One of the most significant events on the AFL calendar is upon us.
Dozens of young players’ lives — and the premiership paths of many clubs — will change next week then the 2023 AFL draft will be held.
From start times to a bidding system explainer, plus the biggest burning questions to which clubs could take the top prospects, here’s everything you need to know in our 2023 AFL Draft Ultimate Guide!
Watch the first round of the 2023 AFL Draft on Fox Footy and Kayo from 7pm EDT on Monday November 20. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
WHEN IS THE 2023 AFL DRAFT AND WHAT TIME WILL IT START?
The 2023 AFL national draft will be held across two days: Monday November 20 and Tuesday November 21, with coverage of both nights beginning at 7pm (AEDT),
The first round of the draft will be held on Monday November 20, with up to 29 picks set to take place.
The rest of the draft will then take place on Tuesday November 21, with clubs expecting between 55 and 60 picks to be used this year.
The only place to watch all the draft picks as they’re announced on TV is on Fox Footy, via Channel 504 on Foxtel or Kayo Sports.
You can also follow the AFL draft live on foxfooty.com.au with analysis of every pick and every club, along with Fox Footy’s social media channels.
The 2023 AFL pre-season draft and 2023 AFL rookie draft will be held online on Wednesday November 22 from 3pm (AEDT).
HOW DOES THE AFL DRAFT WORK?
All 18 clubs earn draft picks, which are based on the reverse finishing order from the previous AFL season. These picks can be traded up to one year in advance, while some picks are also given out as compensation for departed free agents or, in North Melbourne’s case this year, via special assistance packages.
On draft night, the teams select in order, adding the best young or mature-aged players that aren’t already on AFL lists.
The only exceptions are when draft picks are traded on the night, as well as when bids on father-son and academy players that are linked to certain clubs are made. Those clubs can then choose to match the bid made by their rival, using draft points, to acquire the player.
HOW DOES THE AFL DRAFT BIDDING SYSTEM WORK?
The AFL has created the Draft Value Index, which is a system that allocates a points value to the first 73 picks in the draft.
It essentially means clubs that have existing links to draftees, either via their academy or father-son eligibility, must ‘pay’ to secure these players via multiple picks and give rival clubs the chance to bid on these players.
For clubs to secure their linked talent, they must pay and match a bid by using the draft picks/points they already hold. If they don’t have enough points at the time, they can enter draft deficit, which means their hand at the following year’s draft will take a hit. If the club opts not to match, the player goes to the club who made the bid.
The best way to explain how bidding works is through an example. Tap here to find out how Brisbane matched North Melbourne’s bid last year for Lions father-son gun Will Ashcroft.
WHO ARE THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE DRAFT?
It’s been described as a draft pool where most of the best players play outside the centre square.
It’s hard to think of a draft prospect in recent times who’s attracted more attention and headlines than powerful 185cm Bendigo Pioneers player Harley Reid, who’s expected to be taken with Pick 1 on Monday night. One recruiter told foxfooty.com.au at the start of this year that midfielder-forward Reid was the best talent they‘d ever seen come through the pathway system.
But Suns academy forward Jed Walter isn’t far behind Reid. He’s a genuine power forward who loves the physicality of the game, but prides himself on his competitiveness in the air, speed running back to goal and, most importantly, ridiculous want to apply forward pressure.
Walter is one of four Gold Coast academy graduates set to receive first-round bids, with 202cm ruck Ethan Read, dynamic 172cm midfielder Jake Rogers and powerful 186vm defender-midfielder Will Graham all likely to join the Suns on the first night.
Suns quartet hoping to say at Suns | 00:46
Tasmania’s Colby McKercher, who’s been compared to Essendon’s Zach Merrett, is widely regarded as the best pure midfield prospect in the draft. McKercher is one of four Tasmanians who could be taken in the first round, with midfielder Ryley Sanders, 188cm utility James Leake and line-breaking 194cm defender Arie Schoenmaker all in the early mix.
