Two sneaky winners; Pies cash in as Swans lead Academy snub trend — AFL Draft night two Talking Pts

The 2024 AFL Draft is done and dusted as 71 young guns realised their dreams.

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There was plenty of drama as always, from the Tigers’ big choice with the first pick of the night to the two clubs who struck absolute gold.

Foxfooty.com.au runs through the big Talking Points from night two of the 2024 AFL Draft!

FULL WRAP: Tigers’ early surprise, double twin magic as father-son picks light up night two

DRAFT TRACKER: Every pick, trade and bid made over two nights

RD 1 TALKING POINTS: Lions, Eagles cash in as Roos’ trade gamble boosts Tigers haul, Saints ignore star’s plea

TIGERS HOLD FIRM TO SPRING SELECTION SURPRISE

Richmond list boss Blair Hartley has been one of the most prominent figures throughout the draft and his phone was ringing like crazy on Thursday night.

Plenty of clubs – including Essendon and Geelong – were interested in trading for Richmond’s pick 28, the first pick of night two.

The first selection of night two is always hot property with clubs having ample time to work the phones, but Richmond opted to hold firm with their prized pick.

Multiple sources told foxfooty.com.au that the Bombers were prepared to offer a future first round pick in exchange for pick 28, but Hartley and the Tigers wouldn’t budge.

Bendigo Pioneers spearhead Jobe Shanahan, who was ranked 16th in Fox Footy’s Ben Waterworth’s Phantom Draft was right in the mix, as was Jack Whitlock, who was invited to the opening night of the draft.

Geelong was also in the mix – potentially to target South Australian ruck Alex Dodson.

But the Tigers pulled a selection stunner, selecting Northern Knights forward Thomas Sims.

Sims is an athletic tall forward who also has the ability to chop out in the ruck, with his versatility particularly appealing.

Sims has thrived under the tutelage of Collingwood champion Anthony Rocca at the Knights and was the third tall forward selected by the Tigers in the 2024 draft alongside Jonty Faull and Harry Armstrong.

“This boy emerged this year… he looks like he could be anything,” Fox Footy draft expert Kevin Sheehan said.

Fox Footy draft guru Mick Ablett likened Sims to Port Adelaide’s Tom Marshall

“I really like his ability to create separation from his opponent, he’s got a well-rounded athletic profile,” Ablett said.

“For a guy of that size to be able to move laterally and show that speed off the mark is really impressive.”

It capped off a brilliant draft haul for Richmond, having taken Sam Lalor (pick 1), Josh Smillie (7), Taj Hotton (12), Jonty Faull (14), Luke Trainor (21), Harry Armstrong (23) on night one.

EAGLES AND POWER STRIKE GOLD

West Coast and Port Adelaide emerged as big winners out of the draft this year.

The Eagles missed out on Shai Bolton to arch-rivals Fremantle during the trade period, but their super draft haul will no doubt soften that blow for Andrew McQualter’s side.

West Coast selected top West Australian talent Bo Allan with their first pick which was somewhat of a surprise amongst the industry. Fox Footy’s Phantom Draft had Allan being selected just outside the top 10, so the fact he slid to pick 16 was a huge plus for the Eagles.

They also gained pick 45 in the process, after Port Adelaide struck a deal to gain access to Joe Berry.

Their second pick was arguably the biggest slider of the draft in key forward Jobe Shanahan.

Shanahan was one of just 20 players invited to attend night one at Marvel Stadium but had to wait that little bit longer to realise his AFL dream.

Shanahan describes himself as a centre-half forward who “crashes packs, takes big marks (and is) a pretty good set shot” at goal. Shanahan booted 11 goals in three games for Essendon’s VFL side during the year, highlighting his ability to match it with senior bodies.

The Eagles made it three from three, taking Oakleigh Chargers gem Tom Gross with pick 46.

“You look at him and say how can he still be there in the mid 40s,” Sheehan said.

Gross didn’t drop below 19 disposals in eight Coates Talent League appearances this season.

Local talent Hamish Davis lobbed in with their fourth selection at pick 65, having been ranked at 30 by Fox Lab.

“It was almost torture, that was the most stressed I’ve ever been,” Davis told Fox Footy’s broadcast.

When Port Adelaide traded Dan Houston out of the club, many thought they’d been left short-changed.

