‘Aggressive’ response to loophole; ‘surprise’ sparks domino effect — AFL Draft Rd 1 Talking Pts

Clubs finally “put their money where their mouth is” and made rivals pay true value for matching bids on Wednesday night.

Plus, why the first round might’ve just “defined” a rebuilding club for the next decade, and how Richmond’s “surprise” call shaped the early proceedings and hugely benefitted a rival — and more.

Foxfooty.com.au runs through the biggest Talking Points from night one of the draft.

Watch live coverage of the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft on Kayo Sports 19-20 Nov | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

AT LAST, CLUBS ‘PUT THEIR MONEY WHERE THEIR MOUTH IS’

Clubs are finally being made to pay a considerable price to match bids on club-tied talent.

Rivals have been vocal about the northern academies and father-sons, and they finally “put their money where their mouth is” in what’s been widely recognised as the most compromised draft in history.

In Wednesday night’s first round, West Coast bid four times on rival club-tied talent — Gold Coast’s Zeke Uwland at no.2, Carlton’s father-son gun Harry Dean at no.3, the Suns’ Jai Murray at no.17 and Beau Addinsall at no.18.

Gold Coast made four pre-draft pick trades to get itself in a spot to match contending bids in order to accumulate the matching power to also snag Addinsall in addition to Uwland, Dylan Patterson and Jai Murray, with a tough call on Koby Coulson later in proceedings.

The bidding system has long been lambasted, after Collingwood father-son superstar Nick Daicos cost the Pies chips after going at no.4, and Levi Ashcroft slipping to no.5 last year despite being seen as the best overall prospect.

But the changes made by the AFL in the past year — stripping back the number of picks with a points value to the first 54, and decreasing the bid-matching discount from 20 per cent to 10 per cent — are helping ensure it’s simply not anywhere near as easy as it once was.

Tonight’s events might’ve proven this is the best example of the bidding system working — to a degree. And it helps that clubs like the Eagles and Tigers were eager to make rivals pay.

“There has been a lot of talk in the past 12, 18 months about the academy picks, and West Coast have just gone by what they had ranked in their order,” Fox Footy’s Leigh Montagna said when probed on clubs being made to pay full price.

“They haven’t shied away from it, they’ve taken the bids, they’ve made Carlton and Gold Coast pay full price. So, good on them,” the dual All-Australian said.

Fox Footy draft expert Mick Ablett said: “We’ve heard so much noise, haven’t we, around the northern academies and the clubs saying ‘jeez, they’re getting too much of a leg-up now’, but this is what’s important.

“They now get the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is, bid on these players, force the clubs to pay full value for them, and we’re getting — for the first time — an indicative draft order.”

The Giants, who traded up to the no.14 slot, also forced arch-rivals Sydney to pay up for academy talent Harry Kyle. Later, the Eagles bid on Murray and Addinsall back-to-back, prompting Ablett to remark: “They are really putting some of these clubs to the sword.”

After the Western Bulldogs bid on Swans-linked youngster Lachie Carmichael, he added: “It’s been a remarkable night. I don’t think we’ve seen a draft like this in recent times.

“And I know we’re seeing a lot of them matched, but what it is doing is it’s starting to open up the draft through the middle stages as well, because clubs will eventually run out of points.

“I love seeing these (teams) be aggressive … this is really interesting.”

And the Swans, who matched for Kyle at 14th overall, elected to pass on Carmichael in what was the first of just two non-matched bids in nine instances in the first round.

At no.25, Essendon intriguingly chose not to match Fremantle’s bid on Next Generation Academy prospect Adam Sweid.

Asked after the conclusion of the first round whether the Eagles had gone to an effort to make rivals pay fair value, Matthew Clarke said: “Not necessarily fair value, we’re just putting them in an order, to be fair.

“We do a ranking system, like most other clubs will, and if we feel that they deserve to be picked there in the draft, we will bid on them.

“So, we’re always mindful of deciding ‘well, if they’re not going to come to us, we don’t bid’, but it’ll also affect your later picks. So, we’re very mindful of that.”

But while teams were notably aggressive on Wednesday night, the bidding system changes are far from finished.

There is a growing expectation that from next year, clubs will only be able to match father-son or academy bids using two selections.

Such a move would go a further way to ensuring clubs are spending premium selections — not just a combination of run-of-the-mill picks — to rebuff rivals.

Further, while it was confirmed there’d be no bidding lockout in the early stages of in this year’s draft, from 2026 onwards, clubs are set to have varying degrees of bid-matching access depending on their ladder position.

