The Age followed prospective AFL draftees Levi Ashcroft, Noah Mraz and Nathaniel Sulzberger throughout the 2024 season for our Draft Dreams series, as they bid to join the big time.
In March, we met the running machine from Tassie (Sulzberger), an ex-basketballer now chasing a football career (Mraz), and a blue-chip prospect with the genes to match (Ashcroft).
The draft has finally arrived – the first round will be held on Wednesday night – and we checked in with the boys to find out how they are feeling, where they might get picked and which clubs are showing the most interest in them.
Levi Ashcroft will join his big brother and Norm Smith medallist Will at the Brisbane Lions,Credit: Simon Schluter
Levi Ashcroft
Grand final day was bittersweet for Ashcroft.
The 18-year-old budding star will officially become a Brisbane Lion on Wednesday night, at no later than pick five. Melbourne are set to bid on him unless Richmond, North Melbourne, Carlton or Adelaide get in first.
Ashcroft had already pledged his father-son draft rights to Brisbane when he watched his brother, Will, win the Norm Smith Medal and join their father Marcus as a premiership Lion.
“It was a very special time for the family, but it was a little bit mixed emotions for me,” he told this masthead. “I was very excited for the boys, but I was like, ‘Oh, it would have been nice if it was another year after’, but hopefully, we get to go back-to-back and continue the good form.”
Only one family member per player is typically permitted on the ground after a grand final, and the Ashcrofts chose their mother, Rebecca. But Will sweet-talked security into letting his sibling jump the fence and join in the celebrations, too.
The younger Ashcroft has put together an extraordinary resume, himself, ahead of the draft, and is intent on eventually being known as the best player from this class, even if he is not the No.1 pick.
An opening round debut is already in Ashcroft’s sights. The left shoulder surgery he had in the post-season won’t stop him chasing that goal.
“It’s been my dream to get drafted for a long time, and I’ve known for a long time it was going to be the Brisbane Lions,” Ashcroft said.
Norm Smith medallist Will Ashcroft.Credit: AFL Photos
“It doesn’t matter to me [what pick]. If you look at people like Nick Daicos and Will, they were the best players in their draft. Nick went four, Will went two, and … they’re going pretty well, so hopefully, I can do the same in the AFL and make an early impact like they did. I’m just excited to be a Brisbane Lion.”
Ashcroft will fly to Brisbane on Thursday night and might sneak into the club on Friday for a training session.
He plans to move in with Will, who is looking to buy a home, and their childhood friend James Creighton, who will play for the Lions’ VFL team in 2025.
Creighton was in Gold Coast’s academy, represented Queensland at junior level with Will and attended Brighton Grammar alongside him. They won flags together at the Sandringham Dragons.
The Dragons’ hope is that Ashcroft, one of the most driven and professional prospects in years, is just one of a group of several players from the club who will achieve their AFL dream across Wednesday and Thursday nights.
“It’s very special and an honour to play at a club where my family’s steeped in history, and now both my family members have won premierships for this great club,” he said.
“I’m very pumped for the draft. It’s an exciting time for me and my family, and people around me. For the Sandy Dragons, and even the Brighton Grammar boys, it’s going to be an unbelievable couple of nights.”
Noah Mraz is set to join an AFL club on Wednesday or Thursday night.Credit: Eddie Jim
Noah Mraz
The overthinking and over-analysing are almost over for Mraz, who did far more of both than he expected after scans revealed a stress fracture in his left foot that ended his draft season in April.
The athletic 198-centimetre defender started the season as one of the leading key-position prospects, but he only played two games this year, meaning there is mystery about when he will be picked.
Mraz, who is fully fit again, could be a top-30 selection, or may need to wait a bit – and is prepared for both scenarios.
The Dandenong Stingrays and Narre North Foxes product believes GWS and Gold Coast are keenest on him, but the Suns would likely need to trade back into the draft to pick him after matching a bid on academy prospect Leo Lombard.
“I’m a little nervous, but more excited,” Mraz said.
“The plan was to have no friends over on the first night [of the draft], but they’ve all taken work off, so I’ll just keep it small. I want to go on the first night – that would be cool – and it will be awkward if I don’t [with people coming to my house], but seriously, I don’t care what pick I go.
“I’ll show them what I can do once I’m there. I feel like the journey, and the hard work, have only just started, but I’ll go anywhere – that doesn’t faze me at all.”
Recruiters quickly reassured Mraz he would still be selected after initial fears his dreams were dashed when doctors diagnosed him with a stress fracture in his left navicular bone.
Sydney were one of those clubs, and even gave him tickets to an AFL match to study Carlton’s star defender Jacob Weitering from behind the goals.
“Mostly when you watch footy, you just watch the play, but you learn so much when you watch one player,” Mraz said. “Weitering is never out of position, and you notice how early his bodywork is – he always has touch – so that was an eye-opener.”
Outside of not playing anywhere near as much as he planned, Mraz had all the other typical draft-year experiences.
As many as seven AFL club staff members surrounded him at times during his combine interviews, while in more recent times he endured Zoom calls with team psychologists who were trying to figure out how he would fit into their environment.
“They try to make you feel uncomfortable, but I was OK with that,” Mraz said.
“I did a game review, and it was the last game I played, so it was pretty easy to remember. It was a traumatising game [not having my best performance], but I’ve played through those clips in my head 1000 times, and I got to watch them again, which was great.”
Nathaniel Sulzberger hopes his AFL dream comes true on Thursday night.Credit: Joe Armao
Nathaniel Sulzberger
Sulzberger knows he is not certain to be drafted, but remains optimistic.
There were various challenges throughout the year, from not enjoying playing football at times, as the pressure and expectation briefly overwhelmed him, to dealing with his grandfather’s death – but also the high of featuring in Sandringham Dragons’ third-straight premiership.
“That was awesome. I feel like everyone thinks our team is a bunch of individuals, but we were a real team,” Sulzberger said.
“The past two years [since relocating from Hobart], even my bottom-age year as well, were great, and everyone makes you feel welcome.”
Sulzberger has been back in Tasmania for most of the past month, but returned briefly to Melbourne last weekend for a Connors Sports Management training session ahead of the draft.
The hard-running midfielder-forward will watch the draft with his parents and close friends, fully understanding his fate will not be known until the second night on Thursday.
Collingwood and Geelong loom as potential destinations for him, with the Magpies’ recruiting team flying down to Hobart on Wednesday last week to visit him and his family.
“Those two are the ones I’m most confident about, and they’ve got picks in my range as well [45 and beyond],” he said. “They’re not allowed to give away too much, but apparently they’ve done all their referencing and things like that, so it’s good to know I’m on their board and in consideration.”
After a self-confessed season of “ups and downs”, Sulzberger is looking forward to sharing the draft experience with his loved ones and believes he made the right call to move to Melbourne to accept a scholarship at Caulfield Grammar.
“It’s going to be really special, to have all those people around who have played such a big part in my football journey,” Sulzberger said.
“I’m so lucky to have such a massive group of supporters, and it will be really good if it does happen [being drafted]. I’m obviously not 100 per cent sure, but I’ve stayed optimistic through the year, and acted like it’s going to happen.
“I will watch the first night, and see a fair few of the mids go, then I’ll be a bit more of a chance [the second night], but I won’t hide in a room. I’ll keep it pretty low-key, but I’ll be watching.”
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