After much anticipation and debate the 2017 AFL Draft is done and dusted. Who did your club get? Below I’ve put together a club-by-club review of the night, and offered my take on each club’s draft crop.

Adelaide Crows

12 – Darcy Fogarty

40 – Andrew McPherson

Adelaide were the beneficiaries of the first big slider of the night as Collingwood’s surprise decision to draft Jaidyn Stephenson at pick 6 saw Darcy Fogarty tumble down the draft order.

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The best South Australian prospect in the mix landed right in their lap, ironically taken with the pick they got for a wantaway Charlie Cameron.

Medmium defender Andy McPherson was a second local prospect with two picks. There won’t be any Jake Lever-esque go-home factor here.

My take: It wouldn’t be a surprise if we are some day looking back upon Fogarty’s slide to pick 12 as the bargain of the draft, he has the ability to be a genuine superstar if he puts it all together.

Brisbane Lions

1 – Cam Rayner

15 – Zac Bailey

18 – Brandon Starcevic

41 – Toby Wooller

43 – Connor Ballenden

54 – Jack Payne

Brisbane took Cam Rayner at pick 1 as it was widely reported they would do, but surprised us a little with their remaining first-round picks.

Small, tough midfielder Zac Bailey and medium forward Brandon Starcevic weren’t expected to go as early as they did – Starcevic in particular – but the Lions clearly see something in them.



They also picked up a pair of tall players out of their academy in Connor Ballenden and Jack Payne, and another tall in Toby Wooller.

My take: The Lions have chosen to be bold by backing themselves in to keep Cam Rayner in Brisbane and picking they players they wanted with their other top 20 picks rather than the ones we might have expected. I like that. Here’s hoping it pays off.

Carlton Blues

3 – Paddy Dow

10 – Lochie O’Brien

30 – Tom De Koning

70 – Angus Schumacher

78 – Jarrod Garlett

Carlton added another helping of pace and class to what is beginning to look like a promising emerging midfielder group with Paddy Dow and Lochie O’Brien in the top ten.

Tom De Koning gives them another ruckman to develop for the long term, while Angus Schumacher has some promising athletic traits.

Picking up former Gold Coast Sun Jarrod Garlett was one of the big surprises of the night though. He returned home to WA in November 2016 to deal with a private family matter, so the Blues must be confident he’s ready to move across the country again just a year later.

My take: I really like how Carlton’s future midfield is coming together – they’re spending early picks on hard-to-find attributes like speed and elite skills, a strategy I very much approve of.



That said, perhaps there will come a day when they regret passing on the chance to pick Darcy Fogarty at pick 10.

The Garlett pick may not come to anything, but didn’t cost anything, and is potentially a bargain if it goes well.

Collingwood Magpies

6 – Jaidyn Stephenson

39 – Nathan Murphy

50 – Tyler Brown

Collingwood put the first real twist into the story of the draft when they picked up Jaidyn Stephenson at pick 6 despite many expecting him to fall a bit later down the order.

After that, remarkably, Nathan Murphy who they had been linked to at pick 6 for some time proved to be available at pick 39, and they snapped him up.

Lastly they matched a bid for father-son prospect Tyler Brown at pick 50.

My take: I’m a big fan of Stephenson, and Murphy at pick 39 looks like a potential bargain, so on those two picks alone I’d say the Pies have gotten great value out of this draft.



That said, I imagine supporters of the club that once picked Matthew Scharenberg and Nathan Freeman with consecutive top ten picks might be worried about now using one on a bloke with a heart condition.

Not picking up a key position player of any kind for a list that has maybe three in total is a headscratcher, but there weren’t necesarilly any obvious choices available at their picks.

Essendon Bombers

49 – Jordan Houlahan

66 – Brandon Zerk-Thatcher

76 – Matt Guelfi

It was never going to be big names for Essendon but forward Jordan Houlahan could be good value at pick 49, Matt Guelfi provides the inside mid option fans wanted, and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher is very, very fun to say.

My take: Sam Hayes was just two picks away from sliding their first selection… oh well. A relatively quiet draft, if any one of the three becomes a serviceable player then it’ll be a win.

Fremantle Dockers

2 – Andrew Brayshaw

5 – Adam Cerra

44 – Hugh Dixon

59 – Mitchell Crowden

65 – Tom North

69 – Lloyd Meek

73 – Sam Switkowski

75 – Scott Jones

The Dockers eventually settled on Andy Brayshaw and Adam Cerra with their two top five picks and in doing so have added leadership, class and all-round midfield talent to their mix.



Neither is especially known for their speed, but that is something that Fremantle do already have a decent pinch of.

What else they picked up is an obscure and interesting mix. Hugh Dixon could be a key forward for them at pick 44, Sam Switkowski and Scott Jones could have early impact as mature players.

