The 2011 AFL Draft is upon us, with the stars of tomorrow set to be aligned to their first AFL clubs tonight in western Sydney. Join us from 6.45pm AEDT for a live blog of the event and selections.
While new boys GWS will be heavily involved in tonight’s proceedings, there’s still plenty of storylines to be followed.
For starters, who will GWS select as the number one pick? Midfielder Stephen Coniglio and forward Jonathon Patton are the two contenders.
Both will end up Giants, of course, but there is always more hype attached to the player that goes first – see Tom Scully and David Swallow of recent drafts.
Then, what will happen from pick five onwards? That’s when things really get interesting as the Giants’ run of five-straight picks nears an end and Port Adelaide – at 6 – and Brisbane – at 8 – become involved.
Despite the new club’s prevalence early on, there’s still chance for success here – see last year’s Gold Coast-dominated draft where Reece Conca got to Richmond at pick 6 and Dyson Heppell to Essendon at 8.
Finally, there’s the question of who will your club pick? The intrigue surrounding who will be pulling on your club’s jumper in future years – and possibly as soon as Round 1 next year – is always a reason to tune in.
We’ll be bringing you the picks as they are announced, plus analysis and profiles of the top 10 picks.
Top ten draft selections:
Pick 1: Jonathon Patton (Greater Western Sydney)
Pick 2: Stephen Coniglio (Greater Western Sydney)
Pick 3: Dom Tyson (Greater Western Sydney)
Pick 4: Will Hoskin-Elliot (Greater Western Sydney)
Pick 5: Matthew Buntine (Greater Western Sydney)
Pick 6: Chad Wingard (Port Adelaide)
Pick 7: Nick Haynes (Greater Western Sydney)
Pick 8: Billy Longer (Brisbane Lions)
Pick 9: Adam Tomlinson (Greater Western Sydney)
Pick 10: Liam Sumner (Greater Western Sydney)
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
James Seller heads to Melbourne from Adelaide and Beau Wilkes to St Kilda from West Coast. Also, James McDonald is another, although he's had a year off. Think that about covers it.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
That's it, thanks for joining us folks. I'll sign off with a repeat of the top ten picks and their profiles from earlier (rather than have the juicy parts buried right down the bottom of the page): Pick 1: Jonathon Patton (Greater Western Sydney) Rated the best big man in the draft. Averaged nine marks and 3.6 goals at the Under-18 Championships. The power forward, who’s a beast in everything he does according to TAC Cup coach Darren Bewick, is noted for his strength overhead and – unlike a lot of players his size – an ability below the knees, too. An intimidating and imposing figure. Will be crashing the pack for GWS in years to come. Club: Eastern Ranges (Vic) … 197cm … 101kg … Forward Pick 2: Stephen Coniglio (Greater Western Sydney) Always expected to go high. Hard-working yet silky onballer with good speed and awareness. Lots of wraps on his left-foot kick as well. Captained Western Australia at the Under-18 Championships, which included winning the Larke Medal as the best player in Division One. Possesses the qualities needed to become a star of the AFL. Club: Swan Districts (WA) … 182cm … 82kg … Midfielder Pick 3: Dom Tyson (Greater Western Sydney) Left-foot onballer who averaged 22 disposals for Vic Metro at the Under-18 Championships and even more in the TAC Cup. Strong vision and a good decision-maker. There were doubts over his pace, but he tested well over 20m at the combine. Club: Oakleigh (Vic) … 186cm … 80kg … Midfielder Pick 4: Will Hoskin-Elliot (Greater Western Sydney) Outside midfielder with impressive endurance. His booming right-foot kick averaged seven inside 50s at the Under-18 Championships. Breaks the lines, has speed and has the potential to turn games on their head. Can kick a long goal from 50m out, too. Seems like the kind of player you want on your side headed into the fourth quarter. Club: Western Jets (Vic) … 186cm … 73kg … Midfielder Pick 5: Matthew Buntine (Greater Western Sydney) Although restricted by injury at times this year, he’s rated as the best reader of the play in the draft. Half-back flanker known for his decision-making and creativity coming out of the backline. This type of player has thrived in recent years. Big-bodied and from all reports, ready to play AFL football. Club: Dandenong (Vic) … 189cm … 84kg … Defender Pick 6: Chad Wingard (Port Adelaide) Wins a lot of the footy and has massive potential as an onballer, but also does very well at stoppages and knows how to tackle. His possessions are usually damaging. The knock on him is that he hasn’t stung a full season together yet, and has a history with concussion. From purely a football perspective, though, he’s a great get. Club: Sturt (SA) … 182cm … 77kg … Midfielder Pick 7: Nick Haynes (Greater Western Sydney) 19 years of age, so a more mature pick than others. Strong overhead and rated for his endurance. He’s tall yet skinny, which conjures up images of Nat Fyfe. Club: Dandenong (Vic) … 192cm … 78kg … Forward/Midfielder Pick 8: Billy Longer (Brisbane Lions) At 201cm, the aptly-named Billy Longer is a mobile ruckman who does his