AFL Draft

The mid-season draft was held at the end of May with clubs allowed to fill out their lists provided they had open spots available. Often these are players who were either overlooked in the regular drafts or they are "mature-age" players who perhaps weren't ready to be drafted at 18 or 19 years old.

The number of the pick precedes the name of the player selected and the current club of the player follows their name. Two rounds were held but not all clubs had picks in either round. Carlton, Gold Coast, Adelaide, St Kilda, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Collingwood didn’t participate in the draft as they didn’t have any available list places. GWS had selections 5 and 14 but passed on both. Clubs are listed in alphabetic order.

ESSENDON

(9) JAIDEN HUNTER (Perth, WAFL), 21, 190cm (6'1"), 93kg (204 lbs), tall forward
Has been eligible for the draft for the past few years with several clubs showing interest. Came back from a recent injury to kick 11 goals in his past three games

The AFL National Draft and Rookie Draft were held in late November. All the selections are listed below by team so readers can scroll to their favorites. The listings are as follows: the first number is the selection, followed by player name, (junior club), age, height and weight, in metric with the conversions in ( ), and position. Many players tested at the draft combine. Twenty meters is 65 feet and 2 kilometers is 1.24 miles. Many also represented their state at the national tournament which is referred to here as the U-18's.

ADELAIDE

17) MAX MICHALAMEY (Norwood, SANFL), 18, 190 (6'1"), 78 (171), medium defender
Disciplined and team-oriented, uses his reach and speed with great effectiveness against opposition forwards, runs well and uses the ball well. Represented South Australia at the U-18's and was best on ground against the Allies and Vic Country, winning All-Australian honors. Played three senior games for Norwood. Has already signed with the Crows as a father-son selection as his father John was a four-time premiership player with Norwood and played over 200 games. Showed his athletic prowess at the draft combine with 3.03 seconds for the 20 meter (65 ft) sprint and 6:30 minutes for the 2km (1.24 miles) time trial.

43) WILL DOWLING North Adelaide, SANFL), 18, 187 (6'), 80 (1767), medium midfielder

In mid-October, the Kangaroos and Adelaide traded draft selections, allowing the Roos to move up a notch or two in the draft order. North received selection 23 in this year's draft in exchange for pick 59 and a future second-round selection. Gold Coast, Sydney, and West Coast delisted players while Essendon looks to get twin "favorite sons".

The Kangaroos also delisted midfielder Jared Polec. Polec was originally drafted by Brisbane but was later traded to Port Adelaide. He joined North at the end of the 2018 season and played every game in 2019. However, he was restricted to 18 games over the next two seasons due to injury. He was delisted at the end of 2021 and added to the rookie list. Polec, 30, was hampered by a foot injury early in the season and required surgery.

At the beginning of June, the AFL held the midseason rookie draft. For some clubs, it was a chance to find replacements for players who have been injured and face extended periods on the sidelines. For others just a chance to bolster their lists for the future. Below are the selections. Clubs had to have a roster spot open to participate in the draft. As with the national draft, it is by club, selection number, player, club of origin, age, height, weight and position.

ADELAIDE

4. Brett Turner (Glenelg, SANFL), 25, 185cm (5'9"), 88kg (193 lbs), midfielder
Ready-made for AFL and is a ball winner who can play wing or forward.

19 - Pass

CARLTON

13. Sam Durdin (North Melbourne), 25, 199 (6'4"), 98 (215), defender
Drafted by North in 2014, he played 22 games before being delisted at the end of 2020. Has performed well for Glenelg in the SANFL.

22. Will Hayes (Carlton VFL), 26, 181 (5'8"), 77 (169), midfielder
Ball winner originally drafted by the Western Bulldogs in 2018 and played 11 games before being delisted at the end of 2021. Was a member of the 2016 VFL premiership team and has been impressive in the VFL with his footy smarts and ball winning ability. Good tackler and can kick goals.

The AFL Draft was held during our Thanksgiving holiday period. The Western Bulldogs kicked things off with a trade of draft selections to better their chances of snaring Sam Darcy, son of former champ Luke. They gave Geelong their first selection (number 23) to Geelong in exchange for the Cats' selections 32 and 34. GWS was interested in Darcy so the Dogs needed a strong draft hand to match the bid. During the trade period, several clubs tried to coax a deal with North Melbourne for the number one selection, but the Kangaroos turned down all offers. The Bulldogs and North also flipped picks for next year's draft. The Bulldogs were not the only club busy trading, with Port Adelaide moving up two spots by giving West Coast their selection 14 and a future round two pick. The Roos were also involved in a trade with Collingwood and received the Pies' second round pick of number 36, giving up a third round pick (No.38) and a future third round selection.

As in years past, it is club by club. The number in front is the draft selection followed by player name, (junior or club of origin), age, height, weight and position. The Rookie and Preseason drafts were held just after the national draft, so those selections are included here.

ADELAIDE

The AFL trade period commenced at the beginning of October and ended on October 13. Just ahead of its start, George Hewett left the Swans and signed with Carlton as a free agent. Originally from South Australia, Hewett was drafted by Sydney in 2013 and played 120 games. The tough midfielder can win the ball and putting plenty of tackling pressure on the opposition. As compensation, Sydney received an end-of-second-round draft selection.

Collingwood has signed Nick Daicos on a four-year deal as a father-son selection. The Magpies had already indicated they would match any bid from rival clubs to secure Daicos. Gold Coast was interested in him but struck a deal with the Pies. Collingwood traded their 2022 second, third and fourth-round selections to the Suns in exchange for picks 22, 46, 58 and 79 in this year’s Draft as well as a future fourth-round pick for next year. This gives Collingwood the draft points needed to secure Daicos.

The AFL held their midseason rookie draft in early June. All 18 clubs had available spots open on their lists and 22 players were selected. The selection order was in reverse to the standings at the end of Round 11.

The eligibility criteria: any player who nominated for the most recent draft, a delisted player (cannot be selected by the club from which he was delisted), a player who has been retired for more than one year. Any player who does not meet these requirements can be nominated by a representative of the AFL Talent Pathway, their AFLPA accredited agent, or the player themselves and be considered for an exemption.

THE DRAFT

Note: player information is the same as for previous drafts: selection number, name, the club of origin, age, height, weight, and position

The AFL Supplementary Selection Period (SSP) ended on March 9 with eight clubs selecting 12 players. Several had been delisted by other clubs and were invited to train with other clubs in the hope of being selected. Below are the clubs and their selections.

The preseason and rookie drafts were held about a week after the National Draft. The rookie list was primarily used to officially relist senior players as rookies. They included Grant Birchall (Brisbane), Sam Reid (GWS Giants), Marty Gleeson (Essendon), Dylan Clarke (Essendon), Roarke Smith (Western Bulldogs), Daniel Venables (West Coast) and Bailey Banfield (Fremantle).

The AFL draft was held on December 8. Below  are all the players drafted. The listings are club by club so readers can scroll more easily to the club(s) of interest.  A few notes regarding the listings: the first number is the draft selection followed by player name (club of origin), age, height in metric (coversion), weight in metric (conversion) and position with the profile below. Many players played for more than one club, but only the primary NAB or other club is listed wtih any others named as necessary. Readers will also note Team Dal Santo and Team Brown.