The first round of the 2018 National Draft is in the books after a chaotic first night of action.
AFL games record holder Brent Harvey and AFL Academy coach Luke Power have broken down each of the prospects.
Pick 1: Sam Walsh (Carlton)
Power: “Sam’s the most selfless young kid I’ve ever seen. He’s going to drive to be better and drive others to be better. He’s going to be a terrific player for a number of years for that footy club.”
Harvey: “You don’t want to put pressure on him, but he’s a 250-game player and a future captain of the football club maybe. That’s the likelihood of what we’re talking about with Walsh.”
Pick 2: Jack Lukosius (Gold Coast)
Harvey: “He just hits targets for a big guy, I think we’ve got to say he’s a really versatile player. He’s the modern day footballer. The key forward who can put pressure on.”
Power: “His point of difference is he can play on the wing. He’s such a versatile player and he showed that all year. I played him as a key back earlier in the year and nothing flusters him. For a young bloke to have that maturity is impressive.”
Pick 3: Izak Rankine (Gold Coast)
Power: “He’s a great character and super, super talented. He starts as a forward and he’ll kick a few ripping goals. He’s a little Eddie Betts like. You’d pay your money to see him play.”
Harvey: “He’s got the ability to side-step three blokes in a phone box. He’s probably the most talented player in the draft and it makes sense where Gold Coast are at to take him with Lukosius.”
Pick 4: Max King (St Kilda)
Power: “When I look at King, it’s his ability to get to the ball at ground level and recover. King can cover it at ground level, win it and put pressure on which is unique for his size. I’ve got no doubt he’ll be able to play around the ball and even back up in the ruck at times.”
Pick 5: Connor Rozee (Port Adelaide)
Harvey: “He’s played against senior men so he’ll be ready to come in and play senior footy straight away.”
Power: “Connor’s a beauty. He can close space, which is the modern game. He comes forward to defend and closes space really well. The other thing I noticed is when he gives the ball, he looks to go again and get involved in the next phase of play.”
Pick 6: Ben King (Gold Coast)
Power: “He went forward when Max got injured, but he’s more rounded than Max and spent time down back in his junior career. I reckon he’ll play really early, he understands how to position himself and he can have an impact early.”
Pick 7: Bailey Smith (Western Bulldogs)
Power: “The Bulldogs were obviously looking for outside run and someone who can use the ball to compliment their inside midfielders so it’s a really good selection for them. He’s a terrific young man and I’m sure he’ll have an impact straight away.”
Harvey: With his off-field stuff, he’ll work that out. He’s done absolutely everything to get drafted. He’ll learn his preparation and he’ll be a fantastic young footballer.”
Pick 8: Tarryn Thomas (North Melbourne)
Power: This kid’s a terrific footballer. He’s really balanced. He’s got really good size for a midfielder, he can play wherever you want him to. Tarryn’s a fantastic tackler too.”
Harvey: He’s a bit of a utility, a good ball-user. He’s got a really bright future.”
Pick 9: Chayce Jones (Adelaide)
Power: “He’s just a terrific character. He broke his ankle and rebounded so well and did his rehab and he’s got the rewards because of it.”
Pick 10: Nick Blakey (Sydney)
Power: “He’s going to be a real long-term player for them. I’ve known this family for a long time and they’re just a quality family. It’s not hard to see why this kid’s such a good person. He’s also a special player. He’s a much better kick than his old man, that’s for sure.”
Harvey: “He’s a very good player, Blakey. In one of those academy games he played down back and then after half-time went forward and kicked four goals. I’m a bit surprised no one bid on him before 10.”
Pick 11: Jye Caldwell (GWS Giants)
Power: “He’s probably one of the toughest kids I’ve seen come through one of our programs. He boarded at Geelong Grammar and was part of their football program down there. He’s a hard-nut, he makes fantastic contested ball decisions, he’s going to be a really good pick.”
Pick 12: Zak Butters (Port Adelaide)
Power: “This kid doesn’t fumble. He’s just really clean and makes really good decisions with the ball in his hands. This is a really good pick. He’s not the tallest player, but he makes really good decisions. I know a few clubs had him in their top 10.”
Harvey: “He runs and carries the ball really well from what I’ve seen.”
Pick 13: Isaac Quaynor (Collingwood)
Power: “He’s another terrific young man, good back pockets are worth their weight in gold and that’s why a number of clubs rated him really highly. He’s a really good defended and added some offense which is really impressive.”
Pick 14: Jackson Hately
Harvey: “I think he’s a fantastic young player who has an appetite for the inside stuff and I’m surprised he’s gotten to pick 14. He’s got a body to match senior footy, he’d be ready to go come Round 1.”
Power: “The thing about him is no matter what the standard of footy is, he performs.”
Pick 15: Jordan Clark (Geelong)
Power: “He’s a half back flanker who’s got great overlap run and he can read the ball in the air and take intercept marks.”
Pick 16: Ned McHenry (Adelaide)
Power: “I love this kid. He’s a little bit vertically challenged, but he brings energy and makes others better by the way he trains. He’ll make a footy club a better place this kid. The thing I like about him is when his team doesn’t have the ball, he’ll tackle and pressure.”
Harvey: “He’s very cheeky. Has an infectious attitude. The boys want to be around him. His endurance is second to none.”
Pick 17: Sam Sturt (Fremantle)
Power: “This is an absolute bolter, but I can guarantee you this kid can play. He had a really good season for Peninsula and all the recruiters were starting to talk to him. He plays as that third hit-up forward. He’s a terrific athlete, this kid’s got some terrific talent.”
Pick 18: Xavier Duursma (Port Adelaide)
Power: “He’s a half back flanker and has a lot of run and dash. He’s gone through the midfield this year and had an impact. He’ll develop his body as he goes, but he is tough. He’ll put himself in awkward situations, but he’ll win Port Adelaide fans over with his attack on the footy.”
Pick 19: Liam Stocker (Carlton)
Power: “He’s a hard-nut. Obviously they’ve identified he’s an inside midfielder that can help Patrick Cripps at the source. He had a facial injury earlier in the year and has come back and won the Morrish Medal. He’s just an absolute ball-winner and tough inside.”
Harvey: “Carlton has clearly thought he’d be gone by this point.”
Pick 20: Riley Collier-Dawkins (Richmond)
Power: “He’s 193cm, he’s grown about 10cm in the last year and a bit. When I first saw him, I thought he had some genuine power. He’s going to be a really good player who’s going to be able to play inside and go forward and take some marks.”
Pick 21: Ely Smith (Brisbane)
Power: “He’s an inside bull who gets a lot of the ball. This kid’s an inside bull with a lot of power and speed off the mark.”
Pick 22: Xavier O’Halloran (GWS)
Power: They’ve gone for another hard-running midfielder. Western Jets captain, Vic Metro captain, he’s really, really impressive. He’ll be able to burst from contests. He might be similar to what Dylan Shiel gave them in the past.”
Harvey: “They’ve brought in a couple of really big midfielders, the Giants.”
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