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by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

The Rookie Draft was held November 27 with some delisted players getting a second chance. Some players, such as un-registered or international, were pre-nominated under AFL rules. The number in front of the name is the draft selection, the original club in parentheses, followed by age, height and weight.

Round 1
1. Carlton - Jesse Glass-McCasker (Swan Districts), 18, 6'4', 209. Speedy, agile key defender who finished top at the draft combine in the running vertical jump, standing vertical jump and agility tests.

2. Brisbane - Jackson Paine (Brisbane). Originally drafted by Collingwood where he played six games 2010-13 before being traded to Brisbane, played six games in 2014 but none in 2015. The club delisted him but always had the intent to redraft him as a rookie. Paine was allowed under the rules to train with the Lions ahead of the draft.

3. Gold Coast - Tom Keough (West Adelaide), 24, 6'3", 205. Mature-aged defender who played forward as a junior. Cool under pressure and took on the best forwards in the SANFL, makes good decisions, turns defense into attack and tested well at the state screening.

4. Essendon - Gach Nyuon (Dandenong Stingrays), 18, 6'5", 194. Family came from Sudan, he is an athletic ruckman with a great vertical leap. Improved with each game he played.

5. St Kilda - Nick O’Kearney (Calder), 18, 6'2", 178. Skilled ballwinner who can play defense and midfield and is good with his hands and feet, strong in the air and reads the flight of the ball very well, rarely fumbles, good decision maker under pressure, won All-Australian honors.

6. Melbourne - Joshua Wagner (Aspley), 20, 6'1", 180. Defender who reads the game well and can hit targets by foot, good at intercepting the ball.

7. Collingwood - Lachlan Keeffe (Collingwood). Rookie-listed in 2009 and elevated to the seniors in 2010, again finds himself on the rookie list but with a difference as the running defender cannot play or train at any level after accepting a two-year ban for using an illegal substance. He cannot play or train at any level but will be allowed back to training late next year.

8. GWS - Sam Reid (UWS Giants), 26, 6'1", 189. Played 10 games for the Bulldogs before joining GWS for 14 games 2012-13. Has been playing for and captaining the Giants' NEAFL team for the past two seasons and working as their development coach. Started at the Giants as a midfielder but has been playing forward in the NEAFL.

9. Geelong - Jock Cornell (Mangoplah Cue), 18, 6'1", 185. Can play midfield, forward and defense. One of those players who might not get a lot of the ball, but has an impact when does get it.

10. Port Adelaide - Will Snelling (West Adelaide), 18, 5'6", 172. Speedy midfielder with good endurance and good hands with the ability to feed the ball out to teammates in better positions. Captained West Australia and played in their premiership side.

11. Western Bulldogs - Bradley Lynch (Swan Districts), 18, 6'1", 163. Rangy wingman with excellent vision, awareness, skill and ability to use the ball well on his left or right.

12. Richmond - Callum Moore (Calder), 19, 6'3", 191. Has great speed and agility for his size and a great leap, primarily a forward but could play defense. Has a booming kick and tested well for it.

13. Adelaide - Paul Hunter (Redland, NEAFL), 22, 6'5", 211. Athletic ruckman who can take a strong mark, loves to crash packs and has excellent speed and agility for his size. His beep test scores ranked sixth across the country. Won the NEAFL Rising Star Award and club best and fairest in 2014,

14. Sydney - Tom Papley (Gippsland), 19, 5'8", 163. Small forward with good hands and footy smarts with the ability to play off packs and find the goals, has a good understanding of the game. Grandson of former South Melbourne star Max Papley.

15. North Melbourne - Farren Ray (St Kilda), 29, 6'1", 191. The hard-running midfielder/utility played 82 games with the Bulldogs before being traded to the Saints where he played a further 123 games.

16. Fremantle - Mattherw Uebergang (Redland, QLD)), 20, 6'3", 200. Athletic key forward/defender who reads the play well to intercept or spoil the ball, has speed and agility, an excellent kick and decision maker. Tested extremely well in the sprint and vertical jump tests. Won the NEAFL Rising Star Award and was second in his club's best and fairest.

17. West Coast - Jordan Snadden (East Fremantle), 18, 6'2", 172. Long kicking midfielder who began learning how to play forward this year.

