2016 AFL Draft: Every pick, every player, live updates and blog

Running defender Andrew McGrath made history on Friday night, joining the Essendon Bombers at pick No.1 in the 2016 AFL Draft.

» Read the full wrap from the 2016 AFL Draft

Preview:

It’s a day when history is made – after much waiting, the 2016 AFL Draft has arrived. Join me here on The Roar for a live blog of the draft, covering every pick and every player, starting from 7pm (AEDT).

There’s been plenty of talk about this draft in the lead-up to the event, as there always is. And if you’d like to know what’s what, there’s no better place to go than my last minute guide to the draft.

This is an important night for every club in the league, but it’s a bigger deal for some than it is for others. Tonight Essendon hold the No.1 pick for the first time in the history of their club, and they will really want to nail it.

So who is it going to be? After months of speculation, Andrew McGrath by all reports is the player who was won out in a close battle with Hugh McCluggage. A speedy rebounding defender, it might not be long before he becomes one of the Dons’ most important.

Essendon also have two more picks inside the top 30, so it’s going to be a big night for them. Nail these first three selections and their much-spoken-about ‘comeback’ story could live up to Brendon Goddard’s Hollywood dreams after all.

The other club with a lot riding on the outcome of tonight is the Gold Coast Suns. They lost a lot of talent over the off-season but now they enter the draft with four picks in the top ten – the most ever held by any club, not counting those years where the Suns and the GWS Giants were given major concessions to build their lists with.

The Suns need to find the right balance of talent and personality. It can’t just be players who are good at football, they need to be players who are ready to own the GCFC and rebuild it again from the ground up. They need to be committed and willing to work hard – anyone who is not will be asking for trade to Hawthorn in two years’ time.

Prediction
You never know what surprises might crop up on draft day, but I feel like the first nine picks are close to being locked in ahead of time, the first seven especially. These are my tips:

1 – Essendon Bombers – Andrew McGrath
2 – GWS Giants – Tim Taranto
3 – Brisbane Lions – Hugh McCluggage
4 – Gold Coast Suns – Ben Ainsworth
5 – GWS Giants – Will Setterfield (matching bid from Carlton)
6 – Carlton Blues – Sam Petrevski-Seton
7 – Gold Coast Suns – Griffin Logue
8 – Fremantle Dockers – Jy Simpkin
9 – Gold Coast Suns – Jack Scrimshaw

Join me here on The Roar for a live blog of the draft, covering every pick and every player, starting from 7pm (AEDT).