Player Watch 2025 AFL Draft Thread (Welcome to our new Central Districts overlords!)

[Mercy Seat]

Have a think through about literally everything said since our PF loss. Then have a think through about trade fortnight. Then think about what happened last night.

BTW: isnt Dear the Gunston replacement?

Our window is the next 3 years. Any delay in our list improvements happened with what happened in trade week unfortunately.

There’s no player or strategy we could have pursued in this draft that makes any difference to us potentially winning a flag next year. We simply must nail our targets next year.

 

[yeahmate]

Interesting. So in hindsight if we hadn't swapped our 9 for 10 in trade week we would have had access to sharp . So what played out last night wasn't the ideal scenario but they made it work .

Yeah I think we stuffed up trading out 9 as meant we lost access to one of our top priority players. Merret deal coming back to bite us again. Bit of a failed period strategy wise imo but hopefully Nairn and Schubert will make it a success in practice long term

 

[Since 2001]

I really hope we trade back in for Greaves. But I don't know if the club rates him or not.

Having 3x F2's means we would be best positioned to target bombers and blues firsts next year as they'll want to trade for points with Bewick and Walker.

You would have to think we rate him if we nominated him for the nga pick. I would love us to trade back in to get greeves.

Greeves is a great project mid, give him two years to work on his defensive side. I would consider playing him the high half fwd role in vfl. Just look at the defensive pressure and acts our smalls do and then sprint fwd. Doing that consistently builds a great tank.

Hibbons-hargraves, has been inconsistent, but I believe he as had an injury and illness. Player like Nairn, but more potential in that midfielder role.

Onley, is a 195cm midfielder, plays inside and out, very clean hands and had a solid build on him. I believe he is also a hawks supporter and I think could play afl games right away if needed.

Jack Dalton, wins his own ball and has great endurance. He is short around 178cm but he is a bull and likes to do gritty work

LeRay, just think Josh weddle type.

Phillipou is very much like his brother super confident, i would say he won't be an accumulator but most of his touches he will have will be impactful

 

[TheFourPillars]

Interesting. So in hindsight if we hadn't swapped our 9 for 10 in trade week we would have had access to sharp . So what played out last night wasn't the ideal scenario but they made it work .

Yeah I think we stuffed up trading out 9 as meant we lost access to one of our top priority players. Merret deal coming back to bite us again. Bit of a failed period strategy wise imo but hopefully Nairn and Schubert will make it a success in practice long term

We were not expecting to go to the draft for a mid with pick 9 / 10. It was to be traded. Accessing Sharp or any other player only happened because we failed the trade.

 

[sohsam]

Yeah I think we stuffed up trading out 9 as meant we lost access to one of our top priority players. Merret deal coming back to bite us again. Bit of a failed period strategy wise imo but hopefully Nairn and Schubert will make it a success in practice long term

sad to hear, but look at the positive, Nairn could be anything, he could play that fwd/mid rule, we have a few now in butler, macdonald, it is all about the rotations apparently. I know I was a big fan of sharp, but hey we move on. Who knows, maybe Nairn becomes a better player, it is so hard to project 3 years time when taking on kids, some with little exposure, some as bolters and you have only seen them doing well in short space of time. Funny everyone was more into greeves than sharp, we did not even pick him, can only assume we got our man, Nairn, ahead of Sharp and greeves for various reasons.

 

[play2win]

If the eagles had a strategy of bidding on the GC academy kids to exhaust their picks and grab 1 later in draft, why didn’t they bid on uwland at pick 1? Seems so dumb to compromise your own strategy.

 

[HawthornHawk]

If there was a free hit at any player in This draft that was best fit for hawthorn it is Patterson. Will be a super player.

