Queensland makes AFL draft history as three of the top six come from Suns’, Lions’ NGAs as GWS throws curveball at Swans
The rest of the league finally thought they had the Suns’ Academy stretched too thin ahead of the draft. But Gold Coast matched bids at picks 2, 5, 17 and 18 … and have one more to come. Here’s how they did it.
History was made on Wednesday night as three Queenslanders went off the board inside the first six selections of the 2025 AFL National Draft cementing the Sunshine State’s status as a bona fide talent pipeline.
Zeke Uwland (pick 2), Dylan Patterson (pick 5) and Daniel Annable (pick 6) became the first trio of Queenslanders ever to be taken inside the top 10 while Jai Murray (pick 17) and Beau Addinsall (pick 18) also heard their names called on opening night of the two-day draft.
Uwland will link with his brother Bodhi at the Gold Coast Suns next season.
“I’m thrilled,” the Burleigh Bombers product said.
“He’s a great player in his own right and I really can’t wait to play with him.
“He’s got some runs on the board, now it’s up to me to get a game.”
Blistering defender Patterson was nearly lost to rugby league a few years ago, but turned his back on a number of NRL clubs chasing his signature to eventually become a Gold Coast Sun.
“It was definitely (a) 50-50 decision when I was 16,” the Palm Beach Currumbin product said.
“I’m pretty glad with the decision I made but definitely was looking towards that way (NRL) as well.”
To the surprise of nobody Gold Coast swiftly matched West Coast’s bid on Uwland at two and did the same when Richmond targeted Patterson at five.
But it was a slew of pre-planned pick swaps with the Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, Port Adelaide and GWS that set tongues wagging as the Suns added a further 572 pick points to match bids on their quintet of academy stars.
Gold Coast’s mastery of the academy bidding system has long been known but few believed they would be able to secure the eye-watering amount of draft capital needed to draft all five of their highly-rated Suns Academy graduates.
And yet when Addinsall’s name was called by West Coast at pick 18 and the Suns successfully matched the bid, four of the five were suddenly safely within their keeping.
A relatively weak 2026 Suns Academy class meant the club was happy to go into points deficit this year to match bids on Murray and Addinsall after using the bulk of their tally to get Uwland and Patterson.
Now only big-bodied midfielder Koby Coulson awaits.
The Suns will still have roughly 300 points to play with on Thursday – worth roughly pick 35 after the 10 per cent academy discount – before hitting the 1167 points deficit limit.
There is now a very real possibility the Suns snag all five of their academy players.
Brisbane meanwhile made just the one selection on Wednesday night and it was known from a long way out.
In 184cm All-Australian midfielder Annable, who the Lions secured through matching Richmond’s bid at pick 6, the reigning premier got a player who some scouts believed was the best in this year’s draft.
So strong was the Redland-Victoria Point product’s VFL form at the back end of the year he could have been in the selection frame for the AFL side, had he been eligible.
“It’s a dream come true,” Annable said.
“I grew up barracking for the Lions, so I’ve always had such a passion and love for the club and to be able to get the opportunity to play for them is unreal and something my family and I will truly cherish.”
The five Queenslanders taken in the first round on Wednesday night was a new high watermark for the state, beating out 2023 when four went off the board on night one.
GIANTS SPRING DRAFT-NIGHT SHOCK ON SWANS
Greater Western Sydney sprung an AFL draft night surprise at the Swans’ expense by trading up to place a bid on Sydney academy jet Harry Kyle earlier than their cross-town rivals would have hoped.
It began a frustrating run of selections for the Bloods, who had to part with more pick points than they would have expected to match the bid on Kyle at 14 before letting his Swans Academy teammate Lachie Carmichael go to the Western Bulldogs at pick 21.
In a shocking turn of events Hawthorn dealt its selection on to the Giants who wasted no time in calling Kyle’s name.
GWS had been linked to the midfielder/defender pre-draft at pick 16 but by moving up two places – at the cost of a future second rounder – the Giants made Sydney pay an extra 90 points of draft capital.
Regardless it marked an incredible 18-month rise for the East Sydney Bulldogs product, who started 2025 fighting to earn a game in the Swans Academy and became the first NSW player off the board on Wednesday night.
A rugby union and basketball player as a junior, Kyle only joined the Swans Academy in mid-2024.
“Harry is a super athlete who has gone from strength to strength over the past 18 months,” Sydney academy coach Colin O’Riordan said.
“He has a great left foot and there’s been lots of comparisons to Finn Callaghan from the GWS Giants.
“He’s still learning the game but is composed with ball in-hand and takes the game on with a damaging kick and his run and carry.”
Once the dust had settled on the Kyle bid, the Giants then did as expected and called Eastern Ranges medium defender Oskar Taylor’s name at pick 15.
The smooth-moving left footer said he “didn’t have any clue” he was going to be a Giant, despite orange balloons suddenly appearing in his living room.
“Mum bought a fair few team scarfs … I don’t know where the balloons came from to be honest, I didn’t know they were there they just appeared out of nowhere,” he told Fox Footy.
“Of all players in this year’s draft pool Oskar is the most Giants-type of player,” GWS head of talent Adrian Caruso said.
“His speed off half-back is unparalleled and while he still has a long way to go on the development curve, we feel we can build up his strength and fitness to take him to another level in time.”
Adding further salt to the Swans’ wounds was another earlier-than-expected bid on Allies MVP Carmichael, who many experts had tipped to come off the board early in the second round.
Instead the Bulldogs called the 184cm defender’s name at pick 21 and Sydney chose not to match.
However the Swans still have 191cm forward Max King to come from its academy crop on night two.
King started the year as a prospective top 10 pick and the Swans will be happy to have seen him slide into Thursday night.
Originally published as Queensland makes AFL draft history as three of the top six come from Suns’, Lions’ NGAs as GWS throws curveball at Swans
The Rat, Clarko, Dew: Hawks’ Centrals pipeline strikes again
