AFL List Changes 2007

by Tim Murphy

Adelaide

Off:

Matthew Clarke - retired, then un-retired and pre-season drafted by St. Kilda
Ben Hart - delisted
Hayden Skipworth - delisted
Alan Obst - delisted
Chad Gibson - delisted

On:

James Sellar (Glenelg, draft pick 14). Minimal list changes for the Camrys, whose window is open at five to midnight, or something. Hart’s delisting came a shock, though. Anyway, Sellar is a big lad with huge leap. Played as both a ruckman and a key forward. Won the award for best player in the 2005 National U16 Champs, played 8 senior games for Glenelg last year.

Kurt Tippett (Southport, draft pick 32). Another ruckman, the Cows are clearly concerned about the area with Clarke leaving and Biglands’s series of injuries and suspensions. Saw a bit of Tippett playing for Qld in the National U18s last year and he looked a very good player, mobile and can take a pack-mark, kicked a few goals too.

David MacKay (Trinity Grammar, draft pick 48). Speedy, long kicking midfielder. Played in 2006 TAC Cup Premiership for Oakleigh Chargers, also got a game with Vic Metro in National U18s.

Nick Gill (North Adelaide, draft pick 64). Mature key forward (he’s 24) who spent time on Melbourne’s list, without managing an AFL game. Topped North’s goal-kicking last year with 47. ‘Presents’ continually but his disposal ‘aint the best. Presumably a ready-made replacement for the badly injured Trent Hentschel.

Bryce Campbell (Norwood, draft pick 78). The wrong Bryce. The Cows wanted Bryce Gibbs, badly, but couldn’t get him (Carlton did). So they picked up this older Bryce (22 y.o.) who’s a left-footed midfielder or half-forward. Represented the ‘Snaffle’ as a ruck-rover in 2006.

Rookie list:

Andrew McIntyre (North Adelaide).
James Turner (South Adelaide).
Rhys Archard (South Adelaide).
Greg Gallman (North Adelaide).

Brisbane

Off:

Michael Voss - actually stays on list for salary-cap reasons, but retired.
Mal Michael - retired and delisted, then un-retired and was taken in the pre-season draft by Essadun. Lyin’s unhappy.
Justin Leppitsch - retired, hired as assistant coach.
Brad Scott - retired. Took assistant coaching job at Collingwood.
Jason Akermanis - traded to Bulldogs for draft pick 34.
Anthony Corrie - demoted to rookie list
Clark Keating - delisted
Jay Attard - delisted. Rookie-drafted by St. Kilda.

On:

Scott Harding (Rookie list / Morningside). As the oldies disappear, the Lyin’s rebuilding continues apace. Harding is a decent midfielder who played 14 AFL games last year after debuting in round 1. Needs to work on his stamina.

Jason Roe (Rookie list / North Adelaide). Very promising key defender, originated from the NT but had stints in Queensland and on Collingwood’s rookie list before being drafted from the Snaffle. The 22-year-old cites Mal Michael as a role-model. 15 games last year.

Cheynee Stiller (Rookie list / Northern Eagles). Another promising bloke, a ‘run-with’ half-back or wingman. Played 13 games in 2006 after debuting round 3. Nominated for Rising Star Award after 28-possession game v Carlton, round 13.

Matthew Leuenberger (East Perth, draft pick 4). Acclaimed as the best teenage ruckman for ten years and many thought him the best player in the draft. Very tall (203 cm), great tap-work both at centre-bounce and around-the-ground, very good pace, endurance and agility. Needless to say, an U18 All-Australian in 2006 and also managed 6 senior games in the ‘Waffle’.

Albert Proud (Mt Gravatt, draft pick 22). At the opposite end of the spectrum, Proud’s a small but lightening-quick forward with ability to play midfield too. Attacks the ball hard. Captained Qld in National U18s last year.

Chris Schmidt (Robertstown/West Adelaide, draft pick 34). ‘Classic modern footballer’,  a tallish running back-flanker or winger with great stamina. Averaged 18 touches a game for SA in 2006 National U18s, also ranked second in hard-ball gets for the croweaters.

James Hawksley (Peel Thunder, draft pick 38). Like Schmidt, another flanker with a bit of height and good skills, a great reader of the game apparently.

Matthew Tyler (North Ballarat, draft pick 54). Skinny, tall lad (194 cm) who played as a key defender for Vic Country in National U18s. Needs to develop, but showed some ability as a tall forward in the NAB Cup pre-season competition.

Sam Sheldon (Oakleigh Chargers, draft pick 70). Son of Carlton premiership rover/back pocket and former Sinkilda coach Ken Sheldon. In fact Ken’s still with the Saints as some sort of administrator, I think. Anyway, Sam is a rover too and a young 17 y.o., the Lyin’s thought to nab him before next year’s draft.

Rookie list.

Colm Begley. Second year on for Irishman, made senior debut last year.
Will Hamill. Re-drafted, third year on I think.
Anthony Corrie.
Scott Clouston (Morningside).
Daniel Dzufer (Suncoast Lions).
Haydn Kiel (Southport).
Joel Tippett (Southport). Brother was drafted by the Camrys.

