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A hot race looms for one of the most sought-after picks in the AFL draft, which is arguably more in-demand than ever this year after a dramatic first round on Wednesday night. Watch the highly anticipated 2024 Telstra AFL Draft THURS 21 NOV | LIVE & Exclusive to Fox Footy on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1.
Limited time offer. T wenty-seven players were selected on the first night of the 2024 national draft , with Richmond taking six young guns before sensationally trading away its final first-round selection (Pick 27) and acquiring North Melbourne’s future first-rounder. The Tigers, too, are in possession of Pick 28 – the prized first pick of the second round.
The selection is viewed as one of the most valuable in the draft, as the club holding the first second-round pick will, over a 24-hour period, receive ample juicy offers from rival clubs keen to get ahead in the draft so they can have first rights to a preferred prospect. And the offers could be even juicier this year, considering two key forwards with mid first-round interest – Bendigo Pioneers’ Jobe Shanahan and Murray Bushrangers’ Jack Whitlock – are both still on the board and the Tigers selected two tall goalkickers – GWV Rebel Jonty Faull and Sandringham Dragon Harry Armstrong – themselves on Wednesday night. Richmond talent boss Blair Hartley on Wednesday night revealed he’d already received multiple calls from clubs with interest in their early second-rounder during the short time between the Tigers’ final pick of the first round and facing the media.
Asked if he thought Richmond would keep Pick 28, Hartley told reporters: “We’ll assess everything. “There’s options in trading back as well. There’s still some pretty handy players on the board.
“We’re excited to see how the next 24 hours play out.” The Tigers will field more calls from clubs across Thursday in the lead-up to night two, but sources spoken to by foxfooty.com.
au believe Essendon would be well placed to deal with the Tigers – and would almost certainly have a prospect in mind. The Bombers had already been eyeing a move back into the first round after matching a bid on Isaac Kako, but their gun NGA graduate was ultimately their sole pick of the opening night. The highly-rated Shanahan remains undrafted – and the Bombers in recent months have been closely linked to the 194cm goalkicker, especially after an impressive three-game stint for Essendon’s VFL side where he kicked 11.
3. The Bombers, who are tipped to select three more players on Thursday night, hold Picks 37, 39, 43 and 60. They could use one of those selections, as well as a future second-rounder, to trade with the Tigers, who’d not only strengthen their 2025 haul but also have the option to pick again later in the second or third round.
Whitlock, too, would be a strong candidate for the Bombers. The 200cm forward-ruck was overcome with emotion on Wednesday night as his younger twin brother, Matt, was taken by North Melbourne with the final pick of the night, leaving Jack still on the draft board. One player the Tigers could be prepared to trade back for is exciting 191cm mature-age forward Sam Davidson , who won the 2024 Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the most promising VFL player aged 24 or under after an excellent season with Richmond.
But he has ample interest from other clubs, including the Giants, Collingwood, Sydney, West Coast, Collingwood and Geelong. Gold Coast is also a trade watch on Thursday night. Like the Bombers, Gold Coast had been keen to return to the first round after matching a bid on their own prospect – academy graduate Leo Lombard – but was unable to do so.
The Suns’ next selection at this stage isn’t until Pick 57, yet they have a mighty future pick arsenal – including three first-rounders tied to Collingwood, Port Adelaide and their own finishing position – to play with. The Suns have been strongly linked to GWV Rebels utility James Barrat, who also has interest from Brisbane, St Kilda and Essendon. Shanahan had early interest from West Coast and Port Adelaide, but both didn’t opt for key forwards with their first selections on Wednesday.
There’s a chance Shanahan will still be on the board when the Eagles select next at Pick 30, as the Western Bulldogs (Pick 29) are unlikely to target a key-position player. But that scenario is more likely if the Tigers hold Pick 28 – sources reckon Richmond will trade it – or if the team that lands that selection opts for Whitlock instead. The Eagles have also been linked to local products Hamish Davis – a hybrid forward from Claremont – Kayle Gerreyn – a 199cm tall forward-ruck from West Perth – and Jaxon Artemis – an athletic 181cm defender from South Fremantle.
