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by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

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The AFL Draft was held during our Thanksgiving holiday period. For easier reading, selections are listed club by club so readers can scroll to their club or clubs of interest. As always, the information is listed as follows: numerical draft selection, name, (club of origin), height, weight and position followed by a player brief.

ADELAIDE
12. Darcy Fogarty (Glenelg, SANFL), 6', 206 lbs, midfield/half-forward: a knee injury interrupted his season, but he did play senior football with Glenelg, is a good size, kicks well and is aggressive at the contest. Will need work on endurance

40. Andrew McPherson (Woodville-West Torrens, SANFL), 5'10", 174 lbs, half-back: rebounding defender who reads the play well, good skills and running power

BRISBANE
1. Cameron Rayner (Western Jets, TAC Cup), 5'11", 191, forward/midfield: powerful with excellent kicking on both sides of his body, clean hands, excellent decision-making, strong in the air and can be a game changer. Very competitive but will need to work on aerobic capacity. Has been compared to Tiger Dustin Martin and Demon Christian Petracca

15. Zac Bailey (Norwood, SANFL), 5'9", 178, midfield: speedy midfielder who can break through opposition players to set up teammates, strong tackler

18. Brandon Starcevich (East Perth, WAFL), 5'11", 185, utility: versatile player who can go into the midfield, forward and defense. Nephew of former Collingwood premiership player Craig Starcevich. Craig is currently coaching Brisbane's women's team

41. Toby Wooller (Oakleigh Chargers, TAC Cup), 6'1", 198, forward: competitive, can take a turn in the midfield, won Oakleigh's best and fairest award, good hands and endurance. Captained Oakleigh in 2017

43. Connor Ballenden (Lions Academy), 6'3", 211, defender: can also play forward and ruck, strong in the air and good contested mark (catch of ball against opponents), excellent long kick. Will need to build up his body and work on endurance

54. Jack Payne (Lions Academy). 6'2", 211, defender: Strong big-bodied tall defender who matches up well on the opposition's tall forwards. Very fast and competitive with potential to go forward. Both he and Ballenden played in the NEAFL Grand Final win over the Sydney Swans

CARLTON
3. Paddy Dow (Bendigo Pioneers, TAC Cup): 5'10", 187, midfield: wins the contested ball, good at stoppages and can push forward to kick goals. Clean ball use, excellent vision and awareness allows him to get the ball to teammates in the clear. Worked on his goalkicking and can take a turn in defense as well. Also played games with Geelong Grammar and the AFL Academy

10. Lochie O’Brien (Bendigo Pioneers), 5'10", 169, midfield: hard-running with excellent endurance. Smooth mover and ballwinner who can also play on a wing defense and forward, Strong athletic background being a former distance runner.

30. Tom De Koning (Dandenong Stingrays, TAC Cup), 6'3", 196, ruck/forward: athletic and versatile, ;played midfield as a junior so has very good ground ball skills. Kicked nine goals in succession in one game

70. Angus Schumacher (Bendigo Pioneers), 6', 174, midfielder/half back: athletic and speedy ballwinner

78. Jarrod Garlett (South Fremantle, WAFL), 5'9", `150, midfield/forward: originally selected by Gold Coast in 2014, he played 17 games before giving up his career to return home to West Australia to be with his critically ill brother. His brother has recovered and Garlett is keen to resume. Has speed, damaging skills and a good "bag of tricks", clean hands and a great leap for a player of his size. Second cousin of Melbourne's Jeff Garlett

COLLINGWOOD
6. Jaiydn Stephenson (Eastern Ranges, TAC Cup), 5'11", 165, utility: lightly framed versatile player who can play forward, midfield and wing. Natural, instinctive player who knows how to win the ball, reads the ball in the air very well, has an x-factor about him

39. Nathan Murphy (Sandringham Dragons, TAC Cup), 5'11", 174, defender: comes from a cricket background, athletic with good endurance, agility, recovery and awareness. Can go forward or into the midfield

50. Tyler Brown (Eastern Ranges), 5'11", 156, midfield: a father-son selection as he is the son of former Magpie Gavin, joins his brother Callum. Excellent agility and composed with football in hand. Port was interested but the Pies matched the bid to secure Tyler

ESSENDON
49. Jordan Houlahan (Sturt, SANFL), 5'11", 167, defender/forward: excellent vertical leap and reads the ball in the air very well. Can take high-flying grabs similar to Collingwood's Jeremy Howe and is good in front of goals

66. Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (Sturt), 6'1", 156, defender: speedy and agile with a good vertical leap. Will need to build up a bit

76. Matt Guelfi (Claremont, WAFL), 5'10", 174, midfield: strong hands and can go forward, tackles hard and crashes in hard despite his light frame, will need to get stronger and harder to match his hard play

