Elite talent, depth and building for a flag: Analysing each club’s 2024 draft selections

Jagga Smith (3), Harry O’Farrell (40), Ben Camporeale (43), Lucas Camporeale (54)
Carlton traded out their future first- and second-round picks to get Hawthorn’s 14 this year, which allowed them to trade pick 12 (which they already had) and pick 14 for West Coast’s pick three. The Blues were adamant they had several players in mind when they made the move, and they chose ball magnet Smith after the Kangaroos snagged another option, Finn O’Sullivan. Smith has been destined to be selected high in the national draft for many years as he never plays a bad game. He is slight, but don’t let that fool you. He wins the ball at will and can use his quick hands and feet to extract the ball from the centre. An excellent addition to the Blues’ midfield. The club is also adding talls – O’Farrell, the son of lawyer Peter (who has been instrumental in getting key Blues off at the tribunal), was added with the final second-round pick. He can play at either ends but is a key defender, an area of real need. Then the Blues waited for the bids to come in for the Camporeale twins, sons of premiership wingman Scott. Carlton were rapt the bids did not come for the pair until after pick 40. – Peter Ryan

List manager Nick Austin: “Jagga, Ben and Lucas certainly help our transition game, and Harry, for a tall guy, is very athletic, a beautiful kick for his size. We’re really excited for the guys we’ve brought in the last couple of days.”

Collingwood

Joel Cochran (47), Charlie West (50), Will Hayes (56)

The Magpies were interested in filling positional needs, nabbing a tall defender and forward. They made a bid on tall defender Cochran from Sydney’s academy, knowing the Swans were unlikely to match it. Cochran won the two-kilometre time trial at the draft combine and could replace the retired Nathan Murphy. They had their eyes on West as a possible option in the third round. He was an excellent player in the SANFL under-18s grand final with Woodville West-Torrens and will be a long-term project. The players value his bulk and strength as a bullocking forward. List boss Justin Leppitsch could hardly hide his excitement when discussing Hayes, a lightly built wingman who played well for Western Australia in the under-18 championships. He is good at ground level and adds fizz to the game. – Peter Ryan

Leppitsch: “It was a really important draft for us in positional needs, a key defender, a key forward and then add a little bit of pace and excitement with our last pick. It’s never easy for our recruiters when we are picking so late in the draft.”

Essendon

Isaac Kako (13), Kayle Gerreyn (37), Angus Clarke (39), Rhys Unwin (61), Zak Johnson (70)

Despite some negative reaction, the Bombers did well to trade out of the first round of this year’s draft as a bid was likely to come before their first selection if they had hung on to pick nine. Instead, they secured Melbourne’s first-round pick for next season and later picks in this draft for nine and a future third-round pick while landing Kako, an exciting small forward, with a matched bid. That is a coup because the Bombers started the trade and draft period with pick eight (it became nine after St Kilda received compensation for Josh Battle) and pick 28. They opted for agile Western Australian ruckman Gerreyn, who plays like a midfielder, and South Australian intercept defender Clarke, who is related to former Brisbane ruckman and Crows AFLW coach Matthew Clarke. Unwin has speed to burn, and the Bombers see him as a high half-forward who might come up to stoppages. Johnson is versatile and has poise. List manager Matt Rosa said they rated Jobe Shanahan, who played VFL at the club, but were not going to compromise their strategy by giving away too much to get higher on the board in an attempt to claim him. – Peter Ryan

Rosa: “It was a really exciting night to be able to bring in five young talents. We’ve been able to improve our draft hand next year as well.”

Fremantle

Murphy Reid (17), Charlie Nicholls (34), Jaren Carr (63)
Elusive midfielder Reid showed his tricks late in a match against Vic Metro when he created a goal for teammate Ashcroft out of nothing, pulling off an audacious move while trapped on the boundary line that allowed him to handball to a teammate. Reid has confidence and will slot in nicely to the Dockers’ midfield when he is ready. Nicholls is a key forward who will hope to eventually slot in alongside Josh Treacy and Jye Amiss. The Dockers have midfield depth, but hope Reid will develop forward of centre having bolstered that area with Shai Bolton arriving from Richmond. Carr didn’t nominate for the mid-season draft amid interest from the Brisbane Lions, backing himself to join the Dockers’ list. The faith the promising forward, who is the son of ex-defender Matthew Carr, showed in himself was justified. List manager David Walls said he could be a late developer like his dad. He is a strong runner and his kicking has improved. The Dockers said Nicholls will need time, but they believe his competitiveness and ability to read the ball will keep him in good stead. He is a forward who can pinch hit in the ruck. – Peter Ryan

Walls: “I feel like we have got a lot of depth down through the midfield, but we need guys to improve too. We hope competition for spots and everyone can get better over pre-season.”

