DID YOUR NUMBERS COME UP?
Recruiters are already salivating over the 2023 national draft. Trades last season left several AFL clubs ideally positioned, but which have the strongest draft hands?
The 2023 AFL national draft is not until November, but already plenty of selections have changed hands. Four clubs have no firstround picks, while four others have two each of the first 18 selections in a bumper pool. Here are the picks each club holds – and why.
ADELAIDE
NNRd 1: Own
NNRd 2: 1 x linked to North Melbourne, 1 x linked to Gold Coast
NNRd 3: None
NNRd 4: None
The Crows are well placed for a draft they are keen on. If North Melbourne and Gold Coast finish in the bottom half of the ladder again this season, Adelaide would have three top-30 selections.
BRISBANE
NNRd 1: None
NNRd 2: 1 x linked to Geelong NNRd 3: Own, 1 x linked to Geelong
NNRd 4: 1 x linked to Fremantle
The Lions’ first and secondround picks are in the hands of the Western Bulldogs as part of the trade that brought gun midfielder Josh Dunkley north. If premier Geelong manages another top-four finish – as it has for four years – Brisbane won’t enter the draft until the mid-30s.
CARLTON NNRd 1: Own NNRd 2: None NNRd 3: None NNRd 4: Own, 1 x linked to Essendon
The Blues gave up their second-round pick this year to grab pick 30 from the Magpies in last year’s draft and pick up classy rebounding defender Lachlan Cowan.
Their third-round pick went out the door to secure Blake Acres from Fremantle.
COLLINGWOOD NNRd 1: Own NNRd 2: 1 x linked to Carlton NNRd 3: None NNRd 4: Own
The Magpies gave up pick 30 to Carlton to get hold of the Blues’ second-round pick. Their own second-round pick headed to Greater Western Sydney as part of the deal to get small forward Bobby Hill, while their third-round pick was exchanged for former Adelaide utility Billy Frampton.
ESSENDON NNR 1: Own NNRd 2: Own NNRd 3: Own NNRd 4: Linked to Sydney
The Bombers’ draft hand will largely be determined by their own finishing order given they retain their own first, second and third-round selections. Their own fourth
round selection went to Carlton to secure midfielder Will Setterfield, but they got a fourth-round selection back from Sydney for swingman Aaron Francis.
FREMANTLE
NNRd 1: None
NNRd 2: 1 x linked to North Melbourne
NNRd 3: 1 x linked to North Melbourne,
1 x linked to Carlton
NNRd 4: 1 x linked to North Melbourne
The Dockers gave up their first-round pick last year, as well as their first and secondround selections in 2023 as part of the trade to lure former Melbourne ruckman Luke Jackson back to Western Australia. They will hope wooden spoon winner North Melbourne finishes down the ladder again given they secured three of the Roos’ picks in the trade that sent Griffin Logue and Darcy Tucker to Arden St.
GEELONG
NNRd 1: Own
NNRd 2: None
NNRd 3: None
NNRd 4: None
The Cats have their own firstround pick but not much else at this stage. Geelong’s thirdrounder is with Gold Coast as part of the Jack Bowes trade,
while the second and fourthround selections effectively secured it former Magpies forward Oliver Henry.
GOLD COAST
NNRd 1: Own
NNRd 2: 1 x linked to GWS,
1 x linked to Adelaide
NNRd 3: 1 x linked to Adelaide, 1 x linked to Collingwood
NNRd 4: Own, 1 x linked to Adelaide, 1 x linked to St Kilda
The Suns have loaded up on picks partly because they will be hoping to match bids on a raft of highly rated academy prospects. Three players from the Gold Coast Suns Academy – Jed Walter, Jake Rogers and Ethan Read – have been included among 30 players in the AFL Academy squad for this year. Suns fans will be barracking against Adelaide, given the club holds three picks linked to the Crows, two of them from the Izak Rankine trade.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
NNRd 1: Own, 1 x linked to Richmond
NNRd 2: None
NNRd 3: Own
NNRd 4: Own, 1 x linked to Brisbane
The Giants picked up five players in the first 34 selections of last year’s draft and hold a strong hand this year. They are one of only four clubs with two firstround picks, having got hold of Richmond’s selection as part of the Jacob Hopper trade. GWS’s own secondround pick was shifted as part of the four-way mega trade that allowed the club to move up to secure the No.1 pick in last year’s draft.