Carlton:

Off:

Barnaby French - retired
Adrian Deluca - retired
Ian Prendergast - delisted
Trent Sporn - delisted
Troy Longmuir - delisted
Luke Livingston - delisted
Cory McGrath - delisted
Callum Chambers - delisted
Justin Davies - delisted
Chris Bryan - delisted. Pre-season drafted by Collingwood.

On:

Craig Flint (Rookie list / Gippsland Power). Tall (192 cm), mobile defender who distinguished himself last year with the Blooze VFL affiliate, the Northern Bullants. Suffered a fractured ankle late in the season. Yet to play a senior game.

Bryce Gibbs (Plympton / Glenelg, draft pick 1). The best player to come out of SA in 20 years, they say. Steve Kernahan’s already awarded the lad ‘his’ no. 4 guernsey (actually it was Luke Livingston’s, but whatever). Gibbs won every junior accolade and last year finished third in the Glenelg seniors’ B&F, his most notable effort 33 disposals and 6 goals against Port. The Blues are impressed enough already to have put Gibbs in their ‘leadership group’, before he’s kicked a ball in anger.

Shaun Hampson (Mt Gravatt, draft pick 17). Super-agile, high-leaping ruckman (he’s 201 cm) with soccer background. Represented Qld in  National U18s last year.

Shaun Grigg (Redan, draft pick 19). Tall and speedy left-footed back-flanker. Had a very good, consistent 2006 for both TAC Cup club (North Ballarat) and Vic Country, won U18 All-Australian selection.

Mark Austin (Glenelg, draft pick 35). Seems to have been selected because he’s Gibbs’s mate. Available info is vague about this bloke, he’s a tall guy who’s played as a key defender including seniors in the ‘Snaffle’, missed a fair bit of 2006 with a broken arm. Described as athletic and competitive.

Clint Benjamin (Broome/Claremont, draft pick 51). The Blues rated speed highly and Benjamin is very quick, also a strongly-built back-flanker or wingman who played for WA in the National U18s.

Joe Anderson (Darwin, draft pick 67). Rugged backman with leadership potential, won B&F for Darwin’s seniors in 2006 and was also captain of Territory U18 side.

Cain Ackland (St. Kilda, pre-season draft pick 1). Ruckman who arrives thanks to a 3-year offer from the Blues, better than Sinkilda’s. Ackland’s been around for a while now without being especially impressive. Still, the departures of French, Deluca and Bryan left the Bluies’ ruck stocks very thin.

Cameron Cloke (Collingwood, pre-season draft pick 9). Another ruckman of modest ability, a poor man’s Josh Fraser at Collingwood. In his defence, ‘the middle Cloke’ battled injury there.

Rookie list

Aisake O’hAilpin. Allowed a third year as an international rookie.
Ryan Jackson. Second year on. Made senior debut last year.
Sam Jacobs (Woodville/West Torrens). Another ruckman.
Michael Jamison (North Ballarat).
Ross Young (Northern Bullants).

Collingwood:

Off:

Blake Caracella - retired
Chad Morrison - retired
Chris Tarrant - traded to Fremantle for Medhurst and draft pick 8.
Jason Cloke - delisted
Cameron Cloke - delisted. Pre-season drafted by Carlton.
Julian Rowe - delisted
David Fanning - delisted
Tristen Walker - delisted
Brent Hall - delisted
Adam Iacobucci - delisted

On:

Paul Medhurst (Fremantle). ‘Megastar’ is a small forward in the Gary Moorcroft mould - loves playing the hero but is inconsistent and ultimately unproductive. Medhurst lost his place in the Dorker side last year, after which Freo started winning. An odd pick-up, he’s presumably been taken as cover for injured Didak.

Harry O’Brien (Rookie list). Athletic, Brazilian-born bloke who played 9 senior games in 2006, mostly as a defender.

Shannon Cox (Rookie list / South Fremantle). The Pies’ own ‘Big Cox’. All of 190cm, Cox was a useful key position man with Williamstown. No senior games.

Alan Toovey (Rookie list / Claremont). Speedy, hard-tackling backman, apparently. No senior appearances as yet.

Ben Reid (Wangaratta Rovers, draft pick 8). Left-footed key forward (196 cm), who’s been assigned no. 20. Not a Tarrant replacement, however, more like a Josh Fraser according to Malthouse. Ben showed some ability in practice games, he’s the son of blonde, mustachioed former Bulldog and Blue Bruce Reid.

Nathan Brown (Ballarat, draft pick 10). The leeg’s third Nathan Brown. This one is a tall, mobile defender, a strong mark and the quickest player over 20m at draft camp. U18 All-Australian full-back in 2006. Twin brother Mitchell was drafted by the Weagles.

Chris Dawes (Brighton Grammar, draft pick 28). Yet another tall bloke. Dawes played his junior footy as a key forward and impressed in the National U18 Champs last year but required a knee reco late in the season which’ll keep him out for most of 2007. A bit of a punt by the Poise.