But Port Adelaide’s list management team deserve plenty of kudos, having landed a trio of young stars at the draft.

First, they struck a trade with West Coast allowing them to gain access to Murray Bushrangers jet Joe Berry.

Berry is a livewire small forward in the mould of Hawthorn’s Dylan Moore, a hard runner with plenty of craft around the big sticks.

Then they pounced on Berry’s Bushies teammate Jack Whitlock, who booted 25 goals in 12 games in the Coates Talent League. Whitlock had been linked as high as Richmond’s pick 10 at the start of the draft, so Ken Hinkley and his recruiting team would have been licking their lips nabbing Whitlock at pick 33. Both players address significant list needs for last year’s preliminary finalists too.

Their third selection was Eastern Ranges midfielder Christian Moraes, who was touted as a possible top five selection this time last year. Moraes didn’t quite have the season he was hoping for, meaning he slipped outside of the first round and right into Port Adelaide’s hands.

The 2024 draft was a massive tick for both the Eagles and Power, and while Port did make one minor trade to get their top target, for the most part both sides had the same plan – sit there and wait for highly-rated players to drop to them.

CLUBS PASS ON ACADEMY GUNS

Joel Cochran is the Academy gun who the Swans let through to the keeper.

Cochran received a bid from Collingwood at pick 47 and the Swans opted not to match that bid.

It was no surprise that the bid for the elite runner came at that point, but it was somewhat of a surprise that the Swans didn’t cough up for their Academy star.

Cochran fell in love with the game early on in life and the 195cm star is one of the most coachable players in this draft pool, according to Sheehan.

“He’ll get better and better the higher he goes with his footy,” Sheehan said.

Cochran spends time on the wing and at half-back and the panel were intrigued by the Swans passing on a prospect who was right under their nose.

“We don’t see that happen too often,” Fox Footy host Sarah Jones said.

“This is where the intrigue comes into football, you leave people scratching their heads,” Ablett replied.

The Swans looked likely to try and pick up a running half-back at this year’s draft.

“(The Swans) had one in their own backyard, and they’ve let him slip through to Collingwood.”

Elsewhere, the Giants chose not to match a bid for tall position talent Cooper Bell.

Bell received a big from the Gold Coast Suns at pick 49, but the Giants, who also had their eye on Academy ruck Logan Smith, chose to pass.

Bell could quickly become a cult figure at AFL level, his long luscious red-haired mullet will certainly catch the eyes of Suns fans.

At pick 55, Sydney placed a bid on Dandenong Stingrays over-ager Riak Andrew, the brother of Gold Coast’s Mac.

Melbourne chose not to match the bid for their Next Generation Academy talent, meaning the Swans landed the key position depth they were craving.

St Kilda passed on matching a bid for Sandringham Dragons defender Lennox Hoffman at pick 66. Hoffman is a speedy defender who is also strong in the air.

“He’s a special one,” Mick Ablett said.

CARLTON CAMPO DREAM COMES TRUE

Camporeale’s and Carlton, it was just meant to be.

Carlton father-son duo Ben and Lucas Camporeale are on their way to Ikon Park after the Blues matched bids on the star pair.

The boys are the sons of Carlton champion Scott Camporeale, who played 233 games for the Blues back in the 1990s and early 2000s.

It capped off a superb draft for the Blues who began proceedings by taking Oakleigh Chargers on-baller Jagga Smith with pick 3.

The Blues had Smith ranked as the best player in the draft pool, so were stoked when he slipped to pick 3.

But the real plus for Carlton came when they were able to use pick 40 on Calder Cannons defender Harry O’Farrell.

O’Farrell is a promising key defender out of Maribyrnong Park and the son of lawyer Peter O’Farrell, who famously got Blues captain Patrick Cripps off at a Tribunal hearing back in 2022 that ultimately saw him secure the Brownlow Medal that year.

The Blues were sweating on whether or not they would be able to use that second round pick to bring in another elite talent, with a bid looming on Ben Camporeale around that stage.

The Cats made that bid three selections later, meaning the Blues were able to lock in both Camporeale and O’Farrell, without that pick 40 being swallowed by an early Ben bid.

The cherry on top was when the Baggers landed Ben’s twin, Lucas, capping off a remarkable draft from the Blues.