AFL Draft 2021 Day 1, as it happened: JHF a Roo with pick 1; Dogs, Pies match bids for Darcy, Daicos

AFL Draft 2021
Pick	Club	Player
1	North Melbourne	Jason Horne-Francis
2	Western Bulldogs	Sam Darcy
3	Greater Western Sydney	Finn Callaghan
4	Collingwood	Nick Daicos
5	Gold Coast	Mac Andrew
6	Adelaide	Josh Rachele
7	Hawthorn	Joshua Ward
8	Fremantle	Jye Amiss
9	Richmond	Josh Gibcus
10	Fremantle	Neil Erasmus
11	St Kilda	Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera
12	Port Adelaide	Josh Sinn
13	Essendon	Ben Hobbs
14	West Coast	Campbell Chesser
15	Greater Western Sydney	Leek Alleer
16	Brisbane Lions	Darcy Wilmot
17	Richmond	Tom Brown
18	Sydney	Angus Sheldrick
19	Melbourne	Jacob Van Rooyen
20	Brisbane Lions	Kai Lohmann

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The next generation of AFL talent will begin their journey to the big time tonight, with the first night of the 2021 AFL Draft upon us. Join The Roar for a live blog of Day 1, starting from 12pm (AEDT) until the draft itself begins at 7:10pm.

The AFL has decided to once again split the AFL draft across two nights; the first will feature the first round only, while Thursday night will see every other pick lodged.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and border restrictions around the country, the draft will be held at three different venues across the three primary AFL states. Victoria’s best and brightest will gather at The London Tavern in Richmond, which also hosted last year’s event; while the South Australians will head to the Adelaide Oval and Western Australians to the RAC Arena in Perth.

All eyes will be on North Melbourne as the club unveils its first ever number one draft pick. It’s a foregone conclusion the Kangaroos will be drafting star South Australian junior Jason Horne-Francis, but there are a few other things for them to consider.

Two other contenders to be taken very high in the draft will be taken under the father-son rule: Nick Daicos to Collingwood and Sam Darcy to the Western Bulldogs. Neither the Magpies nor the Bulldogs have first-round draft selections, but the way the AFL system works is they can sacrifice points from later picks to match any bid on those players.

For example, should the Kangaroos bid on Daicos with pick one – as happened last year with Adelaide on Bulldogs’ Academy gun Jamarra Ugle-Hagan – the Pies will be forced to find 3000 draft points to match the value of that pick one, minus a 20 per cent father-son discount. They can do this by sacrificing some of their other picks, which currently sit at 36, 38, 40, 46, 48 and 58.

>> Check out the AFL’s full draft value index for more information

The Roos have a conundrum on their hand; do they follow the Crows’ lead and force the Pies and Dogs to pay a high premium for their father-son talents? Or do they give Horne-Francis the coveted number one pick gong and all the hype that comes with it… plus a $10,000 investment portfolio from draft sponsors NAB?

There are also a number of other talented youngsters to make this a strong draft crop. Silky wingman Finn Callaghan is expected to be taken in the top ten, and would suit a club needing outside run. Goalsneak Josh Rachele has the capacity to be as crafty – and as annoying – as St Kilda legend Stephen Milne around the big sticks; while man mountain Mac Andrew, who has South Sudanese heritage, is an Academy prospect with reigning premiers Melbourne, but won’t be eligible to head there should another team pounce on him in the first round.

It’s set to be a memorable night for nearly two dozen of the AFL’s best and brightest up and coming talents, so stay tuned to The Roar for every pick as it happens, with the first pick to be made at 7:10pm (AEDT).

Where: The London Tavern (VIC); Adelaide Oval (SA); RAC Arena (WA)
First pick: 7:10pm (AEDT); Wednesday, November 24
Watch: Fox Footy, Kayo Sports

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