Brad Dick (East Fremantle, draft pick 44). Lithe, athletic winger or half-forward with good skills. Hope he plays against the Eegs so we can have big Cox against little Dick. Sorry. Young Brad played alright in the pre-season.

Tyson Goldsack (Gippsland Power, draft pick 63). The paper calls him a “quasi-tall” (191 cm) who’s played most of his footy as a flanker - he can run a bit, presumably.

Chris Bryan (Carlton, pre-season draft pick 8). The Bluesers and the Poise swapped second-string ruckmen in the pre-season draft. Bryan is a keen but limited battler with a booming left boot.

Rookie list

Daniel Nicholls. Second year on.
Sharrod Wellingham (Perth).
Brent Macaffer (Gippsland Power).
Martin Clarke (County Down, Ireland).

Essendon:

Off:

Dean Rioli - retired
Dean Solomon - traded to Fremantle, along with draft pick 52, for picks 42 and 47.
Adam Ramanauskas - demoted to rookie list with permission from the AFL. Dons trying to give the cancer-stricken bloke every chance.
Aaron Henneman - delisted
Tristan Cartledge - delisted
Joel Reynolds - delisted. Rookie-drafted by Geelong.
Austin Lucy - delisted

On:

Scott Gumbleton (Peel Thunder, draft pick 2). The Dons retained their picks to capitalize on the best draft for many years, we were told. Gumbleton is an outstanding key position player with exceptional endurance - think Nick Riewoldt. Represented WA at U18 level for the last two years, played 15 senior games for Peel in 2006 and ready to go in senior AFL footy. He’s the son of North Melbourne premiership player Frank Gumbleton.

Leroy Jetta (Clontarf College/South Fremantle, draft pick 18). After Gumbleton, the Dons were interested in speedy midfielders. Jetta is a very quick, evasive midfielder or half-forward. Twice an U18 All-Australian and also played senior footy in the Waffle. Averaged 24 disposals per game in 2006 National U18s and turned in some impressive pre-season performances this year. “An absolute steal for pick 18,” said recruiter Adrian Dodoro.

Tom Hislop (Tassie Devils, draft pick 20). Tough, hard-tackling midfielder with plenty of speed and endurance. Made All-Australian U18 team in 2006, with average 20 disposals per game and ranking first in the tournament for tackles.

Alwyn Davey (South Adelaide, draft pick 36). Younger brother of Demon Aaron. Like him, Alwyn’s a speedy left-footed goal-sneak who’s taken a while to get drafted (he’s 22). Bagged 39 goals for South Adelaide last year and kicked a few in the pre-season.

Bachar Houli (Spotswood, draft pick 42). A Muslim lad, Houli impressed the Bummers at draft camp, where he was found to have both speed and stamina. Otherwise he’s a left-footed small forward with leadership qualities, who represented Vic Metro in the National U18s in 2006.

Kyle Reimers (Peel Thunder, draft pick 47). Aggressive, hard-tackling small forward who played for WA in National U18s. Perhaps recruited as ‘stable pony’ for Gumbleton.

Mal Michael (Brisbane, pre-season draft pick 2). Strong, athletic, triple-flag-winning full-back. Looked uninterested last year and following a dispute with the Lyin’s over his off-field commitments in 2007, Mal retired at the season’s end. Then ‘unretired’ when the Dons proved more accommodating.

Rookie list

Lachlan McKinnon. Second year on.
Heath Hocking. Second year on.
Dean Dick (Perth). Just like the Pies, Essadun have a small Dick. Okay, enough Footy Show material.
Danny Chartres (Peel Thunder).
Adam Ramanauskas.

Footscray

Off:

Rohan Smith - retired
Shane Birss - traded to St. Kilda for draft pick 59, on-traded for McDougall.
Adam Morgan - delisted
Kieran McGuinness - delisted
Brad Murphy - delisted
Jesse Wells - delisted
Michael West - demoted to rookie list

On:

Jason Akermanis (Brisbane). The mouth moves south, as the press had it. Disgruntled Aker and the Bullies were always seen as a perfect fit, with their fast, running games. Cheap trade for a second-round draft pick (34) but the Dogs did pick up 30-year-old Aker’s Brisbane contract, signing him to a 3-year deal in total. History suggests Aker’ll play very well, barring injury.

Andrew McDougall (West Coast). The Bullies need tall blokes, here’s one. McDougall is a mobile key forward who struggled to gain a place in the Weegle side, following a promising season in 2004. Shoulder problems in 2005 didn’t help.

Andrejs Everitt (Somerville, draft pick 11). Younger brother of Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt, he already has the requisite dreadlocks, dunno about the tatts. He is tall though, not a ruckman like Spida but a quick and very agile full-back with a long, accurate left boot. Represented Vic Metro in National U18s, 2006.

Brennan Stack (Perth, draft pick 45). The Doggies deviated from the norm in their drafting. Everitt’s speed and long kicking was thought to complement their style, so does Stack who is also very quick, a half-forward or midfielder. No representative experience.