‘HUGE DRAFT’ TO ‘DEFINE’ REBUILDER FOR NEXT DECADE

“Lindsay calmly chips it to Duursma. Duursma glides through the middle and gives it to Reid, who fends off a tackle and spears it into the high-flying Duff-Tytler.”

That’s what West Coast fans have to look forward to in the future.

The additions of Willem Duursma and Cooper Duff-Tytler with top four picks and Josh Lindsay also in the first round bolsters the young nucleus of the Eagles.

And they certainly need it.

It goes without saying. But the 2025 draft shapes as a defining one for the Eagles.

Any time you have the first two selections on the night, it’s big. But West Coast is desperate to add more high-end talent to a list devoid of emerging star-power.

Yes, there’s Harley Reid, who presented Duursma his jumper in great scenes. But there’s not many other young guns on the list the club can absolutely hang its hat on long term.

These are the names that will play leading roles in trying to turn around a powerhouse club that’s bottomed out badly, including four-straight bottom three finishes and a wooden spoon in 2025.

It’ll give West Coast fans plenty more reasons to attend and tune into games in 2026 after those tough few years.

“This is a huge draft for them. This could really be defining for the next 10 years,” draft expert Mick Ablett said on Fox Footy.

“They’ve started the rebuild in earnest now, we’ve seen the picks they’ve been able to bring in early.

“We know they just need to get the best talent on the board.

“And play them early – let them play – we saw what the Tigers did this year, five wins in 2025.

“Give them that experience.”

While there might still be some pain to come, it continues a promising-season for West Coast after also bringing in Brandon Starcevich

“They’ve been able to get some mature players in as well to support the youngsters, they’ve got Brandon Starcevich and a few more rookie types that can really help them,” Saints great leigh Montagna added.

“Andrew McQualter is doing a good job.”

TIGERS ‘SURPRISE’ IN DOMINO EFFECT AS DONS GO ‘BANG, BANG, BANG’

What the Tigers did with their first two picks had been a point of contention going into proceedings, given the range of possibilities after the early bidding frenzy.

The order was effectively set through the opening six picks, with Richmond’s decision-making to dictate which open-pool names slid through to the end of the top 10 and early teens.

And the Tigers made a “surprise” call at no.8 overall that meant a best-case scenario for Essendon in the subsequent picks, with the Bombers a big winner on opening night.

Richmond had been strongly linked to all-time bolter Sullivan Robey with one of its two picks, Richmond snagged Oakleigh Chargers line-breaker Sam Grlj in the night’s first eyebrow-raiser.

It’d been said that Grlj could slide past the top 10, but the elite-running half-backer heads to Tigerland after making a couple of appearances for the club’s VFL side this year.

“Was surprised, we thought maybe Sullivan Robey might get taken, but they have gone for maybe more of the need,” Montagna said on Fox Footy.

“They have loaded up through the midfield and forward half of the ground, now they get the explosive half back that can set the game off on counter-attack.”

Predictably, Essendon took Robey with the very next selection, with the club certainly pleased with that result given Robey was seen as arguably the best open-pool prospect after the top two.

And as if swooping on Robey wasn’t a windfall in itself, the Bombers took precise-kicking West Australian hybrid Jacob Farrow with the 10th pick.

The rebounding half-backer will start his AFL journey in defence but has the capacity to be a full-time midfielder in time, in the Jordan Dawson mould.

But for now, the Dons will be glad to have added quality to their half-backline, with Farrow to link up with fellow young gun Archie Roberts.

Richmond’s Grlj selection also meant mid-sized interceptor Xavier Taylor fell to Melbourne — which also took bolter Latrelle Pickett — meaning hard-headed South Australian midfielder Dyson Sharp slipped to the Dons’ third pick at no.13; a selection they gained in a pre-draft deal with Carlton.

Overall, the night should be looked on as a success for Essendon, which needs all the quality talent it can get its hands on.

“The Bombers have been screaming for a big-bodied midfielder for a number of years, now … they’ve got their man — huge night tonight for the Bombers,” Ablett said on the Fox Footy broadcast.

“We spoke about that. Rob Forster-Knight (Bombers recruiting manager) has just gone bang, bang, bang and got some absolute class in a number of different roles for the Bombers.”

Montagna added: “They look pretty chuffed, the Bombers crew, and so they (should be). I think they’ve done an excellent job.

“They’ve just got three players that can all play through the midfield, but are all different types, with some poise and some power, and then the reliability of Sharp and the leadership (capability), so I think they’ve done a great job.”