FREMANTLE
2. Andrew Brayshaw (Sandringham Dragons), 5'10", 185, midfield: the complete package, has footy smarts and an excellent workrate, wins the ball well, has speed and agility. Brother of Melbourne's Angus

5. Adam Cerra (Eastern Ranges), 5'11', 176, midfield: great aerobic capacity, excellent ballwinner and uses it well, has excellent vision, can also go back or forward, has the size to be ready for the AFL

44. Hugh Dixon (Kingsborough, Tasmania), 6'2", 198, forward: strong in the air, quick and agile for a player of his size, also played midfield and tried in defense and did not look out of place

59. Mitchell Crowden (Sturt), 5'7", 191, midfield: big ball of muscle, played in Sturt's Under-18 and reserves premierships

65. Tom North (Eastern Ranges), 5'10", 185, midfield: can push forward to kick goals

69. Lloyd Meek (GWV Rebels, TAC Cup), 6'4", 233, ruck: at just 19, still learning his craft but did manage to play some senior games with VFL side North Ballarat

73. Sam Switkowski (Box Hill, VFL), 5'8", 156, forward: has speed, tackles well and applies plenty of pressure to keep the ball in his team's forward area, has a good footy brain

75. Scott Jones (East Perth, WAFL), 6'4", 244, ruck: mature-age recruit at 22, is a strong contested mark (catch of the ball) and can kick goals

GEELONG
22. Lachlan Fogarty (Western Jets, TAC Cup), 5'8", 165, midfield: plays with intensity, tackles well, member of the AFL Academy, best player for Vic Metro at the Under-18 tournament and was named U-18 All-Australian

24. Tim Kelly (South Fremantle, WAFL), 5'9", 178, midfield: another mature age recruit at 23, can burst away from stoppages and worked on his forward ability to kick goals in 2017. Worked hard in the gym to build up his body

36. Charlie Constable (Sandringham Dragons), 6', 189, midfield: hard as nails ballwinner who can play forward and back, has clean hands and vision, excellent at stoppages and strong in the air and is willing to work on his game

57. Gryan Miers (Geelong Falcons, TAC Cup), 5'8", 171, forward: stands out not only for his dreadlocks, but his freakish goal sense, kicked seven goals in the TAC Cup Grand Final, four of which would be almost impossible for most other forwards, kicked a total of 50 for the season

GOLD COAST
19. Will Powell (Claremont, WAFL), 5'10", 149, midfield: lightly built but classy, can bring others into the game

42. Charlie Ballard (Sturt), 6'2", 180, wing: can also play forward and defense, is good in the air and has some speed

52. Brayden Crossley (GC Academy), 6'3", 222, ruck: big-hearted with a bit of "white line fever", loves the physicality, can push forward to kick goals and is good at winning his own ball at clearances and following up, akin to Shane Mumford

55. Connor Nutting (GC Academy), 5'11", 176, defender: good in the air and at ground level, courageous and kicks well out of defense

GWS
11. Aiden Bonar (Dandenong Stingrays, TAC Cup). 5'11", 189, utility: most likely a defender or forward with great breakaway speed, is strong in the air, knows how to win the ball and is an elite decision-maker. Required two knee surgeries in 2017 after the first one failed. Did all the rehab and once he was given the OK to run, became his team's runner to accelerate his rehab and to get a more rounded view of the game. Played midfield before his injury.

27. Brent Daniels (Bendigo Pioneers), 5'5", 154, utility: can play midfield, forward and half back, uses the ball well and loves to run and carry (the ball), good goal sense. Played a few senior games with Geelong's VFL side

28. Sam Taylor (Swan Districts, WAFL), 6'2", 191, defender: competitor who can run all day, can take a strong mark (catch of the ball), quick hands and has good awareness and decision-making, applies plenty of pressure on opposition forwards spoils fiercely and knows when to defend or peel off an opponent to provide support for teammates. Named All-Australian, played some senior football with the Districts and was named to the WAFL team of the year

56. Zac Langdon (Claremont), forward: has excellent speed and endurance, highly skilled and willing to push up the ground to make an impact

64. Nicholas Shipley (GWS Academy), 5'11", 182, midfield: strong ballwinner who is good at stoppages. Still new to the game and still learning but has a strong work ethic

HAWTHORN
45. James Worpel (Geelong Falcons), 5'10", 187, midfield: strong ballwinner who tackles hard. Explosive type who captained both the Falcons and Vic Country for the U-18 tournament

67. Dylan Moore (Eastern Ranges), 5'7", 93, midfield: small and quick, improved his kicking in 2017 anc ca slip forward for a goal

71. Jackson Ross (Eastern Ranges), 6'1", 163, midfield: came to footy late after tennis, only light but is strong and keen to work on his deficiencies. Kicks the ball well and is a project player