Josh Hill (Claremont, draft pick 61). Again, a medium-sized, speedy bloke with a big leap too, played as a forward mostly. Like Stack, selection was based on potential rather than efforts at rep level.

Malcolm Lynch (Tiwi Islands / NSW-ACT Rams, draft pick 66). Speedy Tiwi Islander who moved to Sydney. Likened to Hawk Mark Williams as a fast-leading forward who’s an excellent mark for his modest size. Few games in 2006 due to injury but was very good in booting 3 goals in a NAB Cup game this year.

Paul O’Shea (Redlands, draft pick 76). Described as a ‘surprise pick’, but I’m not sure you can have one of those at pick 76. Speed again, O’Shea is a key defender nabbed as tender 17-y-o before next year, when he may have starred and gone early. They reckon.

Rookie list

Gavin Hughes (Norwood).
Jarrod Harbrow (Murray Bushrangers). Made a few, impressive pre-season appearances.
Marty Pask (Brisbane). Tallish forward, senior games for the Lyin’s last year.
Michael West.

Fremantle:

Off:

Jarrad Schofield - retired
Graham Polak - traded to Richmond, with draft picks 13 & 60, for draft picks 8 & 42.
Paul Medhurst - traded to Collingwood for Tarrant, along with pick 8.
Daniel Haines - delisted
Michael Warren - delisted
Benet Copping - demoted to rookie list

On:

Chris Tarrant (Collingwood). Useful forward finally eroded patience at Pieland with his propensity for a beer or seven and off-field ‘incidents’. Poor form last year helped tip the balance but ‘Tazza’ was the Poise leading goal-kicker for five consecutive years before 2006, also an All-Australian in 2003. Not hopeless, then.

Dean Solomon (Essendon). The influence of Freo assistants and former Bommers Mark Harvey and Robert Shaw, no doubt. Hard-man Solly played mostly as a defender for the Dons, but hasn’t seemed too interested in footy for a coupla years. Good mates with Tarrant and Harvey, which may not be a good thing for Freo.

Paul Duffield (Rookie list / South Fremantle). Tough on-baller debuted in 2005 and managed 8 senior games last year, although none after ‘the run’ commenced.

Clayton Collard (East Fremantle, draft pick 31). Having got rid of Medhurst, the Dokkers replaced him with a similar type - except good, they’ll hope. Collard is a small forward with terrific agility, spring and skill in general. Booted 5 in a senior Waffle game and represented WA at U18 level in 2006.

Brock O’Brien (Peel Thunder, draft pick 52). Minimal draft participation by Freo after they traded for Tarrant and Solomon. O’Brien is a quick, tough back-flanker described by the paper as a “take-no-prisoners type.” Represented WA at U18 level in 2006, also played senior Waffle footy for Peel.

Calib Mourish (Towns / East Fremantle, draft pick 77). Little known about this bloke, a strong-marking forward flanker with “an aggressive streak”. With O’Brien, the Dokkas appeared on the look-out for local hard men. Played one game for East Freo in 2006, he’s from Geraldton.

Rookie list:

Chris Smith (Mt Gravatt).
Andrew Foster (East Fremantle).
Darren Rumble (Subiaco).
Benet Copping.

Geelong

Off:

Peter Riccardi - retired
Tom Lonergan - demoted to rookie list after losing a kidney last year.
Kent Kingsley - delisted. Pre-season drafted by Richmond
Matt McCarthy - delisted
Paul Koulouriotis - delisted

On:

Sam Hunt (Rookie list / Essendon). 23-year-old key defender who played 7 games in 5 years with Essadun. Very good performer for the VFL Cats last year, no AFL games for ‘em yet, though.

Joel Selwood (Sandhurst, draft pick 7). With Hawkins in the bag (see below), the Cats went for midfielders. Selwood is the younger brother of tagger-twins Adam (at the Eagles) and Troy (Lyin’s) and a better player, allegedly. Joel’s not a running flanker like them, but a tough, skilful, smart on-baller, and a leader-type. U18 All-Australian in 2005 but injury restricted him to 3 games in 2006. Played well in the pre-season comp this year. “Of the brothers, more Groucho than Zeppo,” says The Age. Eh?

Nathan Djerrkura (Wanderers / Scotch College, draft pick 25). As in Highlander, the quickening comes here. Djerrkura ranked very highly for all sorts of speed, agility and endurance tests at draft camp. More importantly, he can play, averaging 22 touches per game as a ruck-rover or forward for the NT in the National U18 Championships in 2006, leading to All-Aussie selection at the level.

Tom Hawkins (Melbourne Grammar, draft pick 41). Powerful key forward, a “goalsquare behemoth” according to The Age. Touted as the new Jonathan Brown. Starred in the National U-18 Championships for Vic Metro, winning the Larke Medal for the best player in the tournament. Handily for the Cats, he’s the son of their former backman ‘Jumping’ Jack Hawkins, so they could collect Tom under father-son rules with paltry pick 41 when many thought he’d be in the top 3 in an open selection. Had some leg problems already.

