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Cam Rayner became the latest player to join that exclusive club of AFL No.1 draft picks on Friday night, as the Brisbane Lions chose him with the first selection of the 2017 AFL Draft.
» Click here to read the full results
There’s been plenty of talk in the leadup but now the time for action has arrived – it’s the 2017 AFL Draft, and we’re bringing every pick to you live here from Sydney Showground. Join The Roar for a live blog of the 2017 AFL Draft, starting from 6:30pm AEDT.
It’s been an intriguing couple of weeks as the draft has approached since the end of the trade period, with some high picks swapped leading to a few twists and turns in the tale.
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Both Carlton and Fremantle have two top ten picks this year. St Kilda do too, but theirs are back to back, whereas the Blues and Dockers have to strategise and consider which target they take first.
That has made it a bit hard to get any kind of straight information about just which players clubs are genuinely interested in picking, and which rumours are just red herrings.
It seems a virtual certainty that Cam Rayner of the Western Jets is destined to become the next No.1 draft pick, going to the Brisbane Lions, but all bets are off after that.
Fremantle could go with either Luke Davies-Uniacke or Adam Cerra at the second pick, and the decision they make there will shape the top ten.
Of course it’s not just about the top picks, there’s 96 selections in the order tonight, although I’m not expecting to see them all actually used.
The AFL’s new CBA has given clubs greater flexibility with the rookie list and that, combined with the fact that this widely seen as a ‘shallow’ draft, means a lot of clubs will probably pass on later selections.
I’d expect something in the realm of 70-80 new AFL players to join their clubs tonight, while the rest will have to cross their fingers and hope for a lifeline in the pre-season draft or the rookie draft, which are both held next Monday.
Join The Roar for a live blog of the 2017 AFL Draft, starting from 6:30pm AEDT.