EVERYTHING was running according to plan in the 2021 AFL Draft, with much of the top 10 falling into place as predicted. That didn’t stop a bit of chaos ensuing thereafter, and there promises to be plenty more to come early on night two with a stack of high-end talent remaining up for grabs.

>> PICK-BY-PICK: Round 1

Round 1 – What went down?

North Melbourne fans finally saw Jason Horne-Francis in club colours after the Roos called his name out with pick one, putting GWS on the board. The Giants bid on Western Bulldogs father-son candidate Sam Darcy, which put the Dogs into action with a couple of live trades before inevitably matching the bid.

As expected, the Giants then snapped up Finn Callaghan and left Gold Coast to place a bid on Nick Daicos, which was duly matched before the Suns snared developing tall Mac Andrew at pick five. While Horne-Francis was the first non-Victorian number one since Gold Coast took David Swallow in 2010, Vics filled out the remaining top picks.

Next on the clock was Adelaide, who had many pundits going six-from-six with the selection of Josh Rachele. The Murray Bushrangers talent promises to inject some much needed flair for the Crows. The Victorian streak continued when Hawthorn fan Josh Ward was welcomed to Waverley, adding a point of difference in midfield and showing similarities to new coach, Sam Mitchell with his clean skills and class.

Fremantle, a club tipped to go local, did exactly that with picks eight and 10, nabbing key forward Jye Amiss from East Perth before Richmond could, and opting for Neil Erasmus as the midfield option. In between those selections, the Tigers snapped up sliding tall Josh Gibcus, an athletic intercept marker who should form a dynamic partnership with Noah Balta down back.

With the top 10 rounded out, St Kilda entered the draft with some class in selecting Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. The flying Glenelg wingman is light-on but has played senior footy already and looks the part with his ability to weave out of trouble and hit targets by foot.

Port Adelaide proved a shrewd mover, exchanging its first rounder, and a second with West Coast to move up to pick 12 and nab Sandringham Dragons dasher, Josh Sinn. That left Essendon as the club to gratefully take Ben Hobbs, arguably a top five talent who is sure to make the aforementioned clubs pay. While not suiting a particular need, the 183cm inside midfielder was simply too good to pass up.

The big pick swap then allowed the Eagles to drop back and nab another Dragon in Campbell Chesser at pick 14, having missed out on Wanganeen-Milera and Erasmus. While he hardly hit top form in 2021, Chesser has long been regarded as a top prospect and offers the outside run West Coast needs to revitalise its midfield long-term.

With the appetite whet, GWS came back into the fray with a heck of a bolter at pick 15. Leek Alleer was the name called out, a raw but incredibly exciting key defender with enormous athletic upside and potential. Having overlooked a key defender at Callaghan’s selection, nabbing the long-term defensive cover they needed was the Giants’ plan here.

Sinn and Chesser were off the board, but Brisbane still managed to add a rebounding defender at pick 16 in the form of Darcy Wilmot. A vocal talent made of leadership material, the Northern Knights graduate is exactly the kind of character Chris Fagan will love, and despite being the youngest player in the draft, could play very early. His mix of flair and toughness is sure to catch the eye.

Richmond went country again with its next pick, nabbing another defender in Tom Brown, who could also develop on the wing or up forward. His athleticism is exciting, and he adds even more intercept marking prowess to the Tigers’ haul.

There were still a couple of big surprises left, and Sydney kept up its streak of pulling one out of the hat with its selection of Angus Sheldrick at pick 18. The Claremont midfielder is tough as they come at 179cm and gets his legs pumping on the inside, driving forward and impacting big moments. The Swans were always going midfield here, but few would have seen this one coming.

Melbourne added some readymade tall talent at pick 19 with Jacob van Rooyen, another Claremont product who can play at both ends and promises to put some selection pressure on from the get-go. Bringing the first round to a close was Brisbane, who nabbed another GWV Rebels prospect in Kai Lohmann. The dynamic and athletic forward has massive potential, and was another surprise name called out on night one.

As for what’s next, we’ll have a second round preview coming later this evening, with some high-end talent up for grabs and likely to send clubs into a trading frenzy on night two. Rookie Me Central will also be LIVE throughout proceedings, so tune in via Facebook for all you analysis needs as the picks drop.