1. GWS Giants
Aaron Cadman – 194cm Forward, VIC
It’s no surprise who the Giants are targeting after
trading up the order to secure the No.1 pick. Most clubs don’t have Cadman in the top five on their draft boards, but he is the best key forward in this year’s draft pool and that is precisely what GWS needs. Unlike some other top Victorian prospects, the Darley local has also expressed genuine excitement about moving interstate. That has given the Giants a level of confidence that they will be able to build a forward line around the Jeremy Cameron clone in the long-term.
2. Brisbane Lions (match North Melbourne bid)
Will Ashcroft – 183cm Midfielder, VIC
While Cadman might go at No.1 on draft night, you’d struggle to find a club that does not have
Ashcroft pegged as the No.1 talent in this year’s pool. The Giants are not expected to bid on the Brisbane father-son at pick 1, meaning the Kangaroos will have to do so at pick 2. The prolific ball-winning onballer – who is the son of three-time Lions premiership player Marcus – has not put a foot wrong this year and has won a swag of awards in the process. Expect him to have an immediate impact in a Brisbane jumper next year.
3. North Melbourne
George Wardlaw – 182cm Midfielder, VIC
Had he not had a season ruined by injury, Wardlaw might have been lauded as one of the best draft prospects of recent years. A hard-at-it onballer with power and speed, he models his game on Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver. Wardlaw missed all four games of the national championships for Vic Metro and played just three NAB League games for Oakleigh Chargers due to multiple hamstring injuries, a concussion and a bout of Covid-19. However, clubs still rate him highly and the games he has played this year have been exceptional.
4. North Melbourne
Harry Sheezel – 183cm Forward, VIC
Opposition clubs believe the Kangaroos are now “a lock” to take Wardlaw followed by Sheezel, despite North Melbourne flagging it is still open to trading its second pick. Wardlaw’s good mate from the Oakleigh Chargers, Elijah Tsatas, is available to the Roos here but is another midfielder, an area the club has already stockpiled a few of in recent years. Sheezel provides something different as a forward with the most X-Factor of any player in the draft. He is a genuine classy goalkicker who recruiters believe still has plenty of upside left.
5. Essendon
Elijah Tsatas – 188cm Midfielder, VIC
The Bombers are tossing up a few options at their first pick, but Tsatas looks the early favourite. The Oakleigh Chargers product is an obvious choice as a local who will provide Essendon with some much needed power, speed and size through the midfield. West Australian Reuben Ginbey is also in the mix here and – while not as classy as Tsatas – he is a bigger bodied midfielder who would complement the likes of smaller onballers Darcy Parish, Dylan Shiel and Zach Merrett. The Bombers have also had an eye on South Australian forward-midfielder Mattaes Phillipou, but pick 5 might be a touch early for him.
6. Gold Coast
Rueben Ginbey – 189cm Midfielder/Defender, WA
As long as the Bombers don’t strike first, the Suns look set to snap up Ginbey with their first pick. The West Australian is the preferred option for West Coast with their top-10 selection but is unlikely to get there given the interest from Gold Coast and Essendon higher in the order. A big-bodied midfielder, Ginbey also has a second string to his bow with his ability to play across half-back. He was Western Australia’s MVP in the national championships, capping a season which has seen his star significantly rise.
7. Hawthorn
Bailey Humphrey – 184cm Midfielder/Forward, VIC
A late-season bolter, Humphrey is tipped to land at Waverley Park. He missed a chunk of the season with a knee injury but finished the NAB League season in a blaze of glory and had some good moments in Vic Country’s final match of the national championships. With the departures of Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara during the trade period, the Hawks need to add some more midfielders and Humphrey fits the bill there as well as being able to push forward and impact the scoreboard. He interviewed well with clubs at the draft combine, coming across as a good down-to-earth Gippsland boy.
8. Geelong
Jhye Clark – 180cm Midfielder, VIC
If no one makes a surprise play earlier, the Cats look a certainty to snap up Clark
with the pick they received in the Jack Bowes salary dump. A local who captained the Geelong Falcons in the NAB League this year, Clark has drawn comparisons to recently-retired Cats great Joel Selwood with the way he goes about it. He’s a brave and incredibly tough onballer who is developing into a stellar leader and is one of the best two-way runners in this year’s draft pool. Clark trained with Geelong in the pre-season as part of the AFL Academy program and made an impression, before going on to win Vic Country’s MVP award at the national championships.
9. West Coast
Jedd Busslinger – 196cm Defender, WA
The Eagles are expected to target homegrown talent with their first two picks and with Ginbey expected to be off the table before they come around, Busslinger is the early favourite here. The East Perth product is more of an interceptor than a key defender and therefore might not be considered a top-10 selection in other drafts. But he looks the best tall defender this year and fits a need for West Coast. Busslinger reads the play well, backs himself in the air and is a good kick for a big man.
