Every pick and all the video reaction from 2025 AFL mid-season draft
More childhood dreams came true on Wednesday night as 18 players found AFL homes in the mid-season draft – and the cameras were rolling when their moment arrived.
An injury-hit Essendon has added some much-needed tall timber to its list, making use of all four of its selections in the AFL mid-season rookie draft.
Eighteen players found AFL homes in the draft, headlined by No.1 pick Tom McCarthy who found his way from Richmond’s VFL program to the West Coast Eagles.
The Bombers beat other suitors – including Collingwood – to 198cm forward Archer May at pick 6, before going on to secure 203cm ruckman Lachlan Blakiston and 198cm forward Liam McMahon.
Essendon also added a small forward from its VFL program in the 180cm Oskar Smaart, who had booted seven goals from six VFL games this season.
WATCH THE REACTION IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE AND SCROLL DOWN TO SEE EVERY PICK
The selections came after the Bombers listed 10 players who are 190cm or taller on their injury list this week.
Blakiston, 26, shapes as a ready-to-go mature-age ruckman from East Fremantle who will help bolster Essendon’s ruck stocks in the wake of season-ending injuries to Sam Draper and Nick Bryan.
May, 20, kicked 20 goals from 12 games for Richmond’s VFL side last season before impressing for Subiaco in the WAFL after making a move to Perth this year, while McMahon joins the Bombers from Carlton’s VFL program where the 23-year-old booted 45.15 from 16 games in 2024.
After missing out on May, Collingwood sprung a surprise at pick 8 by selecting West Perth’s Roan Steele.
A versatile small, the 23-year-old midfielder-forward had averaged 21 disposals and kicked five goals from seven WAFL games this season.
The Magpies did find another key forward with their second selection, though, picking 196cm South Adelaide tall Noah Howes.
North Melbourne nabbed Werribee small forward Zac Banch at pick 2, before securing one of its own VFL players in swingman Cooper Trembath at pick 10.
The 194cm Trembath had played only one VFL game for North Melbourne this year, squeezed out by AFL-listed players.
But he kicked three goals and had four marks against Brisbane in that round 7 VFL match, while also impressing across four games for Eastern Football League side Blackburn.
“He’s very athletic player and he can play at both ends of the ground,’’ North Melbourne VFL coach Tom Lynch said.
“We’ve only really explored playing in the front in a few games, practice matches and his one VFL match.
“He showed attributes that obviously the recruiting team really liked. He impacted the scoreboard and took some important marks against some pretty experienced defenders.’’
Banch was one of two players picked from Werribee, with Carlton grabbing Bees forward Flynn Young.
Former St Kilda key defender Oscar Adams joined the Gold Coast Suns after a stint at Glenelg in the SANFL, as did Casey Demons high-flying forward Caleb Lewis.
Port Adelaide took three local SANFL talents in emerging tall Harrison Ramm and midfield pair Ewan MacKinlay and Mani Liddy.
The Western Bulldogs bolstered their defensive stocks by selecting Peel Thunder rebounding defender Michael Sellwood and 19-year-old Gippsland Power interceptor Zac Walker.
Originally published as Every pick and all the video reaction from 2025 AFL mid-season draft
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