‘WHAT’S BETTER THAN ONE PICKETT? TWO’: DRAFT’S MOST ‘SPECIAL MOMENT’

Melbourne, at Pick 12, provided arguably the most heartwarming moment of the night.

After swooping on mini slider Xavier Taylor with the pick before, the Demons united the Pickett’s, selecting mature-age Glenelg bolter Latrelle Pickett with the 12th selection.

And, of course, the Demons had organised Pickett’s cousin – superstar All-Australian Kysaiah Pickett – to present Melbourne’s newest player with his first red and blue jumper, six years after Kysaiah Pickett was taken by the same club at the same selection.

“What’s better than one Pickett in the forward line for the Dees? It’s going to be two Pickett’s,” dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna told Fox Footy.

“This is going to be so exciting. That’s such a special moment for both these young men.

“What a story for Latrelle Pickett to end up being taken in the top 12 in the national draft, considering he was playing local footy 12 months ago.”

The Demons, for months, had been linked to Pickett, particularly due to his strong connection with Kysaiah, who this year signed a long-term contract extension to stay at Melbourne.

But rival clubs were circling. He was also linked to Hawthorn and Western Bulldogs, while many sources were adamant the GWS Giants to pounce on Pickett after putting a mountain of work into him. He also met with Essendon on Monday and North Melbourne was also keen, so the fact he received a late call-up to Marvel Stadium for night one was no surprise.

As it emerged the Demons were possibly leaning towards taking fellow South Australian Cameron Nairn with one of their first two picks, expectations grew that Pickett would be overlooked by Melbourne.

But Pickett was the Demons’ man all along.

“It’s crazy … Pick 12 is unreal, I still can’t believe it,” Pickett told Fox Footy moments after being drafted.

“I (thought I) was around the (Pick) 60 mark, hoping for the 60-70 mark, so to be Pick 12 is pretty crazy.”

There was some talk around Pickett, who turns 20 in late December, being in the mid-season draft mix earlier this year, but ultimately didn’t play in enough games to be eligible.

After a strong SANFL reserves campaign with Glenelg — which saw him kick 32 goals from 18 games, including four in the grand final — Pickett was unleashed at league level for three matches. And the 20-year-old’s four-goal, 16-disposal debut against Central District gave scouts a glimpse of his high-end talent and further incentive to put more work into him.

He’s never afraid to use his explosive pace to take the game on, while his forward craft and smarts around the goal have been on display all year.

Now Pickett gets to run out alongside his cousin Kysaiah, who’s more “like a big brother to me”.

“Still trying to get my head around it, but I can’t,” Pickett told reporters on Wednesday night.

“It’s just a dream come true, so really happy at the moment … that’s I think a reason why they want to pick me up, Melbourne, just to be around Kozzie.”

SWANS HOPE 10-YEAR CAUTIONARY TALE DOESN’T ‘BITE THEM’ AGAIN

After a series of bids dominated the first round of the 2025 draft, there were eyebrows raised when the first non-bid of the night went down.

And Sydney will be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself and the Western Bulldogs don’t pinch another one of the Swans’ products.

With the 21st pick of the first round, the Dogs bid on Sydney Academy prospect Lachlan Carmichael.

But the Swans, who matched GWS’ bid on Harry Kyle six picks earlier at No. 15, opted not to match on Carmichael, making him a Bulldog.

It comes after the Swans 10 years ago infamously decided against matching the Dogs’ bid on Josh Dunkley, who nominated Sydney under the father-son rule.

Fair to say three flags later Sydney might be regretting that one!

“The Swans famously did not match the bid for Josh Dunkley,” draft guru Kevin Sheehan said on Fox Footy.

“Look at the player he’s become, I rate him the best No. 25 pick in 40 years.”

Sydney navigating its tricky bidding situation with Academy quartet – Harry Kyle, Lachlan Carmichael, Max King and Noah Chamberlain – namely the former trio, was always going to be a delicate balancing act.

Particularly given they didn’t have the strongest of daft hands going in after acquiring Charlie Curnow in the trade period.

There was always potential Sydney would need to make a hard call on one of those Academy prospects and let them slip through to another club.

King remains on the board still going into night two but should get a bid early in the second round, while Chamberlain could be attained with a late pick or they could even get him as a rookie.

“That could be the next Josh Dunkley right there,” Saints great Leigh Montagna added of Carmichael.

“Hopefully it doesn’t bite the Swans on the backside.

“But they had to consider the points and some other players, they might have guys on their draft board they’re still keen on, like Max King.”