AFL Draft 2022: Latest draft news from around the country
Standby for some wheeling and dealing in the countdown to this year’s AFL draft, with the final order anything but settled. See which clubs are looking to improve their position.
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Less than four weeks remain until the AFL National Draft.
Here’s the latest news from around the traps.
CATS COMMIT TO TWO LOCAL TALENTS
Geelong has committed to taking a pair of locals in this month’s rookie draft, including the son of a gun.
The Cats will select father-son prospect Osca Riccardi and Next Generation Academy member Ted Clohesy as rookies if they remain available after the national draft.
Riccardi is the son of 288-game Cats champion Peter, who was a 1998 best and fairest for the club and is a member of Geelong’s Hall of Fame.
The 18-year-old played across halfback and through the midfield for the Geelong Falcons in the NAB League this year and also featured in one VFL game for Geelong.
Clohesy was a vice-captain of the Falcons this season and is a hard-at-it midfielder who featured in three games for Vic Country in the under-18 national championships and also played one game for Geelong’s VFL team this year.
“We have followed Osca and Ted closely and have spoken to both players with a commitment to selecting them in the rookie draft,” Geelong recruiting manager Stephen Wells said.
The Cats also have their eyes on another Geelong Falcons midfielder – Jhye Clark – who has been likened to a young Joel Selwood and is favoured to join the club at pick 7 in the national draft.
TALL MID WOULD BE ‘GOOD FIT’ FOR PIES
Collingwood is keeping close tabs on Dandenong Stringrays ball-winner Henry Hustwaite, who shapes as a potential first-round draft pick.
A 194cm midfielder who has some similar traits to Scott Pendlebury, Hustwaite has links to the Magpies as the brother of Collingwood VFL co-captain Campbell.
“He’s one the last couple of years that has come from nowhere with a growth spurt and he’s learned to play inside mid and down back,” Stingrays coach Nick Cox said.
“He doesn’t have the power and the numbers running-wise as what some of the others do, but he just keeps finding the ball and uses it really well, particularly with his hands.”
Hustwaite impressed across four games for Vic Country in the under-18 national championships, averaging 20.8 disposals and 97 ranking points.
“He would be a good fit for Collingwood,” one opposition club recruiter said.
“He’s not overly quick but he’s got classy hands that can release from stoppage and the Pies have got enough running power on the outside now.
“It just makes sense.”
Collingwood currently holds picks 16, 25, 27 and 51 in this year’s draft.
INTRIGUE AROUND PICK SWAPS
Don’t be fooled — the final AFL draft order is not set just yet.
A raft of clubs are still discussing potential pick swaps, which can be made in the lead-up to and during the two-day national draft.
Clubs have until 5pm on November 15 to trade draft picks, but are then still able to complete live trades during the draft.
Sydney has made no secret of its ambition to move up the order in the first round of the draft from its current position of picks 14 and 17.
But it’s not the only club that wants to be on the move.
North Melbourne has put pick three on the table, but only if the price is right.
St Kilda is keen to improve its current hand of picks 9, 28 and 32 and move into the very pointy end of the draft to secure an A-Grade talent.
There is speculation Greater Western Sydney could trade pick 19, given it already holds picks 1, 15 and 18.
It is understood that Carlton — which currently holds picks 10 and 29 — is on the hunt for another top-20 selection if it can find a seller, which could be the Giants.
And Essendon is keen to move on pick 22, which is right in the middle of the range in which father-son prospect Alwyn Davey Jnr could receive a bid from a rival club.
If a bid for Davey came before pick 22, the Bombers would lose that selection matching it.
Essendon’s best case scenario would be a bid for Davey coming after their second draft pick.
The wheeling and dealing is not over yet.
DRAFT NIGHT INVITES
A dozen players considered to be first-round “locks” have been invited to the opening night of the AFL National Draft later this month.
Brisbane father-son prospect Will Ashcroft is among a group of invitees which also includes No. 1 pick fancy Aaron Cadman and expected North Melbourne-bound pair George Wardlaw and Harry Sheezel.
Other players to receive invites are Elijah Tsatas, Bailey Humphrey, Reuben Ginbey, Mattaes Phillipou, Cameron Mackenzie, Ollie Hollands, Jhye Clark and Jedd Busslinger.
The AFL National Draft will be held over two nights at Marvel Stadium on November 28 and 29, with the first round to be completed on the first night and the rest of selections to be made on the second night.
The Rookie Draft will be held virtually online the following day on November 30, with clubs having until December 1 to lodge their final playing lists for 2023.
HAWKS TO JUST MISS ON SON OF GUN
Hawthorn fans should be feeling flat as the son of a club gun looks set to pull on other colours next year.
West Australian Ed Allan has been among the biggest draft bolters this season and is in the mix to be snapped up by West Coast with one of their two first-round picks.
However, it could have been very different.
The 18-year-old is the son of Ben Allan, who was a 1991 premiership player with the Hawks and went on to earn back-to-back All-Australian selections in 1993 and 1994.
But Allan departed for Fremantle at the end of 1994 to be the Dockers’ inaugural captain.
That decision left him stranded on 98 games for Hawthorn — two games short of the father-son threshold.
Ed Allan is a tall midfielder at 194cm, but recruiters expect him to start his AFL career across halfback.
“He’s certainly got some good traits and comes from good stock,” one recruiter said.
“He’s a very good decision-maker so you could see him sitting across halfback early in his career and playing that really well. His ability to use the footy by foot is really good.”
If West Coast doesn’t pounce on Allan early, there are a raft of other interested clubs including Melbourne, Sydney and Carlton.
HOW THE LIONS WILL FIT IN ASHCROFT AND FLETCHER
Brisbane is confident it will find enough draft points to secure father-son prospects Will Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher without having to take a significant points deficit into next year.
Ashcroft is widely expected to attract a bid from North Melbourne at pick 2 on draft night, with Fletcher shaping as a late first-round selection.
The Lions currently have 2,247 draft points up their sleeve through holding picks 34, 35, 36, 38, 55, 73.
Ashcroft alone would cost Brisbane 2,014 points if he attracts a bid at pick 2, after the Lions receive a 20 per cent discount for matching a bid on a father-son in the first round.
If Fletcher was then to receive a late-first round bid at pick 18, he would cost the Lions a further 788 points after their 20 per cent father-son discount is taken into account.
Under that scenario, the Lions currently sit 555 points short of the 2,802 points they would require to secure the exciting pair.
Brisbane is exploring some more pick swaps to find a few more points, but would not be overly bothered if it had to take a small points deficit into next year under a worst-case scenario.
THE MID-DRAFT LOTTERY
Clubs are still working hard to finalise their boards before the national draft later this month.
But what is becoming clear is that after a standout top end, the draft order is somewhat unclear.
“The top-10 looks pretty set but from 11 to 30 it can vary a little bit,” one recruiter said.
“Some people are putting this draft down but there’s plenty of kids that I don’t mind that might be there at the back end of the draft.”
Some clubs have players rated in the top 15 or 20 that other clubs have in the 30s, which will make things interesting come draft night.
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