Geelong

Jay Polkinghorne (44), Jacob Molier (52), Lennox Hofmann (66), Keighton Matofai-Forbes (69)
Polkinghorne played in Norwood’s SANFL reserves premiership in 2024 after making a slow start to the season due to injury. An accurate kick and good mark, he is a set shot goalkicker and adds depth to the Cats’ tall forward stocks. The Cats also added young ruckman Molier as they continue to build depth in that area due to talented young ruckman Toby Conway’s battle with injury and premiership ruckman Rhys Stanley’s age. Alex Dodson was also on their radar and recruiting manager Stephen Wells said he was rated highly too. Geelong made a bid on NGA graduate Hoffman at pick 66 but the Saints – who have been vocal about the draft system – chose not to match the bid. Matofai-Forbes is a power forward from the Western Jets who played senior football for Keilor. New Zealand-born, his mother Irene played for Samoa in the 1999 netball World Cup. – Peter Ryan

Wells: “It was a good mix of players. It was a very even group of players we were picking from, and we have three selections in the rookie draft. The four are all different types of players who have deserved their opportunity on an AFL list.”

Gold Coast

Leo Lombard (9), Cooper Bell (49)
Lombard is another Gold Coast academy graduate who seems destined to be part of the Suns’ inevitable premiership push. Despite knowing all year he was going to be on the Suns’ list, the midfielder-forward was so excited when his name was called that he dropped the magic word on television. Suns supporters may have screamed the profanity back in unison as Lombard is a precocious talent who will fit in well at Gold Coast, having played in the club’s 2023 VFL premiership aged just 16. The son of UFC fighter Hector, who represented Cuba in judo at the 2000 Olympics, it is no surprise he is a tough footballer. The Suns then placed a bid on Giants academy graduate Cooper Bell, which was not matched, adding the running defender to a list that has stacked that area in the exchange period. – Peter Ryan

Recruiting manager Kall Burns: “We’ve known what Leo can do for a long time as a member of our academy, and it’s fantastic to have him officially join the club tonight as an AFL-listed player. It’s an amazing achievement for Leo and he should be extremely proud of all the hard work and dedication he has put in to achieve his goal of reaching the AFL.”

GWS

Ollie Hannaford (18), Harrison Oliver (19), Cody Angove (24), Jack Ough (36), Logan Smith (71)
With a bounty of first-round picks after being compensated for losing free agents Harry Perryman and Isaac Cumming, the Giants went for speed and power in picking Hannaford and Oliver with their opening two selections. Hannaford was excellent for the Rebels in the Talent League grand final after switching forward in the second half of the season, and as a country kid will have no issue moving. Oliver comes from the same secondary school and area as Giants star Finn Callaghan and is regarded as a hard nut with great running power. The left-footed small defender is a piercing kick and shapes as a replacement for Perryman or Cumming after a strong season with the Sandringham Dragons. Angove was a surprise pick at that number, but the Giants often find a smokey. The Western Australian forward is a speedy runner who played in a premiership with Claremont Colts. Athletic, he will take time but fits the profile of a Giants forward. The Giants weren’t expecting to use their fourth pick but decided on Thursday morning to take Ough at pick 36. The club wanted to add midfield strength and they rated Ough as a player to develop in that area. They also added ruckman Smith with the final pick of the draft and will put academy graduate Josaia Delana on the list as a category B rookie. – Peter Ryan

Recruiting manager Adrian Caruso: “We targeted Hannaford and Oliver with those two picks, and then we thought Angove was going to be our last pick so we grabbed him. The plan was not to use pick 36, but we reassessed today and last night, and decided if someone of Jack Ough’s quality was available, we would pick him.”