My take: I’ll admit that part of me remains sceptical about Ross Lyon as a rebuilding and developing coach in general, and I have some fear that’ll he find a way to grind elite talents Brayshaw and Cerra down into taggers or lockdown small defenders.

Really though, you can’t go wrong with two picks in the top five. Strap yourselves in.

Geelong Cats

22 – Lachlan Fogarty

24 – Tim Kelly

36 – Charlie Constable

57 – Gryan Miers

Geelong benefitted perhaps more than any other club from sliders in the draft this year with Lachlan Fogarty, Charlie Constable and Gryan Miers all going later than expected.

Fogarty and Miers provides their forwardline with a pair of small goalkickers for the future and Fogarty can become a midfielder in time.



Constable is a big beast of an inside midfielder who once he improves his running could be really valuable to the team, and the Cats can be patient with him.

Tim Kelly on the other hand is a mature WAFL star who Geelong will be hoping has an instant impact for them as they push for a flag in 2018.

My take: When you consider what they got for the picks they have, Geelong look like one of the big winners of the night. A great balance of planning for the future and some instant impact. Kelly and I think also Fogarty can play plenty next year.

Gold Coast Suns

19 – Wil Powell

42 – Charlie Ballard

52 – Brayden Crossley

55 – Connor Nutting

Gold Coast have been criticised at times for putting too much stock in skinny flanker types with their early picks, and 65kg Wil Powell at their first selection won’t do anything to dispell that perception.

Charlie Ballard could be good value as a tall midfielder at pick 42, and the Suns also picked up two of their academy players in Brayden Crossley and Connor Nutting.

My take: I thought the days of the skinny flanker type might have ended with Scott Clayton on the way out of the Suns, but I guess not. Hardly sold here.

GWS Giants

11 – Aiden Bonar

27 – Brent Daniels

28 – Sam Taylor

56 – Zac Langdon

65 – Nicholas Shipley



A classic case of best available at the first pick, and fill needs with the later ones from the Giants. Bonar is potentially a bargain at pick 11 as he can develop into a damaging tall midfielder if his knee holds up.

After that, a small forward in Brent Daniels and a tall defender in Sam Taylor fill in the gaps as arguably the two biggest needs on GWS’ list. Zac Langdon is a mature player from WA.

Nicholas Shipley also makes history as the first western Sydney local to join the club via their academy.

My take: We might not see any of these players ready to make a massive impact for GWS in 2018, but the first three in particular look like smart longterm investments.

Hawthorn Hawks

45 – James Worpel

67 – Dylan Moore

71 – Jackson Ross

It was always going to be a case of wait and see for the Hawks but when their turn finally came around they got a tough inside midfielder in James Worpel, a small and quick mid/forward in Dylan Moore, and a tall mid/forward in Jackson Ross.

My take: At this stage of the draft you’re just hoping to find a player who can contribute in some way. The guys Hawthorn took look like they have a decent chance of being that.

Melbourne Demons

29 – Charlie Spargo

31 – Bayley Fritsch

37 – Harrison Petty

48 – Oskar Baker



The Dees could use a little more speed and class and acquire some here in Charlie Spargo and Oskar Baker, and also have another tall defender prospect in Harrison Petty. Bayley Fritsch is a mature player from their VFL team.

My take: I like the Spargo pick in particular, he could be a regular small forward for Melbourne as soon as next year but eventually press up onto the wing.

North Melbourne Kangaroos

4 – Luke Davies-Uniacke

23 – Will Walker

62 – Kyron Hayden

72 – Tristan Xerri

77 – Billy Hartung

North were the beneficiaries of Fremantle’s decision to overlook Luke Davies-Uniacke and as a result picked up a player many rated in the top two with pick 4.

He looks like he could be lynchpin of their future midfield, a Josh P Kennedy or David Mundy type who can have an immediate impact at AFL level in 2018 and who they can build around as they draft more talent over the next few years.

Will Walker and Kyron Hayden also offer some ball-winning ability while 201cm Tristan Xerri is another tall prospect they can develop.

Former Hawk Billy Hartung with their last pick is a bit of a flyer but the payoff could be good. After being criticised for a lack of action in the trade period they’ve now recycled two players known for their speed (Alex Morgan the other one).

My take: Davies-Uniacke was the kind of prospect you just can’t pass up if he’s available at pick 4 in this draft, but I was surprised the Roos didn’t look for a player with a bit more X-Factor than Walker at pick 23.



Port Adelaide Power

47 – Sam Hayes

51 – Kane Farrell

58 – Jake Patmore

60 – Joel Garner

61 – Dom Barry

Port were the beneficiaries of arguably the biggest slider of the night – Sam Hayes, ranked as a top ten talent by some, joining them with their first pick at No.47.

