This year’s AFL national draft will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre on November 24. The AFL’s newest club, Greater Western Sydney Giants, will have an unprecedented 11 of the first 14 picks in the draft through their preseason trade week deals. The highlight of trade week was Brisbane’s Mitch Clark being recruited by Melbourne The Demons were one of the trade’s main winners. The rest of the AFL teams either went und
erground or couldn’t find the right swap, which has left numerous de-listed players entering the draft process.
29 players found new clubs in trade week. Dean Brogan and Luke Power went to the Giants and Ben Hudson joined Brisbane, all three extending the twilight of their careers. Adelaide’s Jack Gunston became a Hawk while the Dog’s Josh Hill went to the Eagles. West Coast player Brad Ebert returned to his home town of Adelaide joining the Power.
Irishman Tommy Walsh left the Saints for Sydney. The Swans gave up national draft picks 35 and 68 for the potential key position player.
GWS traded their rights to 17-year-old’s Jaeger O’Meara and Brad Crouch. O’Meara will become a Sun while Crouch was snapped up by the Crows.
Players who requested a move and couldn’t because of various reasons were the Magpies Brent Macaffer, Carlton’s Setanta O’hAilpin (who was subsequently delisted by the Blues) and Paul Bower, the Cats Mark Blake, Hawthorn’s Rick Ladson and Demon’s Matthew Bate may still be retained.
St Kilda has some serious salary cap issues and it looks like the uncontracted Zac Dawson and Farren Ray will most probably find themselves nominating for the draft, hoping that another club will take a punt and pick them up.
Bad boy, Brendan Fevola, now bagging goals in the Northern Territory League, is another player who may nominate for one of the two drafts. But don’t be surprised if GWS selects the gun forward as a rookie for peanuts. Some wouls say you’d have to be peanuts…