The Number One: Part One
NUMBER One. The First. The Best. The Brightest; but is it all what it’s cracked up to be? So much is made of the first pick in the National Draft each year, in print, conversation and online they are dissected, combed over in the most minute way, but are we placing too much pressure […]
Keeping tabs: Standout draftees from Round 1
ROUND one of the AFL kicked-off and with it came some familiar faces making the step up from the TAC Cup and National Under 18 Championships up into the big time. Fans got the opportunity to see how some of the new boys picked up during the off season fit in with their beloved clubs. […]
Young stars Rising up to AFL challenge
EVERY club is excited with the young talent in their team and with round one approaching we have taken a look at which players could step up and progress from the under 18s – or their first season in the AFL – and be the standout young talent at the elite level. From an already […]
Draft Gems: The best of the low 30s
IT HAS been a little more than 30 years since the then-VFL held its first national draft. While footy fans are well-versed in the feted number-one pick since Martin Leslie became the first back in the inaugural 1986 draft, the chances of picking an out and out champion the later the pick, are indeed lessened.Given […]
Haua making waves in the sunshine state
LAST year a dreadlocked Geelong star turned heads with a stunning seven-goal performance in the TAC Cup Grand Final, but five months earlier, a little known Queenslander recorded a baker’s dozen in central Queensland. It was April 22, 2017, and 16 year-old Kane Haua walked off the ground having snagged 12 majors for his side […]
Lion cubs ready to roar in 2018
QUEENSLAND’S top young talent is continuing to grow, with 2018 promising to be another busy year for the Brisbane Lions Academy. The Lions have a number of talented prospects they will develop and showcase across the season. Lions Academy manager Luke Curran was kind enough to give AFL Draft Central his time in discussing what […]
Fantastic Five: Memorable moments from the weekend
THERE was no TAC Cup or TAC Cup Girls football on the weekend, but the AFLW and JLT Community Series played out their penultimate and final rounds respectively. Here are five moments which made the weekend memorable. Jack Watts’ six goals against Adelaide There are few players in the AFL who have come under as […]
Determination pays off for Ballard
EVERY draftee has taken their own unique pathway to the big time. Some, like last year’s number one pick Cam Rayner, are touted as high-end selections years in advance. Others, like Giants recruit Aiden Bonar, re-emerge after stints on the sidelines with injury. And some, due to a wide variety of reasons, drop out of […]
All-Time Best 22: Bendigo Pioneers
IN a new feature series throughout the year, AFL Draft Central’s Brandon Hutchinson will look at a possible best 22 from each TAC Cup club. Starting with the Bendigo Pioneers and working through each of the 12 clubs, the series is likely to cause plenty of debate as to who should or should not make […]
Toohey enjoys fresh Eastern challenge
ON a scorching afternoon in Beaconsfield, new talent manager Sean Toohey — a former homicide squad detective and Sergeant with Victoria Police — witnessed his first game as part of the Eastern Ranges TAC Cup program; a win for the girls’ squad in the first round of the season against the Greater Western Victoria Rebels. The vibe around the ground, […]