Joel Garner was also something of a slider and they’ll be happy to invest in him longterm. He along with Kane Farrell and Jake Patmore will offer them some good ball use coming out of defense.

With their last pick of the night they took a chance on former Melbourne player Dom Barry, continuing their strategy of bringing in experience over this offseason.

My take: There’s no doubting that Port brought in more recognised talent here than they would’ve thought was likely given the picks they held. If Hayes proves to be a longterm ruckman for them than that alone makes this draft a winner.

Richmond Tigers

17 – Jack Higgins

20 – Callum Coleman-Jones

25 – Noah Balta

34 – Patrick Naish

63 – Benjamin Miller

As forecast Richmond invested in tall players this year with a big ruckman in Callum Coleman-Jones and a raw but promising tall in Noah Balta joining the club in their first three picks.



However they went best available at their first selection and that saw Jack Higgins arrive at the club. They have an awesome fleet of small forwards now with him to go alongside the likes of Daniel Rioli, Jason Castagna, Dan Butler and Shai Bolton.

To top it off they got father-son pick Patrick Naish for a packet of chips and a developing ruckman in Benjamin Miller with their last pick of the night.

My take: A lot to be happy about here. Most will take some time to develop, but Higgins could play Round 1 2018.

St Kilda Saints

7 – Hunter Clark

8 – Nick Coffield

35 – Oscar Clavarino

46 – Ben Paton

The Saints were heavily linked to Hunter Clark and Nick Coffield in the lead up to the draft and in the end their picks were no surprise. Clark is a ball magnet, and Coffield offers great versatility and speed.

They then invested some more in the future of their backline with a tall defender in Oscar Clavarino and a medium defender in Ben Paton.

My take: Clark and Coffield both look like blue chip prospects who should play 200+ games each for the Saints, so this draft is arguably a win off the back of that alone.

That said, I really feel like the Saints need some match-winning, game-breaking X-factor in their list, and I’m not sure anyone they picked here provides that. Jack Billings can’t do all the work.



Aiden Bonar and Darcy Fogarty were options left on the board who might have offered that, but had more risk attached to them than Clark and Coffield – a classic draft dilemma. I’ll be keeping a close eye on how it all pans out.

Sydney Swans

14 – Matthew Ling

33 – Tom McCartin

53 – Ryley Stoddart

Sydney offered one of the big surprises of the first round taking Matthew Ling with a pick in the teens when many expected he would still be around in the 20s or 30s.

He and Ryley Stoddart, however, both offer a bit of pace and class which the Swans would definitely like to have on top of a team that already packs plenty of punch.

Tom McCartin is a young tall prospect who only barely qualifies for the draft, he’ll spend 2018 doing year 12 but has plenty of physical development left in him so could prove a bargain.

My take: As they often do in the draft Sydney defied our expectations, but they’ve gotten it right enough times that you trust them to know what they’re doing.

West Coast Eagles

13 – Jarrod Brander

21 – Oscar Allen

26 – Liam Ryan

32 – Brayden Ainsworth

38 – Jack Petrucelle

68 – Hamish Brayshaw



West Coast’s trade period had set them up to make a heavy investment in this draft and they did exactly that with six new Eagles taken.

Jarrod Brander and Oscar Allen as their first two picks are both key-position prospects, which surprised a few given their need for midfielders.

However that was addressed later on in the draft to some degree with the acquisitions of Brayden Ainsworth and Hamish Brayshaw.

They also acquired a bit of X-factor in mature WAFL star Liam Ryan, and Jack Petrucelle, widely touted as the fastest player in the draft.

My take: It’s hard to read exactly what West Coast’s strategy was for this draft, but I think they need to look at the longterm and they’ve done that here by investing in some quality key position players. Ainsworth and Brayshaw add grunt if not class, while Ryan and Petrucelle can excite.

That said, arguably the biggest need on their list is for some more genuine X-factor in the midfield, and they didn’t really address this in the draft (as Ryan and Petrucelle aren’t mids) and without a first-round selection next year might not get a chance to do so for another two years.

Western Bulldogs

9 – Aaron Naughton

16 – Ed Richards

74 – Callum Porter

The Dogs as widely expected took key defender Aaron Naughton with their first pick, and then would’ve been pleasantly surprised to see classy half-back Ed Richards at their second, given there was talk of him going top 10. Callum Porter is another midfield prospect to develop.



My take: Naughton could play Round 1 next year, and while halfback isn’t the position the Dogs most need players in, Richards might develop into a classy winger in time. His KJ Apa-esque hair will put Bailey Dale to shame.

Like the Saints and the Blues, they’re another club who may have to wrestle in the future with their decision to overlook Darcy Fogarty.