DON’T CALL ME DUSTY: RAYNER
FAR North trio Jacob Heron, Damien Burke and Timakoi Bowie all have their last opportunity for 2017 to jump on to an AFL list in the Rookie Draft today.
The Gold Coast Suns Academy members all missed selection in Friday night’s national AFL Draft, where they were all considered outside chances to be picked.
All 18 AFL clubs will fill remaining gaps on their lists in the Pre-season Draft, then rookie spots in the Rookie Draft, set for 5pm and 5.10pm today respectively. Both are conducted via a phone hookup with AFL House.
Cairns Saints junior Heron is considered the most likely of the three to hear his name called out this afternoon following an encouraging 2017 campaign with the Suns in the NEAFL and winning a QAFL premiership with Palm BeachCurrumbin.
Gold Coast Suns Academy manager Jason Torney said the trio were all chances to be accepted into the Suns Academy as over-age 19-year-olds for next season if they did not join AFL clubs.
If the former AFL Cairns contingent were to be selected today, they would join the five Queenslanders who were selected in the National Draft on Friday night.
Brisbane Lions Academy talent Connor Ballenden went with their pick 43, Jack Payne became a Lion with pick 54, while the Suns, in an encouraging sign for Heron, selected two from their academy in ruck prospect Brayden Crossley at pick 52 and the talented Connor Nutting at pick 55. CALL him a Brisbane Lion, but please don’t call him the second coming of Dusty.
Freshly minted No. 1 draft pick Cameron Rayner was likened to AFL superstar Dustin Martin on countless occasions this year in the build-up to the code’s annual meat market.
As expected, the midfielder- forward was snapped up by the Lions with the first selection at the National Draft on Friday.
His ability to burst out of packs and kick goals drew comparisons with Martin, who had a golden 2017, winning a premiership, Brownlow Medal and Norm Smith Medal.
While flattered and happy to model some of his game on Martin, Rayner is determined to establish his own identity.
“It’s pretty daunting to see the things that he’s done this year and then people are trying to rank me against Dustin Martin,” he said.
“But I think that now I’m on an AFL list, I have to start from scratch and build my game and make people know me for who I am and not who I play like.”
Rayner said he would not be the only young gun under the pump.
“There’s pressure on every kid that gets drafted because the clubs put their trust in them,” he said.