally and around in circles just to keep everyone guessing. Cotchin goes through the line of the ball and just keeps going straight. I think Tanner Bruhn does that really well.”
Bruhn managed only a handful of games at the end of last year after the discovery of a right knee issue last January which required surgery and meant a lengthy stint on the sidelines.
But in the final two rounds of the NAB League season for Geelong Falcons he averaged 17 disposals (12 contested), 4.5 inside-50s, five clearances and kicked three goals in a sterling return for a bottom-age player.
He had also been Vic Country’s MVP at the under-16 national championships in 2018.
THE ‘SKINNY’ STAR DEFENDER
The player Denver Grainger-Barras is often compared to — West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern — has 20kg on him.
Grainger-Barras knows he has to put on some weight, but he managed to star playing senior football for Swan Districts in the WAFL this year despite his light frame.
The backman reads the play well and is strong both one-on-one and at floating off opponents and intercepting the ball.
The 18-year-old led the WAFL for average intercept marks (three per game) and intercept possessions (7.4 a game) across eight sizzling outings.
“He showed a lot of talent last year as a 17-year-old and has just kept going,” Western Australia under-18 coach Peter Sumich said.
“He’s one of those rangy kids. His body will mature over coming years no doubt and you put him in an AFL system, he’ll develop his body.
“He’s a top-10 for sure.”
THE ATHLETIC BEAST
Shattering the 2km time-trial record at the AFL draft combine is one way to get noticed by clubs, just as Harry Sharp did in October.
The Greater Western Victoria Rebels wingman clocked a 2km time of 5min 28sec, eclipsing the record that first-year Collingwood midfielder Jay Rantall set at last year’s combine of 5min 50sec.
A junior athletics ace, Sharp won the 2000m Steeplechase event at the under-18 Australian All Schools Championships in Perth last year.
But he is also a serious football talent, and not just because of his running ability.
“He’s an elite athlete but one that can play footy,” GWV Rebels talent manager Phil Partington said.
“He’s put a lot of work in to make sure he’s really strong over the footy now. And he kicks the ball very well as well. The other thing I like about him is he has an elite mindset. That comes from his running so he knows his body really well, his planning, his training regimes. He’s a perfect fit for the AFL.”
THE COMBINE SPEEDSTER
Greater Western Sydney Academy member Godfrey Okerenyang also made an impression at the draft combine, posting the best 20m sprint time of any player outside of Victoria with 2.86 seconds.
Okerenyang, who hails from Wagga Wagga and was the under-18 Australian 100m Champion last year, also topped the table in the running vertical jump from his right leg (92cm) and placed second from his left leg (95cm).
While relatively new to the game and expected to be a long-term project, the 18-year-old is a potentially exciting prospect.
“He’s relatively new to the code with Sudanese heritage but he’s in the GWS Giants Academy as he pursues an AFL dream,” AFL talent ambassador Kevin Sheehan said of Okerenyang.
“Like many aspiring AFL prospects, he’s already an elite talent in another sport.”
MORE AFL DRAFT NEWS:
AFL Draft 2020: Updated picks order, key questions answered
AFL Draft 2020: Here’s where the top five picks could land
AFL sets national draft date for December 9, 2020
THE SMOKY
A name that might not have been heard much in draft discussions this year is Seamus Mitchell, who has been interviewed by every AFL club.
Likened to Carlton defender Zac Williams, the Bendigo Pioneers product has speed to burn, a beautiful kick and strong game sense.
He played just five NAB League games for the Pioneers last year, but has shown enough for AFL clubs to be clamouring for his services.
“He’s an exceptional talent,” Pioneers coach and former GWS development coach Damien Truslove said.
“With his speed and ability, he could play AFL right now.
“He’s very much like Zac Williams. He’s a beautiful kick, just extremely good in game sense situations and training. He’s a level above NAB League.”
Mitchell posted the fourth-fasted 20m sprint time of any Victorian prospect at the draft combine.
THE ACADEMY ACES
This is undoubtedly the most compromised draft in history, with a raft of players already tied to clubs via their academies.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is the big one, the Western Bulldogs having first dibs on the wildly-talented key forward.
Sydney has two star Academy members in midfielders Braeden Campbell and Errol Gulden.
Campbell — who was best afield in the Under-17 All Stars game last year — is considered a top-10 pick, with Gulden more likely to hear his name called out in the second round.
Gold Coast has the option to automatically list Academy star Alex Davies before the draft under concessions it received last year, but the big-bodied midfielder is seen as a player who would be a first-round pick on an open market.
The Suns can do the same with Joel Jeffrey, a swingman from Darwin with good marking ability and silky skills.
Other top Academy prospects include Collingwood key defender Reef McInnesand Hawthorn halfback Connor Downie.
THE SONS OF GUNS
There have been suggestions the Rioli in this year’s AFL draft could be the “best of the lot”.
Maurice Rioli Jr is a father-son prospect for Richmond, where his father Maurice Rioli Sr played and his cousin Daniel Rioli remains on the list.
Elijah Hollands is not a father-son prospect for the Tigers, but his dad Ben did play eight games for the club in 1999.
Sandringham Dragons prospect Jake Bowey is a small midfielder whose father Brett Bowey played 85 games for the Saints from 1988-94.
Luke Edwards’ father Tyson Edwards a dual-premiership player and 321-game star at Adelaide, but the Crows have told him he won’t be taken in the national draft under the father-son rule. Despite the setback, Edwards is still hopeful of being picked up by another club or as a rookie.
Cross-town rival Port Adelaide also has a father-son prospect in Taj Schofield, who’s dad Jarrad Schofield was a Power premiership player.
Joel Jeffrey’s father Russell Jeffrey played 42 games for St Kilda and eight games for the Brisbane bears between 1987 and 1992, while Sturt product Tom Powell is the son of former Adelaide player Matthew Powell.
Fellow Sturt product James Borlase is the son of former Port Adelaide player Darryl Borlase, while Northern Knights product Nikolas Cox is the son of former Fitzroy, Brisbane Lions and Melbourne utility Darryl Cox.
THE BROTHERS OF GUNS
It is a stacked draft in terms of brothers of current AFL players who are set to come into the system.
Oliver Henry is the brother of Geelong defender Jack Henry and is considered a top prospect who is similarly athletic, albeit as a forward.
The Falcons also have two other brother of guns in Charlie Ham (the brother of Essendon midfielder Brayden Ham) and Henry Walsh (brother of Carlton midfielder Sam Walsh).
Oakleigh Chargers midfielder Finlay Macrae is considered a first-round draft pick and is the half-brother of Western Bulldogs onballer Jack Macrae.
GWS Academy member Josh Green is also draft eligible, and is the brother of Giants young-gun Tom Green.
Originally published as AFL Draft 2020: Stars, smokies and all the kids you need to know
‘Oh my god’: Monster deal stuns Buckley
Injury-prone St Kilda key forward Max King has been handed a monster new deal that has left AFL greats in disbelief.
Inside AFL’s draft combine: See the standouts, surprise packet
Draft hopefuls for both the AFL and AFLW were put to the test at this year’s combine, with one Victorian key forward producing a stunning 20m sprint. See the results and more here.