Quick guide to the draft
When and where?
After one year in Adelaide, Friday’s AFL Draft event will return to Sydney for the first time since 2011, when the GWS Giants had 11 of the first 14 picks. The draft, to be held at the Hordern Pavilion, will be live on Fox Footy from 6pm (SA time) with the first names to be called at about 6.35pm. Fans can also follow every pick on afl.com.au and for a more Crows-centric coverage follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, plus our website afc.com.au
Who has the first pick?
Essendon opted to hold on to the Number One pick and says it has made its choice, having spent time with three leading candidates in recent days. Will it be one of the two Victorians, North Ballarat’s Hugh McCluggage or Sandringham’s Andrew McGrath? Or will the Bombers bid for GWS Academy star Will Setterfield? If it’s the latter, the Giants will need to use their first pick (No 2 overall) to match the bid.
The early curve ball?
The Giants moved up the order so they could take one of the draft pool’s best players before matching any bids for their Academy players. If they have to match Essendon’s bid for Setterfield, it will cost them the chance to draft one of McGrath, McCluggage, Ben Ainsworth or Tim Taranto.
Who is the early influencer?
With four picks in the top ten, the Gold Coast Suns are going to have a strong say on the order of names in the first round. Only Carlton (pick five), Fremantle (pick seven) and Sydney (pick nine) have selections between the Suns’ calls, starting at four. Another factor is a possible bid on highly-rate Gold Coast Academy midfielder Jack Bowes. The later the bid comes, the better for the Suns.
More on Academy and father-son rules
Where are the Crows?
Adelaide enters the draft with six ‘live’ picks, starting with pick 13. If there are any early bids for Academy players, this could slide out to 14 or 15. But wherever the first pick is called, the chosen player is likely to be the 12th non-Academy player in the draft.
Who are the draft bolters?
The public and media’s view of this is often different to the recruiters, who have been following this group of players for a long time. Late season form lifted the public profile of Sandringham Dragons midfielder/forward Tim Taranto and North Adelaide’s Will Hayward earned some extra coverage after kicking nine goals in the SANFL preliminary final. Griffin Logue, a key defender from WAFL club Swan Districts, underlined his athleticism at the draft combine in October.
The first South Australian draftee?
Hayward is the only SA player among the 20 players invited to the event, so it seems the talented forward is liked by some clubs at the top end. Glenelg midfielder Jonty Scharenberg and medium defender Sam Walker, Eagles defender Brennan Cox and Larke Medallist Jack Graham, from North Adelaide, are among the next candidates.
Which clubs have which picks?
ADELAIDE: 13, 43, 53, 66, 82, 90
BRISBANE LIONS: 3, 16, 21, 22, 75, 76
CARLTON: 5, 25, 48, 62, 65, 69
COLLINGWOOD: 28, 44, 51, 61, 64
ESSENDON: 1, 20, 29, 41, 67
FREMANTLE: 7, 35, 40, 70, 77, 86
GEELONG: 24, 38, 42, 63, 71, 84
GOLD COAST: 4, 6, 8, 10, 72, 87, 93, 95, 96
GWS GIANTS: 2, 15, 37, 39, 45, 52, 55, 57, 58, 59, 72
HAWTHORN: 81, 83, 91
MELBOURNE: 47, 68
NORTH MELBOURNE: 11, 32, 33, 80
PORT ADELAIDE: 14, 17, 30, 31, 79, 88
RICHMOND: 27, 56, 78
ST KILDA: 23, 36, 60
SYDNEY: 9, 19, 46, 49, 85, 92
WEST COAST: 12, 34, 54, 89, 94
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 18, 26, 50, 74