18. Hawthorn - Luke Surman (Norwood), 18, 6'4", 216. Athletic ruck/forward who comes from a basketball background, thus has a great vertical leap. Played some reserves games for Norwood and represented South Australia at the U-18 tournament.

Round 2
19. Carlton – Andrew Gallucci (Williamstown), 5'8", 147. Speedy and agile small forward.

20. Brisbane – Reuben William (Zillmere Eagles – Brisbane Lions Academy), 19, 5'9", 174. Another from Sudan, he has speed, uses the ball well and loves to tackle, can play forward and back but dominated when thrown into the midfield for one game. Described by QLD high performance coach Adrian Fletcher as a "real footy head" who knows his stuff and has leadership qualities. William was pre-nominated by the Lions as an Academy member.

21. Gold Coast Suns – Darcy MacPherson (Northern Knights), 18, 5'7", 158. Agile forward who loves to tackle.

22. Essendon - Anthony Tipungwuti (Essendon VFL). Speedy defender who started with the Tiwi Bombers before playing for Gippsland and finally making his way to Essendon's VFL side. Has also been working off-filed with Essendon's multi-cultural programs.

23. St Kilda - Nick Coghlan (Albury), 19, 6'3", 183. Started as a forward but shifted to defense in 2015, has good hands and led the club in interceptions and is a great long kick.

24. Melbourne - Viv Michie (Melbourne), 23, 6', 183. The midfielder played one game in 2013 for Fremantle before being traded to Melbourne. A broken jaw in 2014 restricted him to just six games. He played 11 games in 2015 and club delisted him with the intent to redraft him as a rookie.

25. Collingwood - Josh Smith (Redland), 21, 5'9", 172. Has been around for several years, representing QLD in the U-18 tournament in 2011, a ball winning midfielder with great endurance and a manic trainer with a very professional attitude. Was named in the NEAFL team of the year.

26. GWS Giants - Daniel Lloyd (Killarney Vale, Black Diamond Football League), 23, 6'1", 194. A landscaper by trade, he was invited to train with GWS after being spotted by assistant coach Mark McVeigh. He is a former scholarship winner who had trained with the Bulldogs but was never drafted. A powerful medium-sized forward, he kicked nine goals in a semi-final and won the club's best and fairest award. Lloyd was allowed to train ahead of the draft.

27. Geelong - James Parsons (Eastern Ranges), 18, 6'2", 169. Speedy and evasive midfielder who can also play defense. There is a question mark over his consistency and competitiveness but that could change in an AFL environment.

28. Port Adelaide - Cameron Hewett (North Adelaide), 18, 6'2", 169. Competitive and wiry running forward with ball winning skills,reads the play well and is a good mark. Will need some time to fill out a bit.

29. Western Bulldogs - Luke Goetz (Western Jets, TAC), 18, 6'", 198. Athletic ruckman with very good speed and endurance for his size

30. Richmond – Mabior Chol (Aspley, QLD), 6'5", 178. Family emigrated from Sudan via Egypt in 2005 and settled in Brisbane. Chol has been with the Brisbane Academy for two seasons. An athletic ruckman who can play forward and defense. Has excellent foot skills and is good at ground level, also has speed, finishing third country wide in the repeat sprint test and also did well in the time trials. Has some aggression, loves the big games and was a member of the Allies team that played the curtain raiser at the MCG on Grand Final day. Named Adam Goodes as his idol.

31. Adelaide – Jonathon Beech (West Adelaide), 25, 6'1", 187. Strong marking forward who can take a turn in the midfield, finished first in the SANFL for marks and third for cortested marks. He trained with the Crows in the lead up to last year's rookie draft but was overlooked.

32. Sydney – Harrison Marsh (Sydney), 21, 6'2", 180. Originally drafted in 2012, the midfielder has yet to debut for the Swans.

33. North Melbourne – Majak Daw (North Melbourne). Delisted ruckman redrafted as a rookie

34. Fremantle – Ryan Nyhuis (Northern Territory Thunder), 19, 6'1", 187. Athletic running defender who can also play in the midfield, has good foot skills, captained NT in the U-18 tournament, can play on talls and smalls and is excellent in one on one contests.

