Lots of talk of a weak draft, Jude Bolton & ESPN summarised those who were drafted from the mature age nominees:
.... Friday night was littered with examples of those who were denied a red carpet entry to an AFL list but eventually banged down the door.
Tim Kelly was the first state league selection, with Geelong snaring the 23-year-old WAFL star with pick No.24.
The benefit of selecting mature-age talent is, of course, they're more likely to be able to play senior footy straight away, with the premiership-hunting Cats confident that Kelly - who finished second in the Sandover Medal this year at South Fremantle - can impact from day one.
Two picks after the Cats grabbed Kelly, West Coast then swooped on another WAFL star, explosive and dynamic forward Liam Ryan. Just 24 months ago, Ryan was just a raw country footballer who then exploded to prominence with two sensational seasons with Subiaco.
At pick No. 31, Melbourne was happy to grab VFL dynamo Bayley Fritsch, who became the 12th straight Fothergill-Round Medal winner to be recruited to the AFL, having starred with the Demons' VFL-aligned side Casey. A dangerous and spectacular mid-sized forward, Fritsch came from the clouds having endured a back fracture in 2015 and a knee problem last year before getting a clean run at it during the 2017 VFL season.
Bayley Fritsch runs with the ball during the 2017 VFL semifinal against Richmond. Graham Denholm/AFL Media/Getty Images
The state league success stories continued later in the draft. NEAFL playmaker Oskar Baker (Melbourne, 48) was rewarded for his exceptional form for Aspley, former Melbourne wingman Dom Barry was drafted by Port Adelaide at pick No. 61 after a brilliant SANFL campaign, WAFL stars Zac Giles Langdon (GWS, pick 56), Scott Jones (Fremantle, 75) and Matt Guelfi (Essendon, 76) finally fought their way to AFL lists, while the VFL's Sam Switkowski (Fremantle, 73) was also rewarded after his sterling season with Box Hill.
Each would have surely had moments during the past few years where they doubted whether they'd ever be given a chance; each must have banished those thoughts and fought on.
Fighting on too are Billy Hartung and Jarrod Garlett, the final two picks of the draft who squeezed into the last-chance saloon just on closing time.
Hartung, who played 63 games for Hawthorn between 2014-17 before being delisted, swapped the brown and gold stripes for blue and white after North Melbourne offered him a lifeline with the draft's penultimate pick, No. 77.
http://kwese.espn.com/afl/story/_/id/21546996/last-chance-saloon-welcomes-new-members-afl-draft
.... Friday night was littered with examples of those who were denied a red carpet entry to an AFL list but eventually banged down the door.
Tim Kelly was the first state league selection, with Geelong snaring the 23-year-old WAFL star with pick No.24.
The benefit of selecting mature-age talent is, of course, they're more likely to be able to play senior footy straight away, with the premiership-hunting Cats confident that Kelly - who finished second in the Sandover Medal this year at South Fremantle - can impact from day one.
Two picks after the Cats grabbed Kelly, West Coast then swooped on another WAFL star, explosive and dynamic forward Liam Ryan. Just 24 months ago, Ryan was just a raw country footballer who then exploded to prominence with two sensational seasons with Subiaco.
At pick No. 31, Melbourne was happy to grab VFL dynamo Bayley Fritsch, who became the 12th straight Fothergill-Round Medal winner to be recruited to the AFL, having starred with the Demons' VFL-aligned side Casey. A dangerous and spectacular mid-sized forward, Fritsch came from the clouds having endured a back fracture in 2015 and a knee problem last year before getting a clean run at it during the 2017 VFL season.
Bayley Fritsch runs with the ball during the 2017 VFL semifinal against Richmond. Graham Denholm/AFL Media/Getty Images
The state league success stories continued later in the draft. NEAFL playmaker Oskar Baker (Melbourne, 48) was rewarded for his exceptional form for Aspley, former Melbourne wingman Dom Barry was drafted by Port Adelaide at pick No. 61 after a brilliant SANFL campaign, WAFL stars Zac Giles Langdon (GWS, pick 56), Scott Jones (Fremantle, 75) and Matt Guelfi (Essendon, 76) finally fought their way to AFL lists, while the VFL's Sam Switkowski (Fremantle, 73) was also rewarded after his sterling season with Box Hill.
Each would have surely had moments during the past few years where they doubted whether they'd ever be given a chance; each must have banished those thoughts and fought on.
Fighting on too are Billy Hartung and Jarrod Garlett, the final two picks of the draft who squeezed into the last-chance saloon just on closing time.
Hartung, who played 63 games for Hawthorn between 2014-17 before being delisted, swapped the brown and gold stripes for blue and white after North Melbourne offered him a lifeline with the draft's penultimate pick, No. 77.
http://kwese.espn.com/afl/story/_/id/21546996/last-chance-saloon-welcomes-new-members-afl-draft
