Tasmania’s top teenagers overlooked in the AFL Draft

Tasmania’s top young players were overlooked in the top 50 in last night’s AFL Draft and will now turn their attention to the AFL Rookie Draft this morning.

• Tasmania has four star teenagers hoping to start AFL careers in this week’s Draft
• Clarence young gun Oliver Davis vetted by Essendon, West Coast, Gold Coast and Western Bulldogs

TASMANIA’S top young players were overlooked in the top 50 in last night’s AFL Draft and will now turn their attention to the AFL Rookie Draft this morning.

It was the least number of players selected in an AFL Draft but also tuned out to be the longest taking almost four hours, as he state’s best young hopes waited to hear their names read out.

The state had four genuine draft hopefuls in key forward Jackson Callow (North Launceston), ball-magnet Oliver Davis (Clarence), dashing defender Sam Collins and his North Hobart teammate, all-rounder Patrick Walker.

However, none were named and their hopes are now pinned on today’s AFL Rookie Draft.

North Hobart young guns Patrick Walker, 18 and Sam Collins, 18 are among the Tasmanian teenagers hoping to get selected in this years AFL Draft. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

It was a lean year for Tasmania in last year’s draft, with no player selected but North Hobart and Devils onballer Mitch O’Neill was taken as pick 25 by West Coast Eagles in the Rookie Draft the next day.

The 2018 AFL Draft was a better reward for Tasmania’s young players, with the state getting two players taken as top 10 selections.

Tarryn Thomas went to North Melbourne at No. 8 and Tassie Mariners captain Chayce Jones went to Adelaide at No. 9, and in the same draft Tasmanian Fraser Turner went from Western Bulldogs to Richmond.

Both Thomas and Jones are emerging stars for the Kangaroos and Crows respectively, while Turner was cut by Richmond and is looking to reboot his AFL career.

Key forward Hugh Dixon was plucked from the TSL Tigers by Fremantle in the 2017 AFL Rookie Draft.

It was another lean year in 2016 for Tasmania’s talented teenagers, with no players taken in the main draft or rookie draft.

The 2015 draft was Tasmania’s best in the past six years, when four Tasmanians got their opportunities to play in the AFL – Tiger Kieran Lovell was Hawthorn’s top pick, going at No. 22 in the AFL Draft, and his Tigers teammate Mackenzie Willis went to Gold Coast Suns at No. 52.

Clarence’s Mitch Hibberd was snapped up by North Melbourne at pick 34 and Burnie Dockers utility Ryan Gardner went to Geelong at pick 59.