MELBOURNE
29. Charlie Spargo (Murray Bushrangers, TAC Cup), 5'6", 154, midfield/forward: a real playmaker, likened to former North Melbourne champ Brent Harvey. Comes from a footy family as his father Paul played 90 games for North Melbourne and Brisbane and his grandfather Bob Spargo Jr played 80 matches for Footscray. Bob Sr played 65 games with Melbourne and Footscray. His uncle Ricky Spargo played 64 games with Footscray

31. Bayley Fritsch (Casey Scorpions, VFL), 5'11", 176, forward: deceptively quick, long kick and creative playmaker and strong in the air. Was Casey's leading goalkicker with 44 goals, was named in the VFL Team of the Year and won the Fothergill-Round Medal as best young player

37. Harrison Petty (Norwood, SANFL), 6'2", 180, defender: can play forward, excellent intercept mark (catch of the ball meant for opposing forward), kicking is improving

48. Oskar Baker (Aspley, NEAFL), 5'9", 165, midfield: joined Aspley as a rookie after being cut from the Brisbane Lions' Academy. Loves to take the game on and run with the ball, is strong in the air and did not look out of place against AFL-aligned reserves teams

NORTH MELBOURNE
4. Luke Davies-Uniacke (Dandenong Stingrays), 5'11", 187, midfield: strong-bodied, speedy, agile and competitive ballwinner who can also go forward, excellent at stoppages and breaking through opposition packs, uses the ball well and is a long kick. Excellent vision and decision-making to set up play. AFL Academy graduate

23. Will Walker (Sandringham Dragons), 6'1', 171, midfield/forward: comes from a soccer background and only started playing footy two years ago, but has developed very quickly. Began as a forward but is a prolific ballwinner and excellent at stoppages, good one on one and makes good decisions, has some speed and power about him

62. Kyron Hayden (Subiaco, WAFL), 5'11", 189, midfield: strong ballwinner and uses the ball well. Set a new record at the Draft Combine for the vertical jump, another player with speed and power. Played three games with Werribee

72. Tristan Xerri (Western Jets), 6'4", 209, ruck: athletic and a strong mark, can also play forward in a pinch. Played some senior football with Weribee in the VFL, holding his own against AFL-listed ruckmen, played for Vic Metro at the U-18 tournament

77. Billy Hartung (Hawthorn Hawks), 5'8", 171, midfield/wing: speedster finds a second home after 63 games in four seasons with the Hawthorn. Still has areas of his game to work on but is keen to the best of his second chance

PORT ADELAIDE
47. Sam Hayes (Eastern Ranges), 6'4", 204, ruck: mobile and strong overhead, a good tap ruckman and good at stoppages. Won U-18 All-Australian selection twice, was impressive for Vic Metro at the U-18 tournament and a graduate of the AFL Academy. Could also play forward down the track

51. Kane Farrell (Bendigo Pioneers), 5'9", 163, defender: booming kick and is a good mark (catch oc the ball), has some speed and can also play forward, AFL Academy graduate. Scored high for agility and sprints at the Draft Combine

58. Jake Patmore (Claremont), 5'9", 158, defender: similar to Farrell, a ballwinner who reads the play extremely well and uses the ball well by hand and foot. Played some reserves games for Claremont and an AFL Academy graduate

60. Joel Garner (Eastern Ranges), 5'10", 180, defender/forward: reads the game well, kicks well, uses the ball well, a good decision maker, hard and tough. Has leadership qualities as he captained the Ranges, Vic Metro and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) team and was named U-18 All Australian

61. Dom Barry (Glenelg), 5'8", 167, midfield: played five games with Melbourne in 2014 before getting homesick for Alice Springs. Back in Adelaide for a teaching degree, he has explosive speed and excellent endurance, uses the ball well

RICHMOND
17 Jack Higgins (Oakleigh Chargers), 5'8", 171, forward/midfield: prolific ballwinner who reads the play well, strong in the air for his size and knows where the goals are. A fierce competitor who tackles well. Won ic Metro's Most Valuable Player award and U-18 All Australian honors. Also won TAC Cup's Morrish Medal (TAC equivalent to the AFL's Brownlow Medal), U-18 All-Australian and TAC Cup team of the year. AFL Academy graduate

20. Callum Coleman-Jones (Sturt), 6'4", 218, ruck/forward: very good one on one and takes a nice pack park (catch of the ball). Captained South Australia at the U-18 tournament and an AFL Academy graduate

25. Noah Balta (Calder Cannons, TAC Cup), 6'2", 209, defender: athletic with a great leap and speed for his size. Can play ruck, forward and midfield, finished in the top 10 in the standing and running vertical jump tests at the Draft Combine

34. Patrick Naish (Northern Knights, TAC Cup), 5'9", 152, midfield: creative and fast with very good goal sense, good decision-maker and uses the ball well by hand and foot and knows how to break through opposition lines. U-18 All-Australian. Son of of former Tiger Chris Naish
Tigers forward Chris Naish

