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2017 AFL Draft review: Part 1, Adelaide Crows to GWS Giants

29th November, 2017
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Paddy Dow of the Bendigo Pioneers (left) and Lochie O'Brien of the Bendigo Pioneers (right) pose for a photograph after being selected by the Carlton Blues during the first round of the 2017 AFL Draft at the Sydney Showground in Sydney, Friday, November 24, 2017. (AAP Image/Brendan Esposito)
Expert
29th November, 2017
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With the national and rookie drafts now complete, AFL clubs have finalised their lists for season 2018. Over the next two days I’m going to look at every club’s draft haul – today, we’re talking Adelaide through GWS.

Adelaide Crows

National draft
12: Darcy Fogarty
40: Andrew McPherson

Rookie draft
17: Patrick Wilson
31: Cam Ellis-Yolmen
38: Lachlan Murphy
41: Jackson Edwards

The Crows have done well here. They have a knack of making the most of limited draft selections (think Rory Atkins at pick 85 a few years back), and have addressed a few needs here, with McPherson the intercepting defender who can replace Jake Lever.

Fogarty could complement Tom Lynch as a third tall, but he was also genuinely the best player available at the club’s selection, so it was a no-brainer to take him.

Adelaide would be absolutely rapt that Fogarty fell to pick 12. Had it not been for some injury issues, he was touted to be a top five selection.

He’ll likely start his career as a bullocking half-forward, but once he develops his endurance he’ll become a valuable utility in the midfield. We could look back in a few years and mark him down as one of the best players in this draft class.

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Both players being South Australian is an added bonus, too, given the club’s recent retention issues. In the past, the Crows haven’t been afraid to select players from all over the country, but I wonder whether they’ve had a change of strategy. It will be interesting to see if this is the start of a new trend for them.

There’s a chance both players may see some senior footy next year, although it is likely to be limited, given the strength of Adelaide’s team.

Brisbane Lions

National draft
1: Cam Rayner
15: Zac Bailey
18: Brandon Starcevich
41: Toby Wooller
43: Connor Ballenden
54: Jack Payne

Rookie draft
1: Claye Beams

Along with a successful trade period, Brisbane used the draft to both add some good talent and address a few needs, so it’s a definite tick from me.

Rayner was the right number one choice, as he is a genuine match-winner with freakish ability, something in short supply at Brisbane right now.

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He’ll be a handful in the forward line with Charlie Cameron. He needs to work on his endurance, but that will come with time and being in an elite environment.

Bailey and Starcevich add more midfield depth to the team, with Bailey, crucially, also a noted goal-kicker.

Taking Starcevich at pick 18 was a bit of a surprise, given most pundits had him ranked as a later selection, but his uncle Craig is the coach of the Lions’ AFLW team, and so the lure of returning to WA is likely to be reduced.

Toby Wooller is a developing key forward who shapes as a good replacement for Josh Schache, so the Lions did well to find a replacement there, and would likely have been delighted that Wooller was available at pick 41.

Ballenden and Payne are both key position Academy players. Look for Ballenden especially to have an impact next year.

There was talk before the draft that the Lions might look to pair Rayner with Western Jets teammate Lachie Fogarty to help reduce the ‘go-home factor’, but that didn’t eventuate. However, Wooller and Rayner are both Vic Metro teammates, which should be an advantage.

I like what the Lions are building up in Brisbane. We may look back in a few years on this and last year’s drafts as the seminal moments in the Lions once again becoming a successful team.

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Cam Rayner

Carlton Blues

National draft
3: Paddy Dow
10: Lochie O’Brien
30: Tom De Koning
70: Angus Schumacher
78: Jarrod Garlett

Rookie draft
3: Matt Shaw

A bit of a mixed bag for the Blues here. They obviously needed midfield depth, and they got some definite class with Dow and O’Brien, who should both be 200+ game players for the club.

Schumacher also provides midfield depth, but I can’t help feeling that he doesn’t really add much that the club doesn’t already have on its list. I would have liked to have seen them take another forward here, although there wasn’t a stand-out one available at pick 70.

De Konig went a lot earlier than most expected. He offers versatility in that he can play in the ruck and forward, but will need time to develop.

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This puts the Blues in an interesting position – they are trying to rebuild while also be competitive in games, so do they need players who can make an impact now, or in a few years?

I’d argue that up forward they need players who can make an impact now, but the club will probably be hoping that Harry McKay keeps developing this year and can play that role.