Simon Hogan (Warrnambool, draft pick 57). Another very fast, but very thin, midfielder. Great ball-handling and evasive skills.

Rookie list

Todd Grima. Second year on.
Tom Lonergan.
Joel Reynolds (Essendon). 38 senior games in a variety of positions. Was the Dons’ full-forward for a while last year.
Liam Bedford (Claremont).
Jason Davenport (Geelong VFL).

Hawthorn

Off:

John Barker - retired
Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt - traded to Sydney for draft pick 33.
Nick Ries - delisted
Luke Brennan - delisted. Rookie-drafted by Sydney.
Harry Miller - delisted
Matthew Ball - delisted
Ben Kane - delisted

On:

Stephen Gilham (Rookie list / Port Adelaide). Tough back-flanker promoted after playing final four senior games last year. Managed one for Port in 2005, too.

Ben McGlynn (Rookie list / Box Hill Hawks). Decent midfielder, ‘centre clearance specialist’ according to Horks’ website. Able to kick the odd goal, played four senior games last year.

Mitchell Thorp (Northern Bombers, draft pick 6). Tasmanian forward, probably drafted for marketing purposes in the Orcs’ new home. The Orcs did want to draft more talls to complement Roughead, Franklin and the injury-delayed Dowler, and Thorp is tall with requisite mobility and strength. Impressed with 10 games in the Tassie VFL side last year, also made All-Australian U18 side.

Brent Renouf (Southport, draft pick 24). Highly-rated ruckman with superlative endurance and leaping ability. Played senior footy for Quaffle premiers Southport (including premiership side), also played for Qld in National U18s for the last 2 years.

Jarryd Morton (Claremont, draft pick 33). Younger brother of promising Weegle Mitch. Jarryd is a strong-marking key forward or defender, bagged 39 goals for Claremont Colts last year and also played in WA U18 side.

Josh Kennedy (Xavier College, draft pick 40). Son of Hawks’ quadruple-flag-winning half-forward John Kennedy Jnr. and grandson of legendary Horforn coach John ‘Kanga’ Kennedy. Fair pedigree, then. Josh is a rugged rover with great ball-winning ability, had a good year for school and TAC Cup club Sandringham, but missed National U18s through injury.

Garry Moss (East Perth, draft pick 56). Captained the WA U18 side last year as a smart, skilled and ‘poised’ midfielder. Won All-Australian selection and played senior footy in the Waffle. His light frame may have dissuaded earlier selection.

Rookie list

Luke McEntee. Second year on.
Brett Collins (St Bede’s).
Matthew Suckling (Wagga Tigers).
Sam Gibson (Oakleigh Chargers).

Melbourne

Off:

Alistair Nicholson - retired
Phil Read - delisted
Shannon Motlop - delisted
Nick Smith -  delisted

On:

Matthew Warnock (Rookie list). 22-year-old key defender has been developing with Sandringham, managed senior debut last year and 2 games in total.

James Frawley (East Ballarat, draft pick 12). The Dees wanted tall blokes who are also quick, luckily this draft was stuffed with ‘em. Frawley, the nephew of former Saint full-back and Richmun coach Danny, is a very quick key defender (193 cm) who played for Vic Country in the National U18s last year.

Ricky Petterd (Broadbeach, draft pick 30). The Deez were after either Frawley or Petterd with their first-round selection and were surprised Petterd remained when their second pick came around. He’s also a fast, tallish backman, who had an outstanding National U18 championships for Qld, averaging 24 touches a game, winning the Harrison Medal (for best player not from Vic, SA or WA) and All-Australian selection.

Colin Garland (North Hobart, draft pick 46). Full-forward who improved rapidly over the course of 2006, going from local footy to state representation at both U18 and senior VFL level. Very quick on-the-lead, strong hands. And a Melbourne-ish sort of name.

Isack Weetra (Port Adelaide Magpies, draft pick 62). Bit of a smoky, a small forward- or back-flanker with speed and creative skill. Toured South Africa with indigenous team early in 2006.

Rookie list

Jace Bode. Second year on.
Daniel Hughes. Second year on.
Shane Neaves. Second year on.
Daniel Hayes (Eastern Ranges).

North Melbourne

Off:

Sav Rocca - retired to go puntin’ in the NFL
Jade Rawlings - retired. Assistant coach at Richmond.
Jonathan Hay - retired
Troy Makepeace - delisted
Cameron Thurley - delisted
Chad Jones - delisted. Rookie-drafted by West Coast.
Mark Powell - delisted
Joel Perry -  delisted
Brent LeCras - delisted
Ben Schwarze - delisted

On:

Ed Lower (Rookie list / Norwood). Half-back or wingman made senior debut last year, played 4 games.

Djaran Whyman (Rookie list / North Ballarat). Small, speedy forward or rover. A bit older than most rookies at 23, he’d been on Hawthorn’s rookie list in 2002. Yet to play a senior game.