Hawthorn

Noah Mraz (35), Cody Anderson (64)
The Hawks did not make their first pick until 7.45pm on Thursday after securing Battle and Tom Barrass in the player movement period. They used their opening selection on Mraz, who missed all bar two games of his draft year because of a navicular stress fracture in his left foot. Mraz is an athletic 198-centimetre defender who entered the season considered one of the best key-position prospects in the 2024 crop, and will have time to develop behind Barrass, Battle and Sam Frost. The Hawks’ only other selection was Eastern Ranges’ hard-edged midfielder Cody Anderson, who was part of the club’s Next Generation Academy. – Marc McGowan

Melbourne

Harvey Langford (6), Xavier Lindsay (11), Aidan Johnson (68)
After placing a bid on Brisbane father-son gun Ashcroft – which the Lions were always going to match – the Demons selected 191-centimetre midfielder Langford. Langford was the co-Larke medallist as the best player at this year’s under-18 championships, and his overhead marking should also add a punch to their maligned attack. The Dees opted against adding a key forward with their second pick, preferring to grab sweet-kicking left-footer Lindsay, who can play an outside or inside midfield role, or even at half-back. Only time will tell what happens with Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, but the Demons now have extra depth. Melbourne scored the Lindsay pick off Essendon during the trade period, continuing their successful strategy of picking twice in the first round where possible. They did not match Sydney’s bid on NGA defender Riak Andrew, younger brother of Gold Coast’s Mac, but used a late selection on mature-age key forward Johnson. – Marc McGowan

Recruiting manager Jason Taylor: “We feel like if you can get in high, you’re going to get great players … [Petracca and Oliver] are right in their prime and with that comes added responsibility to leadership, and it is a really good opportunity for them to guide those boys in the right direction.”

North Melbourne

Finn O’Sullivan (2), Matt Whitlock (27), Luke Urquhart (57), River Stevens (67)
O’Sullivan – a classy, hard-running midfielder who also marks well overhead – joins the Roos’ large group of young midfielders, and it will be fascinating to see how Alastair Clarkson handles this situation, and who gets squeezed out. O’Sullivan was widely considered the most talented player in this year’s draft crop, but they were still keen to add to their shallow collection of talls and eventually did so with the last pick of the first round. To do so, North sent their future first-round selection to Richmond for pick 27 and the Tigers’ 2025 second-rounder. They started offering that pick from St Kilda’s pick eight. Whitlock, a 198-centimetre swingman, performed equally well at both ends this year, and will do the same for the Kangaroos. Urquhart is another midfielder who thrives at the contest, while Stevens, son of club great Anthony, is a small forward. – Marc McGowan

Recruiting manager Will Thursfield: “We’re really happy. We came in wanting to get the best player at pick two, and then trade back in for a tall, which we were lucky enough to do, then we got our men [Urquhart and Stevens] tonight. [Whitlock] played forward, back, is genuine key-position size and is going to have the athletic profile to match-up against the big boys, so we were happy to do [the trade].”

Port Adelaide

Joe Berry (15), Jack Whitlock (33), Christian Moraes (38)
The pre-draft noise was that the Power were on the hunt for a key-position reinforcement at their first pick, with tall forwards Whitlock and Armstrong both linked. However, they instead traded up one spot – handing over picks 16 and 45 to West Coast – to grab Murray Bushrangers speedster Berry, who had interest from several clubs. Whitlock’s surprise slide to night two presented Port with the chance to get him anyway before they selected midfielder Moraes with their last pick of the national draft. Livewire forward Benny Barrett, a Next Generation Academy player, will join them as a category B rookie after no club bid on him in the national draft. – Marc McGowan

Recruiting manager Geoff Parker: “We decided we were going to go a little bit smaller [on Wednesday] night [with Berry], and I was surprised Jack was left over … and I think we gambled correctly. I think the taller players are starting to get shifted out a little bit. Christian’s got scope to play around the centre square and I like his forward stuff as well.”

Richmond

Sam Lalor (1), Josh Smillie (7), Taj Hotton (12), Jonty Faull (14), Luke Trainor (21), Harry Armstrong (23), Thomas Sims (28), Jasper Alger (58)
The Tigers anointed power-packed midfielder-forward Lalor – touted by his GWV Rebels coach as the second coming of Dustin Martin – as the dux of this year’s class. Smillie was linked to Richmond from a long way out, given his Park Orchards connection to football chiefs Blair Hartley and Tim Livingstone, while Hotton was one of the form players before sustaining an ACL rupture in May. After those picks, the Tigers selected a smorgasbord of talls, including forwards Faull, Armstrong and Sims and intercept defender Trainor, who was once rated a top-five prospect. They also secured North Melbourne’s future first-rounder in a pick swap on night one before trading back into the draft to secure Alger, a medium forward they were expected to target earlier. – Marc McGowan

Hartley: “We’re trying to pick a premiership team – we’re not trying to pick a team to win potentially next year. You go back in time with Richmond, and [Jack] Riewoldt and [Alex] Rance, in ’06-07, so building that base of talls allows them to develop as we continue to build our side over the next few years. We’re excited about the guys we picked.”

