November’s national draft will be shaped by a team that didn’t even exist until 2016. It’s loaded with special talents,one of whom could usurp Harley Reid as the No.1 pick.
The Swans continue to hunt for a big-name key defensive recruit,given the uncertainty about Paddy McCartin’s playing future as he recovers from his latest concussion.
Essendon have a level of interest in Ben McKay,who fits that team’s obvious need for a mature key defender with the physical stature to play on key forwards like McKay’s brother at Carlton.
A highly sought key-position free agent is all but certain to fetch a first-round draft pick as compensation should he leave the Giants – reshaping the draft and trading landscape for other clubs.
The decision to jettison the pair – the cornerstones of a failed Hawthorn attempt to defy the draft’s natural gravity from 2016 – was contentious enough to prompt accusations that the Hawks were tanking for draft picks this year.
Soon,hundreds of teenagers will file their AFL draft forms with a dream – and the hope of avoiding a footballing nightmare.
This week’s Money Talks looks at the Western Bulldogs potentially needing to match a first-round draft bid on a father-son or academy prospect for the third time in four years.
This year’s prospects will look to prove themselves at the AFL under-18 championships,which could make or break their dreams.
Harley Reid – the brilliant teenager being touted as this year’s No.1 draft selection – looms as the prize waiting for the loser of Sunday’s bottom-of-the-ladder clash between Hawthorn and West Coast.
Tasmania’s new AFL list will get fewer top-end draft picks but access to more drafts than were used to build the GWS Giants and Gold Coast Suns.
The AFL has asked the players to accept a new rule that would see top 20 draft picks contracted for a guaranteed three years on specified amounts.