35. West Coast – Pass

36. Hawthorn – Kade Stewart (South Fremantle), 18, 5'9", 152. Hard-nosed tackling and ballwinning midfielder. Played some reserves and senior games with South Fremantle after the U-18 tournament.

Round 3
37. Carlton – Pass

38. Gold Coast Suns – Ryan Davis (Swan Districts), 27, 6'2", 180. Rookie-listed by West Coast in 2008, he played 11 games in two seasons before being delisted. A tackling speedster who can play midfield, forward and defense.

39. Essendon – Will Hams (Essendon), 21, 5'9", 167. A persistent hip injury has restricted the hard-nosed midfielder to just five games in two seasons with the Bombers but he is a respected competitor who the club has given a second chance after delisting him. Hams was allowed to train ahead of the draft.

40. St Kilda– Josh Saunders (St Kilda), 21, 5'9", 172. The hard running midfielder played 22 games for the Saints since being drafted in 2012, but managed just two games in 2015. Despite his light frame, he has excellent endurance. Another who was delisted but then redrafted as a rookie.

41. Melbourne – Joel Smith (three-year, unregistered), 19, 6'2", 187. Comes from a basketball background but the Demons have had their eye on him for a year. Not surprising since his father Shaun took the "mark of the 20th century" in 1995 when he soared into the stratosphere at the Gabba. Dad admits that his son can jump even higher. Joel also has very good speed, endurance and agility. Smith was a pre-nominated selection.

42. Collingwood – Josh Thomas (Collingwood). Along with Keeffe, suspended for using a banned substance.

43. GWS Giants – Pass

44. Geelong – Tom Ruggles (Geelong VFL), 23, 6', 185. Ruggles, a defender, started with Werribee in the VFL before joining Geelong Football League team Leopold. There he was named to the GFL team of the year and won the VFL best and fairest award. He played his junior football for the Geelong Falcons alongside current Cats Billie Smedts and Cameron Delaney.

45. Port Adelaide – Dan Houston (Oakleigh), 18, 6'1", 183. Leading forward who is a strong mark and can push into the midfield, then double back to the goals. Co-captain of Oakleigh.

46. Western Bulldogs – Jed Adcock (Brisbane), 29. Delisted by the Lions after 206 games, the defender/midfielder gets a second chance.

47. Richmond – Adam Marcon (Williamstown), 23, 5'9". 176. Classy midfielder who won the 2015 Fothergill-Round Medal as most promising VFL talent and was a member of Williamstown's premiership team.

48. Adelaide – Hugh Greenwood (3-year, unregistered), 23, 6'3" year. Comes from a basketball background, including a trial with the Utah Jazz earlier in 2015 after playing for the University of New Mexico. Returned to Australia to join basketball team the Perth Wildcats. However, he left the Wildcats to train with the Crows ahead of the draft. Has great speed and agility for his size. He played junior football in Tasmania in 2006 and was offered AIS scholarships for both football and basketball. His grandfather played in three consecutive premierships with the Melbourne Demons `1955-57.

49. Sydney – Pass

50. Fremantle – Anthony Morabito (Fremantle), 24, 6'2", 216. Has to be the unluckiest player going around. The talented midfielder has played just 26 games since his 2010 debut due to three knee reconsructions. Fought his back after his third operation to play 3 games in 2014, but another minor surgery in 2015 kept him off the park. Delisted but now added to the rookie list.

51. West Coast – Alec Waterman (West Coast),21, 6', 196. Drafted in 2014, the talented midfielder and son of premiership player Chris could not break into the strong Eagle outfit. A prolific ballwinner who uses it well by hand and foot and is a good decision maker. Can push forward at times. Another who was delisted and redrafted as a rookie.

52. Hawthorn - Alex Woodward, 22, 5'9", 172. Another who has endured a horror run of knee injuries since being drafted in 2011. He underwent two knee reconstructions in 2012 -13 but bounced back well to play two senior games for the Hawks in 2014 and win the VFL Liston Trophy (Brownlow equivalent) that year. A third knee injury and surgery ended his 2015 season and he was delisted and redrafted as a rookie.