10. St Kilda
Cam Mackenzie – 187cm Midfielder, VIC
The Saints need a few different types of players across the field. Tall intercepting defender Jedd Busslinger and key forward Matthew Jefferson have been raised as possible options at this pick, but Mackenzie looks the obvious choice. A St Kilda Next Generation Academy member for the past three years, the Sandringham Dragons midfielder has worked closely with Nick Dal Santo and said he would be “be happy to stay at the Saints” after training with the club earlier this year. Mackenzie finds plenty of the ball and uses it well, while also having great speed and composure. He won a NAB League premiership with the Dragons this year and another in school football at Brighton Grammar.
11. Carlton
Oliver Hollands – 183cm Midfield, VIC
The Blues are believed to be zeroing in on Hollands with their first pick, given they are keen to bolster their stocks of strong-running midfielders. The boy from Wodonga – who is the brother of Gold Coast’s Elijah Hollands –
finished equal-first in the 2km time trial at the national draft combine earlier this month after placing equal-fourth in the YoYo test at the NAB League testing day in March. Hollands has spent a lot of time on a wing this year, where he has found plenty of the ball and makes good decisions. However, he is also developing his inside midfield game with his contest work. Fittingly, Hollands is a Carlton supporter whose great-grandfather Martin Cross played 36 VFL games for the Blues in the 1960s.
12. Western Bulldogs
Mattaes Phillipou – 190cm Forward/Midfielder, SA
A lot of clubs have Phillipou ranked 10-15 on their draft boards, but
some consider him to be top-five on talent and say he would be “a steal” if he makes it to the Bulldogs at pick 12. The Woodville-West Torrens forward-midfielder is a good size and possesses impressive speed, aerial abilities and a good kick. Recruiters describe him as a player who “can break games open” with “matchwinning qualities”. There is also some romance about a potential move to the Bulldogs. Phillipou’s father, Sam, played three games for the club.
13. West Coast
Ed Allan – 194cm Midfielder, WA
The Eagles are believed to be looking very closely at Allan with one of their first two picks, given he has also attracted interest from Melbourne, which has the very next selection. Another homegrown talent from the west, Allan has good size and speed and is a strong runner who was the quickest player over 20m at the national draft combine. The son of former Hawthorn and Fremantle star Ben, he has emerged as a draft bolter in the second half of the season, despite playing limited football this year due to a stress fracture in his back. Fellow WA product Elijah Hewett is more of a genuine midfielder than Allan but is expected to slide a little further down the order.
14. Melbourne
Matthew Jefferson – 195cm Forward, VIC
The second-best key forward in the draft behind Cadman, Jefferson is firmly in the sights of the Demons if he is still available at their first pick. Key forwards are the weak spot in Melbourne’s list. The club picked up Jacob van Rooyen in last year’s draft, who is showing plenty of promise, and Josh Schache in the trade period. However, Sam Weideman departed for Essendon and Ben Brown and Tom McDonald will both start next season at the age of 30. Jefferson’s marking ability is his weapon and he has improved his goalkicking this year. Likened to Essendon’s Harrison Jones, he booted seven goals from eight kicks against Western Australia during the national championships.
15. Sydney
Lachlan Cowan – 188cm Defender, TAS
The Swans would be all over Phillipou if he fell as low as pick 15. But with that scenario highly unlikely, Sydney is turning its attention to Cowan. This year’s runners-up have been looking to add some more run and rebound out of half-back and Cowan is a perfect fit as a speedy line-breaking rebounding defender with a penetrating right boot. The Tasmanian has a host of admirers in the 15 to 25 range, with Collingwood also interested. So if Sydney doesn’t snap him up here, he might not be available at the Swans’ next selection.
16. GWS Giants
Lewis Hayes – 197cm Defender, VIC
Rival clubs aren’t entirely sure what the Giants are going to do with their three other top-25 picks. However, Hayes is a considered a first-round prospect who makes some sense for GWS to lend some support to Sam Taylor down back. The brother of Port Adelaide ruckman Sam, Hayes is more than capable one-on-one but is more of a third-tall type defender who reads the play well and is a strong interceptor. He likes to run and receive on the way out and is still growing. His brother stands a towering 205cm tall.