HAWTHORN NNRd NNRd
1: Own
2: 1 x linked to Western Bulldogs
NNRd 3: 1 x linked to Western Bulldogs
NNRd 4: None
The Hawks will hope the Bulldogs don’t bounce back up the ladder, given they hold two picks tied to Luke Beveridge’s side. Hawthorn’s own second and third-round picks were traded to Sydney as part of a swap that allowed the Hawks to select athletic key defender Josh Weddle.
MELBOURNE
NNRd 1: Own, 1 x linked to Fremantle
NNRd 2: Own, 1 x linked to Fremantle
NNRd 3: None
NNRd 4: None
The Demons hold the best draft hand of any club with four picks in the first two rounds. Not only do they still have their own selections for those rounds, but they also have Fremantle’s as part of the trade that sent young ruckman Luke Jackson to the Dockers. Melbourne’s thirdrounder went to the Western Bulldogs in exchange for Lachie Hunter, while their fourth-rounder also found its way to Whitten Oval in a swap for utility Josh Schache.
NORTH MELBOURNE
NNRd 1: Own, 1 x linked to Port Adelaide
NNRd 2: None
NNRd 3: Own, 1 x linked to Melbourne
NNRd 4: 1 x linked to Hawthorn
The Kangaroos had two top10 draft picks last year and might have another two this year if they and Port Adelaide do not finish in the top half of the ladder. They hold Port’s
pick this year as part of the Jason HorneFrancis mega trade. North Melbourne traded its secondround pick this year to Adelaide in a pick swap that allowed it to get hold of pick 26 in last year’s draft. The Kangaroos used that pick on power forward Brayden George.
PORT ADELAIDE
NNRd 1: None
NNRd 2: 1 x linked to Collingwood
NNRd 3: 1 x linked to Fremantle
NNRd 4: Own
Port’s first and second-round picks were moved on as part of the mega trade that landed Jason Horne-Francis and Junior Rioli. If Collingwood records another top-four finish, the Power won’t enter the draft until the 30s for the second year running.
RICHMOND
NNRd 1: None
NNRd 2: Own
NNRd 3: Own
NNRd 4: Own
The Tigers don’t have a firstround pick, having traded that to GWS as part of the deal to get big-bodied midfielder Jacob Hopper to the club. The Tigers used only picks 49 and 55 in last year’s draft, but did nab five top-30 picks at the 2021 national draft.
ST KILDA
NNRd 1: Own
NNRd 2: Own
NNRd 3: Own
NNRd 4: None
Pretty simple for the Saints at this stage with the club
holding its own first, second and third-round draft picks. St Kilda’s fourth-round pick went to Gold Coast along with Ben Long, with the Saints getting back a secondround pick in last year’s draft in return. They used that selection on small forward Olli Hotton (pick 35) to make for four selections in the first 44 picks last year.
SYDNEY
NNRd 1: Own
NNRd 2: Own, 1 x linked to Hawthorn
NNRd 3: Own, 1 x linked to Hawthorn
NNRd 4: None
The Swans are nicely placed again this year after playing a smaller than expected role in last year’s draft. They traded their first selection (pick 18) last year to Hawthorn, getting back pick 27 and the Hawks’ second and third-round picks for 2023. A bottom-out by a young Hawthorn would be the ideal result for Sydney.
WEST COAST
NNRd 1: Own
NNRd 2: Own, 1 x linked to Port Adelaide
NNRd 3: Own, 1 x linked to Port Adelaide
NNRd 4: Own
The Eagles are the only club that has not traded out any of its draft picks for this year. In addition to that, it holds second and third-round selections that are tied to Port Adelaide’s finish. Those picks arrived as part of the four-way complex trade that sent forward Junior Rioli to the Power.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
NNRd 1: Own, 1 x linked to Brisbane
NNRd 2: 1 x linked to Brisbane
NNRd 3: None
NNRd 4: Own, 1 x linked to Melbourne, 1 x linked to Geelong
The Bulldogs made the most of Josh Dunkley’s move to Brisbane during last year’s trade period. They got a second-round selection in last year’s draft that they used on small forward Charlie Clarke (pick 24). They also got hold of the Lions’ first and secondround selections this year as well as a fourth-round pick that is tied to Geelong. The Bulldogs gave up two future third-round picks with Dunkley as part of that deal.