Gippsland Power’s Zane Duursma and Eastern Ranges’ Nick Watson are gun goalkickers expected to be snapped up early, while 197cm Claremont prospect Daniel Curtin appeals to clubs as he has the versatility to play as a key defender or midfielder.
Curtin is one of several tall backs at the top of the pool, alongside Murray Bushrangers’ Connor O’Sullivan, Central District’s Will McCabe and Sandringham Dragons’ Ollie Murphy.
McCabe (Hawthorn) is one of two possible first-round father-son picks, with 200cm key forward Jordan Croft (Western Bulldogs) also set to attract a bit in the teens.
Eastern Ranges winger Caleb Windsor, Northern Knights forward Nate Caddy and Murray Bushrangers forward-midfielder Darcy Wilson are also in the first-round mix.
It’s also widely regarded as one of the best ruck draft classes in many years. As well as Read from the Suns, clubs are also excited by Northern Knights’ Will Green, South Adelaide’s Taylor Goad, Peel Thunder’s Mitch Edwards — who’s tied to Fremantle via is NGA — and even Sandringham Dragons’ Vigo Visentini.
You can check out foxfooty.com.au’s first-round phantom draft here.
WHAT ARE THE BIG STORYLINES FOR THE DRAFT?
West Coast trade alert
Arguably the biggest trade story all season has been whether West Coast would trade out Pick 1 to help fast-track its rebuild. North Melbourne, Melbourne and even Hawthorn have attempted to secure the prized selection, but not offer has tempted the Eagles yet — and the Roos and Dees are quickly losing hope of striking a deal. But what rival clubs are now anticipating is for the Eagles to not only hold Pick 1 — and take Harley Reid — but then trade back into the top 10 using their future first-round selection to help them land gun WA product Daniel Cutin. The Eagles are expected to offer their 2024 pick — which could ultimately be right near the top of the order — to both Hawthorn (Pick 4) and Melbourne (Pick 6), but it’s the GWS Giants (Pick 7) that loom as the most likely suitor, considering the Hawks’ strong link to Nick Watson and the Demons recently honing in on Caleb Windsor. The Giants would love to take Windsor, but if Melbourne selects the winger with the preceding pick, rival clubs believe the Giants would be open to trading with West Coast. Should the Giants hold the selection, they’d likely take Tasmania’s James Leake.
Clubs clamouring for Albury star
The Eagles mightn’t be the only club that trades into the top 10 on draft night, with both Sydney and Adelaide eyeing the pick belonging to Geelong, which is contemplating trading down. Both the Crows and Swans in recent weeks have been heavily linked to 198cm backman Connor O’Sullivan, who some scouts would have ahead of Curtin on their draft boards. But Essendon, too, also has interest in O’Sullivan at Pick 9. The Crows hold Picks 10, 14 and 20, but sources believe the club is keen to turn those three picks into two. The Swans only hold one 2023 first-rounder (Pick 12), yet have two 2024 first-round picks: Their natural one and an end-of-first-round selection courtesy of North Melbourne’s assistance package. Geelong will listen to offers for its top-10 pick until it’s their time on the clock. Yet for all the speculation Swans could move up, there’s also a theory Sydney could trade down — with a club like North Melbourne — and pick up multiple players in the first round.
When bids come for academy/father-son stars
Some sources believe as many as seven bids will be placed during the first round of the draft. Suns academy star Jed Walter should attract attention from North Melbourne at either Pick 2 or 3 — rival clubs would be grumpy if the Roos overlooked him — while the Suns could then be asked to match a bid on Ethan Read as early as Geelong’s pick. Will McCabe (Hawthorn father-son), Jake Rogers (Suns academy) and Jordan Croft (Bulldogs father-son) are all expected to attract bids in the teens, with Adelaide, Sydney and St Kilda all strong chances of pulling the trigger. Multiple sources believe Collingwood is a good chance to bid on Will Graham (Suns academy) with its first pick, with the Suns to match as they’ve committed to taking the medium defender/midfielder. The late first-round bolter could be Swans academy midfielder Caiden Cleary, who’s also been linked to a Magpies bid. Cleary has had a terrific 2023 campaign — he won All-Australian honours after averaging 29.2 touches for the Allies while he also impressed for the Swans’ VFL team, averaging 17.7 tackles across six matches against bigger bodies — but a top-30 would be too early for some clubs.