damage both at stoppages and in the forward line, thanks to his strong marking and speed. Excelled in both the TAC Cup and Under-18 Championships. Will take time to develop at AFL level, however, although that’s to be expected for someone his size. (Fun fact: he’s a right-footer, yet uses his left hand in the ruck.) Club: Northern Knights (Vic) … 201cm … 98kg … Ruck/Forward Pick 9: Adam Tomlinson (Greater Western Sydney) Although behind Patton, he’s one of the more highly-rated big men in the draft. Has played both back and forward, earning a reputation as a strong mark. Also rated as a good athlete, with a top-notch endurance and work rate. Club: Oakleigh (Vic) … 193cm … 88kg … Defender/Forward Pick 10: Liam Sumner (Greater Western Sydney) Not a high possession-getter but a quality disposer of the ball. Quick and agile, can take a mark and is rated as having a penetrating kick. He is skinny, though, coming in at only 71kg. Club: Sandringham (Vic) … 178cm … 71kg … Forward/Midfielder
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Jed Bews goes to Geelong under father/son rule, but didn't need to spend a high pick on him (no other club bid). Setanta appears to be the only recycled player that I can see - is that right? (ignoring rookie elevations) could be a very busy pre-season draft
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Makes sense for the Perth and Adelaide clubs to grab as many locals as is feasible. The rule is: if a bunch of players are close on the pecking order - go for the local every time.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Round five... Pick 79: Setanta O’Hailpin (Greater Western Sydney) Pick 80: Alik Magin (Gold Coast) R Pick 82: Matthew Wright (Adelaide) R Pick 83: Nick Lower (Fremantle) R Pick 84: Cam Pederson (North Melbourne) R Pick 85: Nathan Gordon (Sydney) R Pick 86: Jed Bews (Geelong) Round six... Pick 87: James McDonald (Greater Western Sydney) Pick 88: Alex Sexton (Gold Coast) Pick 89: Aiden Riley (Adelaide) R Round seven... Pick 91: Jackson Allen (Gold Coast)
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Jarrod Witts is a 209 cm giant from Sydney that the pies signed on a NSW scholarship just prior to the rules being formulated for GWS - they may have pulled a swifty there
The Cattery
Roar Guru
GWS has passed their last 5 or 6 draft selections
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Fourth round... Pick 67: Jarrod Witts (Collingwood) Pick 68: Beau Wilkes (St Kilda) Pick 69: Mitchell Golby (Brisbane Lions) R Pick 70: Luke Dahlhaus (Western Bulldogs) R Pick 71: Cameron Sutcliffe (Fremantle) Pick 73: Matthew Panos (Western Bulldogs) R Pick 74: Luke Delaney (North Melbourne) R Pick 75: Stewart Crameri (Essendon) R Pick 76: Jason Blake (St Kilda) Pick 77: Luke Bruest (Hawthorn) R Pick 78: Orren Stephenson</strong (Geelong) R = rookie elevation
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Sts get back Jason Blake, Hawks get back Breust, GWS has picked up Setanta!!!
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Sts get back Jason Blake, Hawks get back Breust, GWS has picked up Setanta!!!
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Dogs have just elevated their two rookies, Dahlhaous and Panos.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Sarah Jones interviewing the NSW sports minister - impressed by the organisation of the draft, very pleased that it is being hosted in West Sydney, the geographic centre of Sydney
The Cattery
Roar Guru
AS far as I can see, none of the recycled players have been picked up yet
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Round 3 complete rounds 4 to 8 coming up
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
The third round... Pick 49: Daniel Pearce (Western Bulldogs) Pick 50: Jackson Paine (Collingwood) Pick 51: Nathan Blee (Port Adelaide) Pick 52: Josh Tynan (Melbourne) Pick 53: Alex Woodward (Hawthorn) Pick 54: James Sellar (Melbourne) Pick 55: Matthew Arnot (Richmond) Pick 56: Tom Downie (Greater Western Sydney) Pick 57: Tory Dickson (Western Bulldogs) Pick 58: Lachie Neale (Fremantle) Pick 59: Nicholas O’Brien (Essendon) Pick 60: Jay Lever (St Kilda) Pick 61: Alex Brown (Sydney) Pick 62: Dylan Buckley (Carlton) Pick 63: Ashton Hams (West Coast) Pick 64: Cameron Ellis-Yolmen (Adelaide) Pick 65: Corey Gault (Collingwood) Pick 66: Lincoln McCartney (Geelong)
The Cattery
Roar Guru
I think it's a case of Darling very good - Patton could be outstanding
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Lynchy sure that Izzy will play round 1
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Izzy getting interviewed, first time he's been to the AFL draft, looking forward to meeting his new young team mates, he's still aiming for round 1, has come a long way, happy with development, still has to work hard most difficult thing to learn has been learning the running routes (I think that's what he had) he's strength in the game is his physicality, he can help the team making his presence felt
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Coniglio talking up his own leadership potential, he's very ambitious
The Cattery
Roar Guru
GWS just picked him up with pick 56