Scott McMahon (Rookie list / Woodville-West Torrens). Athletic midfielder with good leap, it says on the Ruse website. No senior games.

Lachlan Hansen (Nar Nar Goon, draft pick 3). The Ruse stuck with their picks this year, as did most clubs in this much-heralded draft. No trading for has-beens. One of four outstanding tall kids in the draft (the others being Gumbleton, drafted by Essadun, Leuenberger to Brisbane and the Cats’ father-son pick-up Hawkins), Hansen dominated the air at junior level, winning U18 All-Aussie selection in 2006 and excelling at draft camp with his speed and endurance. Plays best at CHB and will probably debut Round One.

Gavin Urquhart (Morningside, draft pick 21). Hard-running midfielder or back-flanker who’s a great, long kick, specializes in them long, running goals like the Lonies or Lindsay Gilbee. U18 All-Australian last year. Needs to bulk up a bit.

Todd Goldstein (Oakleigh Chargers, draft pick 37). Hefty young ruckman (201 cm, 106 kg) with basketball background. Turned his back on US college basketball scholarships to try footy - good on him. Great tap-work, also shown some ability as a forward.

Lindsay Thomas (Mallee Park / Port Adelaide Magpies, draft pick 53). Super-speedy left-foot midfielder who wins plenty of the ball and kicks goals. Played in the National U18s for SA last year, very impressive with 10 goals in Roos’ pre-season games this year.

Ben Warren (Zillmere Eagles, draft pick 69). Natural footballer type (that usually means slow) who runs all day and has some smarts and skill. Played as a forward-flanker and midfielder.

Aaron Edwards (Frankston, draft pick 82). Shortish but strong and quick full-forward caught up in The West Coast Drug Scandal last week, when he was mentioned on police tapes. Edwards was on West Coast’s list from 2003-2005, made a great senior debut in 2005, but he did little subsequently (too busy snortin’ coke) and was delisted at the end of that season. Edwards wound up in the VFL, booting 100 goals for the Dolphins last year and winning the Liston Trophy for the best player in the VFL. Becomes important with Nathan Thompson out for the season.

Ben Ross (Gippsland Power, pre-season draft pick 3). Lively half-forward with mass of blonde hair. Grandfather Max Papley played for South Melbourne.

Rookie list.

Leigh Adams (Eastern Ranges). Vic Metro captain in 2006 and considered the best player not taken in the November draft.
Ben Hughes (Gippsland Power).
Matt Campbell (Pioneers). Pacy, goal-kicking flanker. Played very well in this year’s NAB Cup.
Tim Hutchison (North Melbourne). Re-drafted.

Port Adelaide

Off:

Gavin Wanganeen - retired
Josh Francou - retired
Adam Kingsley - retired
Stuart Dew - retired
Matthew Bishop - delisted
Peter Walsh - delisted
Aaron Shattock - delisted
Ben Eckermann - delisted
James Ezard - delisted
Elijah Ware - delisted

On:

Tom Logan (Rookie list / Brisbane). Decent running midfielder played 3 senior games as a Lyin’ in 2005, then 8 games last year as a Pooer rookie.

Greg Bentley (Rookie list / Dandenong Stingrays). Small forward produced an assured debut in round 19 last year, in Darwin against the Dogs. Played remaining three senior games and seemed a very composed type.

Travis Boak (Torquay, draft pick 5). A lotta drafting by the Power, after they had a fair clear-out. Boak is a very classy, speedy midfielder with ability to win the ball (avg. 25 touches a game in the TAC Cup) and weave through traffic. Played for Vic Country in National U18s last year. Was keen to be picked by Geelong, his local club, so homesickness may be an issue.

Paul Stewart (Woodville-West Torrens, draft pick 23). Not much info about this bloke, a surprising second-round pick. He’s a tall guy (190 cm) who “came through the grades” at his Snaffle club, apparently, and might be a forward. Sang for the Painters and Dockers too, of course.

Nathan Krakouer (Claremont, draft pick 39). Nephew to Phil and Jim and very quick - quickest over 20m at draft camp. Very light, only 61 kg, but was probably the most impressive of the Port new boys in the pre-season. A “livewire”.

Robert Gray (Oakleigh Chargers, draft pick 55). Clever small forward likened unto Josh Mahoney. Captained TAC Cup premiers the Chargers last year and was runner-up in their best-and-fairest.

Justin Westhoff (Central Districts, draft pick 71). A big (199cm) but thin guy who’s a bit older than your average draftee (he’s 20). A forward, he’s very good endurance and senior Snaffle experience.

Ryan Williams (St. Joseph’s, draft pick 83). Utility player with ‘feverish’ work-rate, it says here, and great stamina. Played for Vic Country at representative U18 level last year. As he’s from Geelong way, a stable pony for Boak?

David Rodan (Richmond, draft pick 86). Port went deep into the draft and the very last selection overall was the only recycled player, Tiger rover ‘D-Rod’. He was a star at junior level but has struggled to make an impact in the AFL - okay at winning the ball but not so good at doing something with it. Port were looking for a ready-made midfielder.