The Power, who hold Picks 33 and 38 in the second round, had been linked to Whitlock in the lead-up to the draft amid speculation they’d choose a key forward with their first selection. But if Whitlock is off the board by the time they select, 199cm Northern Knights goalkicker Thomas Sims could be another option. The Bulldogs hold two of the first four selections of the second round: Pick 29 and Pick 31.
They’ve been strongly linked to Eastern Ranges midfielder-forward Christian Moraes , who possesses an elite workrate and running power, as well as Oakleigh Chargers duo Jasper Alger – a surprise omission from the first round – and Tom Gross . Should the Bulldogs not select Moraes, the likes of Port Adelaide and Hawthorn would consider him, while both the GWS Giants and Sydney have been linked to Alger and Gross. The Giants had been tipped to add a key-position player to their list, with Sims and tall back Noah Mraz both on their radar.
But they could use night two purely to ensure they secure top ruck academy prospect Logan Smith , considering he has interest from both Geelong and St Kilda. In a sign both clubs are chasing a ruck, the Cats and Saints have also been linked to Sturt’s Alex Dodson , who’s considered the best pure ruck in the class. Dodson could be available at St Kilda’s second-rounder (Pick 32), but several sources believe Geelong (Picks 42 and 50) is eyeing a move up the order to select Dodson.
The Cats have a full suite of future picks they could use should they wish to trade. The Saints have also been linked to East Fremantle 26-year-old big man Lachie Blakiston and 197cm Bombers VFL defender Will Hoare , who also has interest from the Cats and the Bombers. The Cats have been linked to speedy Rebel Rhys Unwin – who also has interest from the Lions and Giants – while impressive South Australian defender Angus Clarke has drawn the attention of Fremantle and Sydney.
Hard-running WA midfielder Hugh Boxshall is also tipped to land somewhere in the second round, with St Kilda, Geelong, Western Bulldogs and the Giants all linked to him. GWV Rebels wing-midfielder Jack Ough , who put himself on the radar with a strong finish to his 2024 campaign, has lots of clubs with second-round picks circling, including Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs and the GWS Giants. Collingwood would also consider Ough, as well as Mraz, if they slipped through to their picks.
The Magpies, after a busy trade period last month, will be hoping to find a few diamonds in the rough with Picks 45, 48, 53 and 61. One player they have been linked to is Norwood forward Jay Polkinghorne, who kicked 15 goals from six SANFL Under 18s games before a successful step up to reserves level that saw him boot eight goals from five games. Other names to watch on night two of the draft include GWV Rebel Floyd Burmeister , South Australian duo Charlie Nicholls and Charlie West , Geelong Falcons pair Lachie Jaques and Xavier Ivisic , Murray Bushrangers’ Josh Murphy , Sandringham Dragons’ Josh Dolan and Stingrays forward Sam Toner .
After four bids were launched in the first round, ample curiosity surrounds how many will follow on night two ...
– Carlton will be hopeful a bid on father-son gun Ben Camporeale will come after their second-round selection (Pick 40) – and most rival clubs believe the Blues’ wish will be granted, although there is some speculation St Kilda could bid with their second-rounder. Ben’s twin brother, Lucas Camporeale , is a good chance to be taken by Carlton with its final pick of the national draft, otherwise he’ll slip through to the Blues at the rookie draft. – Adelaide, too, is widely expected to pick father-son prospect Tyler Welsh with its last national draft selection.
The 191cm goalkicker, who’s the son of four-time Crows leading goalkicker Scott Welsh, kicked 10 goals from 10 games for Adelaide’s SANFL side in 2024. – Speaking of the Saints, they have three attached players who could attract national draft bids: Adrian Cole (NGA), Lennox Hoffman (NGA) and Elwood Peckett (father-son), who all played VFL footy for the Sandringham Zebras this year. Should all three attract draft night bids, the Saints almost certainly wouldn’t match all three.
Initially it was thought Cole – a 194cm key defender who impressed for Vic Metro – was most likely to attract a bid, but sources suggest there’s now just as much interest in rebounding defender Hoffman, who could get some love in the 30s. Peckett, the son of Justin Peckett, is considered more of a rookie chance. – Clubs could also launch national draft bids on Eastern Ranges beast Cody Anderson (Hawthorn NGA) and running defender Joel Cochran (Sydney Academy).
Collingwood has been linked to a potential play at Cochran, who ran the quickest 2km time trial (6:05) of any prospect at the national draft combine..
