With the National Draft in the rear mirror – and 64 players’ dreams realised – attention quickly turns to Wednesday’s Pre-Season and Rookie Drafts.
For while a host of prospects missed out on their dream of joining an AFL club on Monday and Tuesday night, another opportunity looms.
And like always, there was several surprise snubbings from the National Draft that could yet have plenty to offer at the top level.
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They include Koen Sanchez (Peel Thunder) and Vigo Visentini (Sandringham Dragons), who were ranked 32nd and 45th respectively of all 2023 prospects by Fox Sports’ Lab.
Then there’s the likes of Matt Carroll (Sandringham Dragons), Loch Rawlinson (Sturt), Geordie Payne (Wynyard), Nick Williams (Suns Academy), Riley Wills (Subiaco) and Sam Clohesy (VFL Werribee mature ager).
Earlier, Chad Wingard and Sam Day were re-drafted onto the primary lists of Hawthorn and Gold Coast respsectively before St Kilda pulled the first surprise of the day, picking delisted Power defender Riley Bonner with the third and final of the pre-season draft.
With prospects now able to join AFL lists through multiple pathways including the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP) and Mid-Season Draft, clubs are more selective with each mechanism, meaning Wednesday night’s drafts may have less picks than in previous years after 26 players were picked up in the 2022 Rookie Draft.
“(Clubs will) be talking all night tonight about whether they save that (pick) for tomorrow,” Fox Footy draft expert Kevin Sheehan said on Tuesday night.
“It’ll be review time, then they’ll leave it to the two key guys – the recruiting manager and list manger – to assemble their numbers for tomorrow … they’ve already made promises to upgrade players.
“(Player managers) play a role in that welfare sense, as do the state league clubs. All the people who care about these young boys want to find out if they are a chance for tomorrow, so those phone calls are made.
“Clubs will then be honest in their feedback, they will have made their own mind up and they won’t be influenced by the people who ring in.”
The Pre-Season and Rookie Drafts start from 2.55pm (AEST).
2023 Pre-Season Draft
1. Hawthorn — Chad Wingard (Hawthorn)
2. Gold Coast Suns — Sam Day (Gold Coast Suns)
3. St Kilda — Riley Bonner (Port Adelaide)
2023 Rookie Draft Order
Round 1
1. West Coast Eagles — Loch Rawlinson (Sturt)
2. North Melbourne — Finnbar Maley (Northern Bullants — VFL)
3. Hawthorn — Cooper Stephens (Hawthorn)
4. Gold Coast Suns — Sam Clohesy (Werribee — VFL)
5. Fremantle — Odin Jones (West Perth)
6. Richmond — Pass
7. Geelong Cats — Emerson Jeka (Hawthorn)
8. Essendon — Vigo Visentini (Sandringham Dragons)
9. Adelaide Crows — Will Hamill (Adelaide Crows)
10. Western Bulldogs — Lachie McNeill (Western Bulldogs)
11. Sydney Swans — Sam Reid (Sydney Swans)
12. St Kilda
13. Melbourne
14. Port Adelaide
15. GWS Giants
16. Carlton
17. Collingwood
Round 2
18. North Melbourne
19. Hawthorn
20. Gold Coast
21. Fremantle
22. Adelaide
23. Western Bulldogs
24. Melbourne
25. Collingwood
Round 3
26. Gold Coast
27. Western Bulldogs
28. Melbourne
29. Collingwood
Round 4
30. Gold Coast
Round 5
31. Gold Coast
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