Beware the clubs outside the first round
Only four of the 18 clubs don’t have a first-round pick — but three of them are eyeing moves up the order. Brisbane (Picks 30, 39, 51, 54 and 67), Richmond (29, 41, 65 and 68) and Fremantle (Picks 34, 46, 60 and 64) are all keen to improve their draft positions. The Lions are widely tipped to get their hands on the Suns’ first second-round selection (Pick 24), while the Dockers are a chance to get the next Gold Coast selection (Pick 26). Those deals would help the Suns bank more points to ensure they don’t go into draft deficit after matching academy bids. Both Richmond and Fremantle have been heavily linked to Subiaco goalkicker Lance Collard, who looms as a late first-round or early second-round pick. West Coast also has interest at Pick 23, but Collingwood (Pick 19) and St Kilda (Pick 21) have also put work into Collard.
WHAT IS THE AFL DRAFT 2023 ORDER?
See below, featuring the pick, club and then the draft points attached to the selection.
Note: With live-trading, the draft order is subject to change.
Round 1
1. West Coast Eagles
2. North Melbourne
3. North Melbourne (Ben McKay compensation)
4. Hawthorn
5. Western Bulldogs (via Gold Coast Suns)
6. Melbourne (via Fremantle)
7. GWS Giants (via Richmond)
8. Geelong
9. Essendon
10. Adelaide Crows
11. Melbourne (via Gold Coast and Western Bulldogs)
12. Sydney Swans
13. St Kilda
14. Adelaide Crows (via Gold Coast and Melbourne)
15. North Melbourne (via Port Adelaide)
16. GWS Giants
17. North Melbourne (via Carlton)
18. North Melbourne (via Gold Coast and Western Bulldogs)
19. Collingwood
20. Adelaide Crows (Tom Doedee compensation)
21. St Kilda (Jade Gresham compensation)
22. Carlton (via North Melbourne, from AFL assistance package)
Round 2
23. West Coast Eagles
24. Gold Coast Suns (via Adelaide and North Melbourne)
25. Geelong (via Port Adelaide, Fremantle and North Melbourne, from AFL assistance package)
26. Gold Coast Suns (via Carlton, North Melbourne, Sydney and Hawthorn)
27. Gold Coast Suns (via Adelaide, originally a Gold Coast pick)
28. Carlton (via Gold Coast, Melbourne and Fremantle)
29. Richmond
30. Brisbane Lions (via Geelong)
31. Essendon
32. Gold Coast Suns (via Adelaide)
33. Collingwood (via Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs)
34. Fremantle (via Collingwood and Sydney)
35. Essendon (via St Kilda)
36. Gold Coast Suns (via Melbourne)
37. West Coast Eagles (via Port Adelaide)
38. Gold Coast Suns (via GWS)
39. Brisbane Lions (via Hawthorn, Collingwood and Carlton)
40. St Kilda (via Western Bulldogs and Brisbane)
41. Richmond (via Port Adelaide and Collingwood)
42. Melbourne (James Jordon compensation)
43. GWS Giants (Matt Flynn compensation)
Round 3
44. Hawthorn (via West Coast)
45. Sydney Swans (via North Melbourne)
46. Fremantle (via North Melbourne, from AFL assistance package)
47. Hawthorn (via Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, originally a Hawthorn pick)
48. Western Bulldogs (via Gold Coast)
49. Hawthorn (via Richmond, Port Adelaide and Fremantle)