Garlett is another interesting one. At pick 78, the Blues can’t really lose with this selection – his best footy is freakish and would definitely put him in the club’s best 22. Hopefully Brendon Bolton can get the best out of him, because he would add class and pizzazz to the Blues’ workman-like midfield.

Collingwood Magpies

National draft
6: Jaiydn Stephenson
39: Nathan Murphy
50: Tyler Brown

Rookie draft
6: Flynn Appleby
22: Brody Mihocek
33: Adam Oxley

Let’s start with the positives. The Pies did very well to nab both Stephenson and Murphy with their two picks, with most clubs expecting Murphy to be gone somewhere in the 20s.

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With these two picks, the Pies get two exciting players with a lot of upside. Murphy, especially, is raw and will need time to develop, but he is athletic and does some exciting things.

However, the glaring issue here is the lack of key position player. In a way, the club was in a difficult position with its picks – top ten picks should generally be used on the best available player, which Stephenson probably was.

Aaron Naughton and Darcy Fogarty were the best of the key position players available at pick 6, and the Pies could have chosen one of them, but obviously didn’t rate them as highly as Stephenson.

Pick 39 is where the club could have, and probably should have, addressed this need. Toby Wooller and medium forward Jordan Houlahan were two available at that selection who would have been good selections for the Pies.

Obviously the club rated Murphy too highly to let him pass. It’s likely both he and Stephenson will be good players for the Pies, but in terms of team balance, I don’t think the club has done itself any favours here.

The Pies took key defender Sam McClarty with their first pick last year, so will be hoping he continues to develop this season. They also picked up key defender Brody Mihocek from Port Melbourne as a rookie.

Jaidyn Stephenson tall

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Essendon Bombers

National draft
49: Jordan Houlahan
66: Brandon Zerk-Thatcher
76: Matt Guelfi

Rookie draft
11: Trent Mynott

After its trade period, Essendon could afford to recruit for the long-term, given the acquisition of the experienced Jake Stringer, Adam Saad and Devon Smith, who will likely all slot into the club’s round one team.

After taking five picks last year, the Bombers were much quieter this year, entering the draft late in the piece. Clearly it’s difficult to judge these selections now, but they did well with what they had to work with.

Houlahan is an exciting medium-forward, an area in need of redress on the club’s list, while Zerk-Thatcher adds to the club’s key defensive stocks (and has one of the best names in footy), and Guelfi adds to the midfield.

It’s interesting the club took three interstate players here (Houlahan and Zerk-Thatcher from South Australia, Guelfi from Western Australia). Last year they recruited five Victorians, so they obviously back their system in to get the best out of these players.

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We saw that a few years ago when Cale Hooker was considering a move home to WA to play for West Coast, but decided to stay at the Bombers. They’re becoming a destination club, and with success looking likely over the next few years, the go-home factor shouldn’t be an issue.

Fremantle Dockers

National draft
2: Andrew Brayshaw
5: Adam Cerra
44: Hugh Dixon
59: Mitchell Crowden
65: Tom North
69: Lloyd Meek
73: Sam Switkowski
75: Scott Jones

Rookie draft
5: Bailey Banfield
21: Stefan Giro

Having eight selections, with six outside the top 40, was always going to be an interesting challenge for the Dockers, but they’ve done a decent job here.

Picks 2 and 5 are nearly a certainty to net two good players, and it looks like they’ve got two beauties in Brayshaw, a future captain of the club, and Cerra, who looks a ready-made replacement for Lachie Weller.

The rest of the picks were about addressing needs, which they did well. Jones and Meek add ruck depth, which is sorely needed after Jon Griffin and Zac Clarke departed at the end of the season.

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Dixon is a developing key forward, which is obviously another need for the club, while North and Crowden add more midfield depth.

Jones, Meek and Dixon are likely to take time to develop, but the others all look capable of playing some senior footy next year.

The club continued its recent trend of drafting VFL players (think Lee Spurr and Luke Ryan) by taking Box Hill forward Sam Switkowski. He has a definite knack for goals and could play early next year.

Interestingly, Dixon was the only Tasmanian selected this year, and is moving the farthest across the country of any draftee.

Given its recent trade acquisitions – Nathan Wilson and Brandon Matera this year; Cam McCarthy, Joel Hamling, Brad Hill and Shane Kersten last year – were all West Australians, its interesting that the club decided to take Victorians and South Australians in the draft.

The club has in recent years shown itself to not be afraid to do this, but has this season, quite wisely, coupled North and Cerra from the Eastern Ranges, while Brayshaw has family in Western Australia.