Adam Cockshell (Norwood, pre-season draft pick 4). Great surname. A tall (198cm), 20-y-o key forward with a superb physique - one of them ‘athletes’.

Rookie list

Alex Lee (Dandenong Stingrays).
Gavin Grose (Mt Gravatt).
Nathan Batsanis (Oakleigh Chargers).Peter Hardy (Geelong Falcons).

Richmond

Off:

Mark Chaffey - retired
Greg Stafford - retired
Andrew Kellaway - delisted
David Rodan - delisted. Drafted by Port.
Tom Roach - delisted
Dean Limbach - delisted

On:

Graham Polak (Fremantle). Tiges were keen on securing a tall key-position man and Polak, unable to maintain a spot at Freo, was on the move. Like many Perth-based AFL men he enjoys recreational substances. Has ability, though.

Jack Riewoldt (Clarence, draft pick 13). Cousin of Saint Nick. Also a key forward, but not as mobile, they say. Operates around the goal-square and has very good hands, played senior VFL footy for Tassie last year including 13-mark, 4-goal game against Bendigo. Perhaps he was away from the goals a bit for that one.

Shayne Edwards (Golden Grove / North Adelaide, draft pick 26). Quality midfielder with speed, endurance and skill under-pressure. Kicks goals too. Represented SA at U18 level last year and played a half-season of senior footy for North Adelaide. Tigers surprised he lasted until pick 26.

Daniel Connors (Echuca, draft pick 58). Another skilful midfielder with a lot of kudos, All-Australian U18 last year and also made TAC Cup team of the year. Great hands and reader of the game. But Connors has one crucial flaw in the eyes of modern recruiters, he’s a bit slow (at running, that is). Still, Tiges thought him a bargain at pick 58.

Carl Peterson (Claremont, draft pick 60). Fast, athletic, high-leaping forward who booted 5 goals on debut for Claremont seniors last year. But at 70 kg, he’s probably a way off senior AFL footy at this stage.

Andrew Collins (Bendigo Pioneers, draft pick 73). Midfielder with speed and an ability to kick goals. Like Peterson, he’s probably a bit small at this stage.

Kent Kingsley (Geelong, pre-season draft pick 6). Unreliable full-forward who depends upon long, fast leads rather than aerial power. Kicking is erratic and a barometer of his fragile confidence. After a good start, Kingsley had an awful season last year, spending most of it in the VFL. And he’s already had a knee operation this year. Great.

Rookie list

Angus Graham. Ruckman / forward, second year on.
Cameron Howat. Second year on. Impressed in final 5 senior games last season.
Tasman Clingan (North Ballarat).
Jake King (Coburg Tigers).

St. Kilda

Off:

Justin Peckett - retired
Stephen Powell - retired
Cain Ackland - refused new contract. Pre-season drafted by Carlton.
Troy Schwarze - delisted
Mark McGough - delisted
Allan Murray - delisted

On:

Michael Gardiner (West Coast). New Sainter coach Ross Lyon had been in the job for 3 days when he moved to get drug’n’booze-fuelled, busted-knees, friend-to-the-underworld Gardiner. Lyon wanted a ruckman though, essential to his plan. Gardiner’s on a one-year performance-based contract and cost the Stains very little in trade (swapped a third-round pick for a fourth-round), so no big deal if (when) he doesn’t work out.

Shane Birss (Footscray). Half-forward or midfielder has had plenty of injury problems through his career, especially last year. Useful player when right, though. Played 51 games in 5 years.

David Armitage (Morningside, draft pick 9). High-quality teenage on-baller who should play this season, with an outstanding year in senior (Qld) footy under his belt, capped by winning ‘Quaffle’ Rising Star Award and All-Aussie U18 selection. Tough, elusive and has great left boot.

Brad Howard (Redlands/Toowoomba, draft pick 27). Athletic flanker-type with impressive combination of pace, stamina and jumping ability at draft camp. Played in National U18s in 2005 but Howard didn’t nominate for the draft that year as he felt he “wasn’t ready”. A surprise second-round pick, Howard was keen on going to the Lyin’s but idolizes Robert Harvey.

Jarryd Allen (Riddell’s Creek, draft pick 59). The curious draft pick 59, traded by the Saints to the Doggies for Birss, who on-traded it to the Eegs as part of the McDougall deal, who in turn sent it back to the Saints in the Gardiner trade. Ahem. Allen is a lanky, ‘versatile’ big man who booted 46 goals for TAC Cup club Calder last season, also did some rucking and won All-Aussie U18 selection.

Matthew Clarke (Adelaide, pre-season draft pick 7). Lyon’s search for a ruckman included coaxing recently-retired 33-year-old ‘Doc’ Clarke back into the fray. He’s a great tap ruckman but not gettin’ any younger. Or more athletic.

Rookie list.

Clinton Jones (South Fremantle).
Luke van Rheenen (Scoresby).
Robert Eddy (Gippsland Power).
James Wall (Sydney). Tall, skinny bloke on the Swans’ rookie list. No senior game
Jarryn Geary (Bendigo Pioneers).
Jayden Attard (Brisbane). Running backman, 5 senior games in 2 years with Brisbane.