I hadn't seen any vision of him until last night but he looks like he could be a star

 

[sohsam]

We were not expecting to go to the draft for a mid with pick 9 / 10. It was to be traded. Accessing Sharp or any other player only happened because we failed the trade.

yes, you got to look at positively, strange though, generally you think you have your man, when go to the trouble of splitting picks, but yes, we were dealing with essendon, which not sure why we even went there, 4 first rounders for a 30 year old, we should have walked away after offering our first. I mean there are big wraps on Nairn, I would still give a first round pick for him, 18 year old compared to a 30 year old. End of the day, is about nailing your picks, We did really well with F2 for next year. I think we achieved our purpose in spectacular fashion. Re nailing your picks, we had 30 and 40s too, whether you pick a good player later or early on does not matter, as far as well known names, there really is not much left after first round, only a couple and question marks on them.

 

[play2win]

I think we played this draft hand superbly. Very happy with the 2 draftees, huge potential upside in both. We identified their high trajectory of development in their draft year, noting they are both bottom agers, and retained our discipline in selecting draftees with excellent endurance and running capability.
And we picked up 2 future seconds along the way, brilliant work.

 

[sohsam]

You would have to think we rate him if we nominated him for the nga pick. I would love us to trade back in to get greeves.

Greeves is a great project mid, give him two years to work on his defensive side. I would consider playing him the high half fwd role in vfl. Just look at the defensive pressure and acts our smalls do and then sprint fwd. Doing that consistently builds a great tank.

Hibbons-hargraves, has been inconsistent, but I believe he as had an injury and illness. Player like Nairn, but more potential in that midfielder role.

Onley, is a 195cm midfielder, plays inside and out, very clean hands and had a solid build on him. I believe he is also a hawks supporter and I think could play afl games right away if needed.

Jack Dalton, wins his own ball and has great endurance. He is short around 178cm but he is a bull and likes to do gritty work

LeRay, just think Josh weddle type.

Phillipou is very much like his brother super confident, i would say he won't be an accumulator but most of his touches he will have will be impactful

Is not Nairn the upgrade to Greeves/HH that play the hybrid fwd/mid, we have quite a few of those players now in MacDonald, Butler etc, we only have one pick left 52, not sure whether will be Onley or a small forward, we will wait and see.

 

[MrPremiership]

Congratulations to Essendon for winning the 2025 AFL Draft Premiership.

That is 40 draft premierships in a row.

 

[sohsam]

I think we played this draft hand superbly. Very happy with the 2 draftees, huge potential upside in both. We identified their high trajectory of development in their draft year, noting they are both bottom agers, and retained our discipline in selecting draftees with excellent endurance and running capability.
And we picked up 2 future seconds along the way, brilliant work.

absolutely, cannot believe there is room for complain, you only have one top 10 pick, but pick up 2 top 10 players and two future seconds, can you have asked for anymore? we identified hybrid mid/fwd/winger in Nairn and best tall forward in the draft and got them with nerve of steel in trading back.

 

[ahhhhhh]

Is this AFL going to release a 2026 draft order since last night? That plus not being able to see who was bid on or how they matched is genuine amateur hour. Not to mention how hard it was to determine what trades actually happened last night.

Honestly, wtf are they doing.

 

[HawthornHawk]

Our plan was to draft Grlj, when he was off the board we were always trading down. We gained 2 Future seconds while keeping 2 First round picks this year. Not sure you can say nothing went our way.

Nairn+ 2 Future seconds > Adelaide Future First.

I think the Crows offered their first pick last night PLUS their future first to be able to take Sharp.

Had we been in a position to accept that deal we could have ended up with Nairn, Schubert and Adelaide's future first.

If the Saints and Giants have poor years in 2026 we could always trade those picks into the first round though.

 

[Ka Norkers]

MM did well enough, its a really weak draft, and beyond the top 20 it is really a covid-like gamble.
Looks to me like they just took the best available talent, regardless of needs, at their picks.

The failed Merrett bid turned out a huge problem, with trading our top 10 pick.

I'd imagine Sam is sweating over the SSPs etc trying to find a ready-made midfield back-up.

 

[ahhhhhh]

MM did well enough, its a really weak draft, and beyond the top 20 it is really a covid-like gamble.
Looks to me like they just took the best available talent, regardless of needs, at their picks.

The failed Merrett bid turned out a huge problem, with trading our top 10 pick.

I'd imagine Sam is sweating over the SSPs etc trying to find a ready-made midfield back-up.