Poetically, his brother Hamish was drafted to the Eagles, and I wonder whether Fremantle would have selected Hamish at pick 69 had he still been there.

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Andrew Brayshaw Adam Cerra

Geelong Cats

National draft
22: Lachlan Fogarty
24: Tim Kelly
36: Charlie Constable
57: Gryan Miers

Rookie draft
16: Stewart Crameri
30: Matthew Hayball

I’ve been critical of the Cats’ drafting in the past few years, but I really like what they’ve done here. They’re clearly in the premiership window, and need to maximise that for the next few years while Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood are still around.

The club’s drafting over the past few years reflects this – selections have mainly been mature-aged players who can come in and have an immediate impact, or speculative selections who need time for development, and won’t be a part of the current premiership tilt.

This is in part due to the fact that the club has prioritised acquiring talent through the trade period, which has left it with only late selections in the draft.

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The club surrendered its first-round selection this year (pick 16) as part of a complex trade for Zach Tuohy last year, but acquiring an end-of-first-round selection for the departure of Steven Motlop put it in a good position heading into the draft.

They were in a good position to see who fell to them, and they got a good one in Lachlan Fogarty – he’s a quick, skillful small forward who will eventually push into the midfield.

Tim Kelly continues the trend of mature-aged players, but he will also be a genuine asset next year – his pace through the middle will complement the Cats’ inside grunt players nicely.

Constable’s main weakness is his poor endurance, but he wins the ball as well as anyone, and if he can improve his running, he’ll be a definite asset for the Cats in the years to come.

Gryan Miers rounds out their small forward depth, and was a nice pick that late in the piece.

Taking Stewart Crameri as a rookie also seems like a good pick-up – he’s proven that he can kick 40 goals in a season; combine him and Gary Ablett in the forward 50 and you’ve got a potent smaller forward line next season.

Overall, the Cats did well to address their needs as well as add some quality talent. The blend of ready-to-go players (Kelly and perhaps Fogarty), as well as players who will more than likely be successes in the future (Constable and Miers), will set the Cats up well for the future.

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Gold Coast Suns

National draft
19: Will Powell
42: Charlie Ballard
52: Brayden Crossley
55: Connor Nutting

Rookie draft
2: Josh Jaska
19: Nicholas Holman
32: Mackenzie Willis

This is the first year since the club’s inception that it didn’t have a top ten draft selection, so it was always going to be interesting to see what Gold Coast did here, given their lack of success in turning high draft picks into long-term talented players.

On first glance, I’m not sold that they’ve done a good job here. Powell was an extremely speculative selection at pick 19 – he’s a talented player, but you could make the same argument for most players who get drafted.

He’s a very slight wingman at the moment, and will take a fair bit of time to develop the size needed for AFL level. Gold Coast obviously see a lot in him, and there was interest in Powell from other clubs with picks in the 30s, so if they wanted him they had to take him here.

Clubs usually go for best available rather than needs with their first picks, and that seems to be what Gold Coast has done here.

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Gold Coast will be glad Ballard slid to pick 42, as some had him going around pick 25-30. He’ll also take time to develop though, meaning that it’s likely all of the club’s draftees won’t feature next year.

For a club that seemingly has no evident list strategy, Gold Coast could have chosen some players who were capable of making an impact next year. Someone like Lachlan Fogarty, who was still available at pick 19, could have made an immediate impact, something the club desperately needs.

I hope for the Suns’ sake that Powell and Ballard do become good players, but it’s a few years away from happening yet.

GWS Giants

National draft
11: Aiden Bonar
27: Brent Daniels
28: Sam Taylor
56: Zac Giles Langdon
64: Nick Shipley

Rookie draft
15: Dylan Buckley
29: Sam J Reid

Like Gold Coast, this is the first year GWS hasn’t had a top ten pick, but despite that it did very well with its selections, both addressing needs and bringing in some talented players.

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The club had targeted Bonar from a long way out, and he definitely adds something different to the club’s list. I can’t wait to see him in the same midfield as Dylan Shiel, Stephen Coniglio, Lachie Whitfield, Tim Taranto and Josh Kelly next year.

Daniels addressed a hole in the club’s list in the small forward position, while Taylor adds key defensive depth, something else the club has been searching for.

Langdon is a mature-aged player, which the Giants have shown a liking for in recent years, while Shipley is the club’s first Western Sydney born-and-bred academy player.

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