Round 4
53. Gold Coast Suns – Cameron Loersch (South Fremantle), 19, 6'6", 226. Key forward who can also play in the ruck, has strong hands, is strong in the air and has good skills for his size. Kicked 60 goals for South Fremantle in 2015.

54. Essendon – Tom Wallis (Calder Cannons, Father-Son), 18, 5'9", 163. Strong, speedy ballwinner with a very good kick. Can play defense, wing and midfield. The son of former Bomber Dean Wallis, he was a pre-nominated father-son selection.

55. Collingwood – Tim Golds (GWS Giants), 22, 6'3", 185. Athletic winger or defender, Golds was with GWS from there inception but played only six senior games for the Giants.Had AFL permission to train with the Pies ahead of the draft.

56. GWS Giants – Pass

57. Port Adelaide– Kane Mitchell (Port Adelaide), 26, 5'7", 163. Drafted by Port as a rookie in 2013 and elevated to the senior list in 2014, Mitchell played 31 games. A midfielder with speed and endurance, he has worked on improving his foot skills and again finds himself a rookie after being delisted from the seniors.

58. Adelaide–Alex Keath (3-year, unregistered), 23, 6'4". Keath was a member of Gold Coast's VFL team as a key position player before quitting to forge a cricket career. Was a pre-nominated selection when he decided to return to football.

59. Sydney – Kyle Galloway (Priority Zone, Murray Bushrangers), 19, 6'8", 226. Athletic and competitive ruckman who has been playing for only three years but continues to improve.

60. Fremantle – Josh Deluca (Subiaco), 19, 5'9", 176. Speedy, athletic and agile midfielder, rarely beaten by a direct opponent, he missed part of the year and the state tournament due to injury but was a member of Subiaco's 2015 premiership team.

61. West Coast – Simon Turnbridge (West Coast), 22, 6'2", 205. Rookie listed in 2012 and elevated to the seniors in 2013, the strong medium sized forward played seven games. Can take a turn in the midfield and the Eagles give him a second rookie chance after delisting him.

62. Hawthorn – Conor Glass (International – Ireland), 18, 6'2". The lightly built Conor has been on Hawthorn's radar for awhile and he has made several trips to Australia for several blocks of training to get used to the Sherrin. The decorated youngster has very good kicking and tackling skills, but still is learning to apply them to the football. One thing he brings that does not need too much change is coolness under pressure. He is finishing school in Ireland and will relocate in June. He was a pre-nominated selection as an international rookie.

63. Gold Coast Suns – Danny Stanley (Gold Coast), 26, 6'1", 209. Originally drafted by Collingwood in 2005, he played only 5 games in three seasons before being delisted and then added to the Suns' rookie list and elevated to seniors in 2010. A versatile midfielder and tagger, he could also plug holes in defense when required. Became the club's "Mr Fix-It" and even signed a new one year deal for 2016 before being delisted and re-rookied.

64. Collingwood – Darrean Wyatt (three-year, unregistered), 22, 6'5". Although from Melbourne, he played basketball for Coastal Georgia College in the USA for three years. He was recruited by the Pies as a pre-nominated selection after sending a video of himself to the Pies. The club sees him as a key forward or defender as well as a ruckman. Did play footy in his teens.

65. GWS Giants - Pass

66. Sydney Swans –Sam Murray (Wodonga Raiders, Ovens & Murray League {Northern Victoria/NSW}, Priority Zone), 18, 5'9", 172. Speedy ballwinner who can take a good mark and push forward.

Round 5
67. Gold Coast Suns – Jesse Joyce (Palm Beach – Suns Academy), 18. Small defender who is a good decision maker and a good kick.

68. GWS Giants – Pass

69. Sydney Swans – Colin O’Riordan (International), 20. A promising Gaelic footballer who was named young player of the year and has won All-Ireland honors several times, he has already impressed the Swans with his fitness and has quickly picked up some skills with the Sherrin.

Round 6
70 - 72. GWS Giants PASS

Source: foxsports.com.au, afl.com.au; AFL Club Media Releases - Sean Tobin (Gold Coast), Kevin Diggerson (Geelong) Loretta Johns (Carlton), James Wakelin (PA), Inside Football, AFL Record Season Guides, AFL 2015 Grand Final Record

Article last changed on Wednesday, December 02, 2015 - 12:23 PM EST


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