St Kilda

Tobie Travaglia (8), Alix Tauru (10), James Barrat (32), Hugh Boxshall (45), Alex Dodson (53), Patrick Said (60)
The Saints are banking on Travaglia becoming a full-time midfielder at the next level, and he certainly has the endurance to help make that happen, while also being a capable defender. Tauru caught the eye most for his fearless aerial work and intercepting down back, but St Kilda are not ruling him out playing a role up forward or even developing into a midfielder at some stage. Barrat gives them another key defensive option, and they are excited about midfielder Boxshall’s athleticism. Ruckman and basketball convert Dodson tumbled down the order after being touted as a potential first-round pick, while Said is a sharpshooting small forward. – Marc McGowan

Football boss David Misson: “We were obviously very active, with six selections, and we were really pleased coming out of tonight, [getting] James Barrat, as a key defender, which is an area on our list we feel we needed to shore up. We really do see Tobie Travaglia eventually becoming a consistent midfielder, and Alix Tauru working at both ends of the ground … Hugh Boxshall’s athletic profile is elite … and Alex Dodson we rated very highly and were very surprised for him to be available at that pick, as was Patrick Said.”

Sydney

Jesse Dattoli (22), Ned Bowman (26), Riley Bice (41), Riak Andrew (55)
The Swans snared ultra-competitive midfielder-forward Dattoli and athletic medium forward Bowman with their two first-round picks before dipping into the VFL to select Werribee’s dashing defender Bice. Bice made the second-tier league’s team of the year in 2024 after crossing from Albury Tigers. Sydney went a bit more speculative with their final choice, tall defender Andrew, the younger brother of Gold Coast rising star Mac. Melbourne declined to match the Swans’ bid on Andrew, after Sydney did the same when Collingwood bid on their academy player Cochran at No.47. – Marc McGowan

List manager Chris Keane: “Our intention [on Wednesday] night was to get the best talent available, and we’re really happy with Jesse Dattoli and Ned Bowman, but clearly, we wanted to shift athletically a bit of our profile in our front half or back half, which I feel like we were able to do. You’ve also got to be pretty flexible to what your order looks like, and try and fill some needs, particularly the back end. Clearly, we took a key defender at the back end, and we felt like that was a need we could take late.”

West Coast

Bo Allan (16), Jobe Shanahan (30), Tom Gross (46), Lucca Grego (48), Hamish Davis (65)
The Eagles should walk away from the draft delighted after landing Allan, the best WA prospect as a 191-centimetre midfielder/defender with an excellent athletic profile and leadership skills to match. Tall forward Shanahan was in consideration at West Coast’s first pick, but they were able to select him in the second round after he was shockingly overlooked on the opening night. He kicked lots of goals at every level he played this year and is a great field kick and set-shot exponent. Gross was another slider, but is a tough midfielder who can also be impactful as a forward with his marking ability. Grego can play through the middle or down back, while Davis could also develop into a midfielder but might start as a forward. – Marc McGowan

Western Bulldogs

Cooper Hynes (20), Lachie Jaques (29), Josh Dolan (31), Sam Davidson (51), Luke Kennedy (62)
Everyone knew the Bulldogs were not going to be in the market for key-position players, given their wealth of talent in that area. In Hynes, they secured a Jake Stringer type who is a deep-forward threat and can make his mark as a clearance player in bursts. Jaques is a rebounding defender who earned under-18 All-Australian honours, and small forward Dolan will add pace and clean skills to the Dogs’ attack. Davidson emerged in the VFL this year as a prolific lead-up forward after previously bouncing around local competitions. They added a midfielder with their last pick, hard-working Sandringham Dragon Kennedy, after trading Jack Macrae, Bailey Smith and Caleb Daniel this off-season. – Marc McGowan

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