17. Brisbane (match bid from Collingwood)
Jaspa Fletcher – 184cm Midfielder, QLD
Another Brisbane father-son prospect, Fletcher is a first-round talent and Collingwood is a club that would not be afraid of making a bid. The Lions don’t have the draft points to match first-round bids on Ashcroft and Fletcher just yet, but will either find them or go into a points deficit next year to secure the talented pair. Fletcher is the son of Adrian, who played 231 top-level games for four clubs including the Brisbane Bears and Lions. More athletically gifted than his dad, he is a strong runner who has real class and makes good decisions.
18. Collingwood
Henry Hustwaite – 194cm Midfielder, VIC
No one is saying that Hustwaite will be the next Scott Pendlebury, but he has some similar traits to the Magpies champion as a midfielder who is not overly quick but has classy hands to release teammates from stoppages. Collingwood is right across him, especially given his older brother Campbell is a co-captain of the Magpies’ VFL team. Hailing from the Dandenong Stingrays, Hustwaite has also spent some time across half-back this year and was a consistent performer for Vic Country across his four matches during the national championships.
19. Sydney
Olli Hotton – 181cm Forward, VIC
The Swans are understood to be fans of Hotton, who has emerged into a top-20 prospect in the eyes of many. While recruiters believe he still has a bit of work to do, he is a good character and has a strong athletic profile on which to build. Hotton finished sixth in the 20m sprint at the national draft combine as well as equal-fourth in the vertical jump. The high half-forward role was new to Hotton this year but one he excelled in, including during an impressive national championships campaign for Vic Metro. He logged 24 disposals and kicked three goals in one game against South Australia.
20. GWS Giants
Charlie Clarke – 182cm Forward, VIC
The Giants are expected to snap up Clarke with one of these two selections, given there are a few other clubs with picks in the 20s who are lurking. The forward shot to prominence when he kicked seven goals for Sandringham Dragons in the NAB League in round 4 and went on to have a solid national championships for Vic Metro. Clarke brings good energy, is defensively-minded and possesses some good speed which allows him to find space. He might be a slight reach at pick 20, but he is the type of player the Giants could do with in attack alongside Brent Daniels and Toby Greene.
21. GWS Giants
Coby Burgiel – 183cm Defender/Midfielder/Forward, VIC
Burgiel has plenty of fans and is tipped to land somewhere between picks 15 and 30, putting him right in the mix for the Giants. GWS can cherry pick what it needs given its raft of high picks, and Burgiel presents a good option as a player with serious speed who can line up in a range of positions. He started the year on a wing but has also played across half-forward, as an inside midfielder and across half-back, where he looked a natural for Vic Country in the national championships. From the Gippsland Power, Burgiel finished third in the 20m sprint at the draft combine and is a beautiful kick.
22. West Coast
Darcy Jones – 175cm Midfielder/Forward, WA
The star of the draft combine, Jones set a new record in the agility test as well as taking out the vertical jump title and finishing fifth in both the running vertical jump and the 20m sprint. The boy from Swan Districts is small, but boy can he play. Jones kicked two goals in his senior WAFL debut late in the season playing primarily on a wing, and recruiters describe him as “hard to fault”. With the Eagles looking to draft some West Australian locals, he is another who fits the criteria.
23. Western Bulldogs
Brayden George – 185cm Forward, VIC
Whoever takes a punt on George will do so knowing he will be on the sidelines throughout next year after he suffered a late-season ACL injury. However,
the potential payoff in the long-term is enormous. A power athlete, George has exceptional spring and speed in his legs and is a threat in attack both in the air and at ground level. While he still has some areas to improve in, he has drawn comparisons to Christian Petracca and could have been pushing to be a top-10 pick this year had he not been injured. It would be brave for a struggling club to pick him in the top 25 given the injury, but rivals believe a more established club like the Bulldogs could take a punt earlier.
24. Essendon
Josh Weddle – 191cm Defender, VIC
There is a lot of interest in Weddle among clubs with picks 15 to 25, with the mid-sized defender viewed as a player with “enormous upside”. Weddle was considered a later draft pick early in the year but came with a bullet in the second half of the season. He has a great athletic profile, is driven and is a genuine competitor down back who can hold down taller opponents. Hawthorn and Collingwood also have some interest if Essendon doesn’t pounce first.
25. North Melbourne
Max Gruzewski – 192cm Defender/Forward, VIC
If they take Wardlaw and Sheezel with the first two picks, expect the Kangaroos to target a key-position player with this pick, which they obtained from Adelaide in a late pick swap. Gruzewski, who is otherwise expected to attract interest from Collingwood a couple of picks later, is one good option who has shown an ability to play at both ends of the ground this year. A smart decision maker with good endurance and a strong marking game, Gruzewski missed a large chunk of the season with a PCL knee injury but caught the eye in Vic Metro’s final match of the national championships. Tasmanian intercepting defend
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