63. Ben Miller (Subiaco), 6'2", 202, forward/defender: has a very good vertical leap so can pinch-hit in the ruck, excellent agility and speed for his size

ST KILDA
7. Hunter Clark (Dandenong Stingrays), 5'11", 176, defender/midfield: smooth mover who uses the ball well by hand and foot, strong in the air, cool and unflustered under pressure, has excellent evasive skills and can also go forward, won Dandenong's best and fairest award

8. Nicholas Coffield (Northern Knights), 6', 180, forward/midfield: has speed and evasive skills and is a highly efficient kick to hit targets with the ball, has also worked hard on his endurance. Could also play in defense as he reads the game well, always seems to have time and space when in possession and an excellent decision-maker

35. Oscar Clavarino (Dandenong Stingrays), 6'2", 209, defender: excellent closing speed and strong in the air, very good one on one, uses the ball well to set up teammates, U-18 All-Australian and AFL Academy graduate, also has shown leadership skills akin to Swan Luke Parker

46. Ben Paton (Murray Bushrangers), 5'11", 169, midfield/forward: strong hands kicks well on both sides of his body and is a strong tackler. Murray tried him as a rebounding defender this past season and he did very well, finishing runner-up in the best and fairest. Played for Vic Country at the U-18 tournament and was named All-Australian

SYDNEY
14. Matthew Ling (Geelong Falcons), 5'10", 165, defender: according to Falcons coach Don O'Keefe, one of the quickest players in the competition and can spot targets no one else sees, great decision maker

33. Tom McCartin (Geelong Falcons), 6'1", 206, forward: mobile and a strong mark (catch of the ball), very athletic and scored very well in the running vertical jump and agility test at the Draft Combine. Younger brother of Saint Paddy

53. Ryley Stoddart (Eastern Ranges), 5'10", 161, defender: athletic rebounding defender who can intercept the incoming ball, can also play forward if needed

WEST COAST
13. Jarrod Brander (Bendigo Pioneers), 6',1", 180, defender: his athleticism makes him a difficult match-up for oppositions, a strong mark (catch of the ball), agile and uses the ball well, AFL Academy graduate and U-18 All-Australian

21. Oscar Allen (West Perth, WAFL), 6', 180, forward: strong in the air with excellent goal sense. Reads the play beautifully and has a high workrate to get up the ground and evade defenders. Won the Larke Medal as the best Division One player at the U-19 tournament and won All-Australian honors

26. Liam Ryan (Subiaco), 5'8", 154, forward: has a huge vertical leap and is accurate in front of goal, has worked hard on his defensive pressure and can push up the ground to present a target for teammates. Led Subiaco's goalkicking with 73 and took four contenders for mark of the year (high catch of the ball)

32. Brayden Ainsworth (Subiaco), 5'10",165, midfield: works hard to win the ball and is composed when he gets it, has clean hands is strong in the air and good at stoppages

38. Jack Petruccelle (Northern Knights, TAC Cup), 5'10", 170, utility: comes from a basketball background so has speed - ranked #1 at the Draft Combine - and an excellent vertical leap, great tackler, and has an ability to do things others can't even though he is relatively new to the game, has flexibility to play a variety of roles

68. Hamish Brayshaw (Sandringham Dragons), 5'11", 200, midfield, a real competitor who can also play forward. Wins the contested ball well. Younger brother of Melbourne's Angus

WESTERN BULLDOGS
9. Aaron Naughton (Peel Thunder, WAFL), 6'1", 187, defender: athletic and strong, a great overhead mark (aerial catch of the ball), brave with a fierce attack on the ball, excellent closing speed and footy smarts. Beat every opponent at the national tournament to win All-Australian honors. Played seven senior games with Peel and was voted best on ground in four of those matches, Can go forward in a pinch

16. Ed Richards (Oakleigh Chargers), 5'10", 171, defender: has put time and effort into his game, has speed to break the lines, is competitive and good i the air for his size, can also play midfield and forward. Grandson of former Magpie Ron Richards (brother of the late Lou Richards)

74. Callum Porter (Gippsland Power, TAC Cup)5'9", 189, midfield: can play defense or go forward. Has good leadership skills as he is very vocal and gives encouragement and direction. Gippsland's best and fairest this year and was also co-vice-captain, placed seventh in the Morrish Medal voting (TAC Cup Brownlow equivalent)

Sources: afl.com.au, Inside Football, Encyclopedia of League Footballers, AFL Record Season Guide: club media releases - Josie Fielding (BRIS), Alison Zell (GWS), Karla Zanardo (NM). Daniel Norton (PA)
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Article last changed on Wednesday, January 31, 2018 - 12:51 AM EST


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