50. Western Bulldogs (via Port Adelaide and Richmond)
51. Brisbane Lions (via Geelong)
52. Western Bulldogs (via Essendon)
53. Western Bulldogs (via Gold Coast and Adelaide)
54. Brisbane Lions (via Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs)
55. Sydney Swans
56. Western Bulldogs (via St Kilda)
57. North Melbourne (via Melbourne)
58. West Coast Eagles (via Port Adelaide)
59. GWS Giants
60. Fremantle (via Carlton)
61. Essendon (via Hawthorn and Brisbane Lions)
62. Hawthorn (via Gold Coast and Collingwood)
Round 4
63. Hawthorn (via West Coast Eagles)
64. Fremantle (via North Melbourne)
65. Richmond (via North Melbourne and Hawthorn)
66. Gold Coast Suns
67. Brisbane Lions (via Fremantle)
68. Richmond
69. Western Bulldogs (via Geelong)
70. Carlton (via Essendon)
71. Gold Coast Suns (via Adelaide)
72. Western Bulldogs
73. Port Adelaide (via Essendon and Sydney)
74. Gold Coast Suns (via St Kilda)
75. Western Bulldogs (via Melbourne)
76. Geelong (via Port Adelaide)
77. GWS Giants
78. Carlton
79. GWS Giants (via Brisbane)
80. Collingwood
Round 5
81. West Coast Eagles
82. North Melbourne
83. Hawthorn
84. Gold Coast Suns
85. Fremantle
86. Richmond
87. Geelong
88. Essendon
89. Adelaide Crows
90. Western Bulldogs
91. Sydney Swans
92. St Kilda
93. Melbourne
94. Geelong (via Port Adelaide)
95. GWS Giants
96. Carlton
97. Brisbane Lions
98. Collingwood
2024 DRAFT PICKS TRADED (after 2023 trade period)
Adelaide Crows
IN: Round 2 (Melbourne)
OUT: Nil
Brisbane Lions
IN: Round 4 (Hawthorn)
OUT: Round 2 (Gold Coast)
Carlton
IN: Round 4 (Fremantle), Round 4 (Gold Coast Suns), Round 4 (Western Bulldogs)
OUT: Round 3 (St Kilda), Round 4 (Port Adelaide)
Collingwood
IN: Round 2 (Hawthorn), Round 3 (Hawthorn)
OUT: Round 1 (Fremantle), Round 2 (Hawthorn), Round 4 (Essendon)
Essendon
IN: Round 4 (Collingwood)
OUT: Round 3 (Gold Coast), Round 4 (Port Adelaide)
Fremantle
IN: Round 1 (Collingwood), Round 1 (Port Adelaide), Round 2 (St Kilda), Round 4 (St Kilda)
OUT: Round 2 (Richmond), Round 4 (Carlton)
Geelong
IN: Nil
OUT: Nil
Gold Coast Suns
IN: Round 1 (Western Bulldogs), End of Round 1 (second North Melbourne assistance), Round 2 (Brisbane), Round 3 (Essendon)
OUT: Round 3 (Western Bulldogs), Round 4 (Carlton)
GWS Giants
IN: Nil
OUT: Nil
Hawthorn
IN: Round 2 (Collingwood)
OUT: Round 2 (Collingwood), Round 3 (Collingwood), Round 4 (Brisbane)
Melbourne
IN: Round 2 (Sydney), Round 3 (Western Bulldogs)
OUT: Round 2 (Adelaide), Round 3 (St Kilda)
North Melbourne
IN: Nil
OUT: End of Round 1 (first, Sydney), End of Round 1 (second, Gold Coast)
Port Adelaide
IN: Round 4 (Essendon), Round 4 (Carlton)
OUT: Round 1 (Fremantle), Round 4 (Richmond)
Richmond
IN: Round 2 (Fremantle), Round 4 (Port Adelaide)
OUT: Nil
St Kilda
IN: Round 3 (Carlton), Round 3 (Melbourne)
OUT: Round 2 (Fremantle), Round 4 (Fremantle)
Sydney Swans
IN: End of Round 1 (first North Melbourne assistance)
OUT: Round 2 (Melbourne)
West Coast Eagles
IN: Nil
OUT: Nil
Western Bulldogs
IN: Round 3 (Gold Coast)
OUT: Round 1 (Gold Coast), Round 3 (Melbourne), Round 4 (Carlton)