Mackenzie, Butler, Finn, HH. Do we really need some SSP? We have plenty of players on our list capable of playing a back up midfield role.

 

[triple treat]

On Nairn, from the highlights I watched, I don’t think the clubs sees him as a Gunston replacement but a link up wingman. Has speed good awareness and a nice leg on him!

 

[To the Hawk]

Nairn is going to offer us significant flexibility and I actually wouldn't be shocked to see in 2026.

A combination Sam flipping the magnets of Day, Weddle and Nairn is very exciting.

Schubert is just incredibly exciting. The best key position forward in the draft and barely eligible. Will take plenty of time, which is why bottom clubs passed and we got in ahead of other contending sides who can afford to be patient.

Essendon will yet again win the trade period. But i don't like that combination. Played it incredibly safe and similar ,with 3 top 13 picks they should have taken Schubert to pair with Caddy. Or Dovaston given their forward half remains ground zero.

Oh and the biggest thing, we were never taking a mid from this draft to change our fortunes. Not even Grilj who will be a half-back at AFL Level.

How far we go this year, and in the future, rests significantly with our 2 x pick 7s with over 50 games experience. Ward and Mackenzie.

We desperately need them to be the players we expected. If so, Day, Newcombe, Ward and Mackenzie means we're set long term.

 

[hawkinoz]

North Melbourne has the prized first selection on night two and has had a keen interest in Sturt key defender Blake Thredgold, who was in contention to be taken by Geelong, Fremantle and Hawthorn later in the first round.

Eastern Ranges inside bull Ollie Greeves, Dandenong Stingrays forward Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves, Sandringham Dragons key forward Archie Ludowyke, Woodville-West Torrens midfielder Jevan Phillipou, the brother of emerging Saint Mattaes, and Oakleigh Chargers ruck-forward Louis Emmett shape as value selections for clubs on night two.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/...s/news-story/87670ba047ff011d1a141b994bcac21e

Remaining picks

Adelaide: 46, 54
Brisbane: 42, 43, 50
Carlton: 28, 38, 44
Collingwood: 32, 37, 47, 51, 60
Essendon: 36
Fremantle: 39, 57
Geelong: 33
Gold Coast: 48, 49
GWS: 66
Hawthorn: 52, 59
Melbourne: 30, 56, 58
North Melbourne: 26, 45
Port Adelaide: 62, 67
Richmond: 31, 61
St Kilda: 40, 55, 63
Sydney: 35, 41, 53, 64
West Coast: 29, 34
Western Bulldogs: 27

*****

On Day 2 what we need is for early bids on Blues NGA as well as Eagles NGA. That could put us in a good position to trade for their next pick, would be great if we can package 52+59 and Sydney F3 that we hold instead of having to give up either our or GWS F2( can't trade Saints F2 to Eagles)

If not happy to see who drops out to pick 52( should be 45). NGA bis for Pies/Suns/Saints/Scum still to come.

Maybe Sam Swadling who we talked to, would like Riley Onley at 52 but Pies are into him too and hold picks before us( unless they lose it in NGA)

 

[MazHawk]

Interesting. So in hindsight if we hadn't swapped our 9 for 10 in trade week we would have had access to sharp .

True but we really wanted 22 so we could further trade down in order to secure Nairn and we could only get that by trading 9 for 10.

 

[Platten44]

Congratulations to Essendon for winning the 2025 AFL Draft Premiership.

That is 40 draft premierships in a row.

Ben Waterworth from Fox Sports 2022 Draft Grades

ESSENDON

Picks (at start of the draft): 4, 22, 54, 61, 66

Selections: Elijah Tsatas (5), Lewis Hayes (25), Alwyn Davey (45), Jayden Davey (54)


Close to an ideal draft campaign. They weighed up several big offers from rival clubs for their first pick and settled on keeping it. Then weighed up taking Tsatas or Mattaes Phillipou with that pick and settled on Tsatas, who was seen by rivals as the safer bet over Phillipou. And rightly so, for the explosive on-baller, who’s been likened to Chad Warner and has been in the top-five mix for the past 12 months, should bring an exciting dynamic to Essendon’s midfield brigade. The Bombers then picked up one of the best key defenders in the draft class in Hayes, who had genuine first-round interest. Hayes is an elite interceptor with the ability to play on forwards both taller and smaller than him. And the Alwyn Davey bid came a lot later than most thought after speculation the Bombers would have to match in the middle of the second round. Bringing both Davey boys in via the national draft was the romantic story of night two. In Tsatas and the Davey brothers, the Bombers have acquired some much-needed leg speed.

