GOLD Coast entered the 2025 AFL Draft with plenty of external noise around an incredible Northern Academy crop, and exited with four first rounders and a total of six draftees. While five of those are more than familiar with the Suns’ jumper, Gold Coast traded up to snatch intercepting Tasmanian defender Avery Thomas amongst an Academy-focused haul.

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DRAFT HAUL

NATIONAL DRAFT:
Pick 2. Zeke Uwland
Pick 5. Dylan Patterson
Pick 17. Jai Murray
Pick 18. Beau Addinsall
Pick 28. Avery Thomas
Pick 46. Koby Coulson

>> CLICK each player’s names for full profiles & highlights

Gold Coast’s draft haul will likely be talked about for years to come, headlined by top five players, Uwland and Patterson. The Eagles placed a bid on the former, with the pick on contender quickly matched. Though injury kept the brother of Bodhi out of the national carnival, his bottom-age season was elite, and his stint in the VFL showed her was ready for senior footy.

A supremely talented all-round player with a booming kick and natural smarts, Uwland can plug-and-play anywhere. Expect him to likely start off half-back and provide great run-and-carry down the ground before eventually developing into a midfield prospect. Patterson is a rugby convert who has some of the best highlights from the AFL Draft crop. His lateral movement is unrivalled and the way he dances and bursts around opponents is magic to watch.

Though the Eagles tried to force the Suns’ hand again by bidding on Murray and Addinsall back-to-back, the Suns grabbed enough draft capital to keep both Burleigh Bombers at the football club. Murray is another player who had an injury-interrupted year but has class on the inside, while Addinsall is a consistent, hard-running machine who stands tall around the stoppages.

Gold Coast’s surprise selection was trading up to nab Thomas who adds a point of difference to the draft haul as that smart intercepting defender who has a sublime athletic profile. He is still a work in progress but has some seriously exciting traits.

Wrapping up the AFL Draft haul was Coulson, another really consistent player who plied his trade through the midfield and brings a hard-edge and contested-ball winning ability in a similar vein to recent Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell. While still needing to be a little more polished with his execution, he further adds layers to a really deep on-ball group at the Suns.

GRADE: A+

It is hard to argue the Suns exit the AFL Draft as one of the best draft crops on paper. They traded out two first rounders to bring in Christian Petracca, then secured four draftees on night one. While not all of them will immediately play, expect Uwland and Patterson to be a couple who could play from Round 1 and provide plenty of X-factor potentially off half-back.