Sydney

Off:

Paul Williams - retired
Paul Chambers - retired
David Spriggs - delisted
Josh Willoughby - delisted
Matthew Davis - demoted to rookie list
Andrew Eriksen - delisted
Earl Shaw - demoted to rookie list.

On:

Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt (Hawthorn). Meedya-loving, tattooed 32-year-old ruckman widely acknowledged as the best tap-man in the business. Wanted more than the one-year deal the Horks were offering and made no secret of his desire to move to Sinney, who were keen to support Jolly and injury-prone Doyle. Spida’s had some ‘discipline’ problems which the Swans figure their no di*kheads hard-line will quell.

Simon Phillips (Rookie list / Sandringham Dragons). Tiny but speedy rover managed four senior games last season.

Jonathan Simpkin (Rookie list / Geelong Falcons). He’s been compared with Amon Buchanan, being from the same town (Colac) and playing in a similar style. Yet to make senior debut but earned promotion due to a very good year in the dubious Sydney comp.

Daniel O’Keefe (Warrnambool, draft pick 15). Surprise pick in the first round but a well-performed junior midfielder. Prolific ball-winner and hard runner with handy ability to kick goals. Played for Vic Country in 2006, averaged 22 touches a game and booted 16 goals for TAC Cup club Geelong.

Daniel Currie (Eltham, draft pick 49). Following O’Keefe’s selection the Swans looked for tall youngsters in the draft, having dumped Chambers and Eriksen. Currie (200 cm) is only 17 but had a very good 2006 in the TAC Cup (for Northern Knights) as a defender or ruckman, also represented Vic Metro in National U18s.

Peter Faulks (Calder Cannons, draft pick 65). Tall key defender who “is rarely beaten”, according to the AwFuL website. Not LRT, then. Recorded highest standing-vertical jump in Victorian draft camp and was also quick. Why’s he going at pick 65?

Jesse White (Southport, draft pick 79). Another big (196 cm, 101 kg) 18-y-o, with a basketball background. Played in attack, the backline and the ruck for his Quaffle side and for the Qld U18s over the last two years. Showed ability as a key forward in pre-season.

Rookie list

Kieran Jack. Second year on.
Ed Barlow. Second year on.
Sam Rowe. Second year on.
Nick Smith (Oakleigh Chargers).
Matthew O’Dwyer (Calder Cannons).
Luke Brennan (Hawthorn). No. 8 draft pick in 2002, but knee problems restricted him to19 senior games with the Hawks.
Matthew Davis.
Earl Shaw.

West Coast:

Off:

Drew Banfield - retired.
Andrew McDougall - traded to Footscray along with draft picks 34 & 66 for 29 & 59.
Michael Gardiner - traded to St. Kilda, along with draft pick 59, for draft pick 43.
Travis Gaspar - delisted
Damien Adkins - delisted
Brad Smith - delisted

On:

Steven Armstrong (Rookie list / Melbourne). Earned his stripes as a half-forward, playing 8 games last year including all the finals. Booted a crucial goal in the Grand Final (then again, when you win by a point they’re all crucial). A monty for promotion.

Matthew Priddis (Rookie list / Subiaco). Soldily-built, curly-haired 21-year-old midfielder made senior debut at Kardinia Park last year in the miracle-comeback game. Made one other senior appearance in a tough team for midfielders to break into - although Cousin’s absence this year opens up a spot. Won 2006 Sandover Medal for best player in the ‘Waffle’ with a record 58 votes.

Mitchell Brown (Ballarat, draft pick 16) Twin brother of Nathan, drafted by the Pies.  Like bro’, Mitchell is tall (193 cm), strong-bodied, agile and quick for his size, but he’s a forward instead of a backman.

Eric MacKenzie (Claremont, draft pick 29). Another mobile big lad, MacKenzie played full-back for WA in the National U18s last year.

Tim Houlihan (Harrow-Balmoral / North Ballarat, draft pick 43). Tallish, skinny back-flanker with outstanding endurance from athletics background - selected on that basis alone, it seems.

Will Schofield (Geelong College, draft pick 50). Another big  bloke - the Eegs were keen on ‘em with Gardiner, Gaspar and McDougall all departing. Schofield is 195 cm but athletic enough to play as a running flanker. Played for Vic Country at U16 level in 2005 but no mention of exploits last year. Studying, probably.

James Thomson (Claremont, draft pick 80). Rounding out the tall lads, Thomson is an agile key defender with great endurance. Missed most of 2006 with injury.

Rookie list.

Jamie McNamara (East Fremantle).
Llane Spaanderman (East Perth). Two years and three games with Brisbane, 2004-5.
Chad Jones (North Melbourne). Big bloke, six games in three years with Norf.
Ben Sharp. Re-rookie listed.
Ashley Thornton. Re-rookie listed.
Beau Wilkes. Re-rookie listed.