Grade: B+

HAWTHORN

Picks (at start of the draft): 6, 24, 41, 48, 50, 52, 63

Selections: Cameron Mackenzie (7), Josh Weddle (18), Henry Hustwaite (37), Jack O’Sullivan (46), Bailey Macdonald (51)

Industry sources were left puzzled by a few Hawks moves. After losing Jaeger O’Meara and Tom Mitchell during the trade period, an inside midfield chasm at the Hawks emerged. List boss Mark McKenzie even flagged last week they’d be looking for a “big-bodied midfielder”. Gun tall on-ballers Mattaes Phillipou and Reuben Ginbey were both still on the board when it was time for the Hawks to select, but they instead went for Mackenzie. The Dragons prospect will be a star and has a strong inside class, but isn’t as big as Ginbey and Phillipou and is renowned for his class on the outside, to the point where some analysts can see him starting his AFL career at half-back. And when the Hawks traded back into the first round, most recruiters initially thought they’d pounce on slider Ed Allan. Instead they took a defender in Weddle — even though the Hawks drafted Will Day and Denver Grainger-Barras with first-round picks in past years. In order to gain Pick 18 in the first place, the Hawks had to give up Pick 27 plus their future second and third round picks. That could be a very high price, since most expect them to be a wooden spoon contender in 2023. For example if they finish 17th next year, they‘d be giving up 20, 27 and 38 and only getting 18 back – that’s like giving Sydney a late first-round pick for free, using draft points. Coincidentally, Sydney used Pick 27 it got from Hawthorn to take Hawks NGA graduate Cooper Vickery, meaning the Hawks didn’t have bidding rights as Vickery’s name was called before Pick 40. Hustwaite, though, was a steal at Pick 37, while Macdonald will provide ample dash from the back-half. Some risks that, of course, could pay off big time down the track.

Grade: D+

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Is this AFL going to release a 2026 draft order since last night? That plus not being able to see who was bid on or how they matched is genuine amateur hour. Not to mention how hard it was to determine what trades actually happened last night.

Honestly, wtf are they doing.

I understand that Hawthorn holds its first, second and third round draft selections in 2026 and also has a third round draft selection tied to Sydney and a fourth round draft selection tied to Melbourne.

Sydney holds a 2026 fourth round draft selection tied to Hawthorn.

Hawthorn's next pick in this year's draft is at pick 52 (originally held by the Eagles).

 

[Dixie Flatline]

Coincidentally, Sydney used Pick 27 it got from Hawthorn to take Hawks NGA graduate Cooper Vickery, meaning the Hawks didn’t have bidding rights as Vickery’s name was called before Pick 40. Hustwaite, though, was a steal at Pick 37, while Macdonald will provide ample dash from the back-half. Some risks that, of course, could pay off big time down the track.

Grade: D+

The Swans delisted Vickery after the 2024 season and he signed with Carlton's VFL team for 2025, as an aside. It's a tough business, football.

 

[sohsam]

On Nairn, from the highlights I watched, I don’t think the clubs sees him as a Gunston replacement but a link up wingman. Has speed good awareness and a nice leg on him!

there you go, he is an upgrade on sharp/greeves already, tank and speed. He can do it all, he had multiple 30+ possessions as a midfielder and kicked 7 goals, so that hybrid role, similar to MacDonald and Butler, I imagine. Wherever we need him I guess.

 

[Sydney Kicker]

Congratulations to Essendon for winning the 2025 AFL Draft Premiership.

That is 40 draft premierships in a row.

I think GC won the draft. Hard not to when you're 100 points up before the game starts.