Follow Our Live Blog Of The First Round Of The 2018 Draft Here

From Marvel Stadium


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Welcome to Triple M’s live blog of the first round of the 2018 AFL Draft.

We’ll bring you each of the picks as they happen from Marvel Stadium tonight, so keep checking back over the next couple of hours.

This year is the first time clubs can swap picks live, so each group has been allotted five minutes for their pick.

7:05pm:

Gill McLachlan has opened proceedings, wishing the draft class well and telling them not to be nervous up there.

Carlton are the first club up and taking the entirety of their allotted five minutes.

7:10pm:

Carlton take Sam Walsh with pick one! Walsh is a smooth midfielder who is regarded as one of the best ball winners ever seen at junior level. He's a born leader and will slot straight into the middle for the Blues.

 "It's pretty amazing really and it's just so exciting to be part of Carlton Football Club," Walsh said on stage.

Clearly he's already media trained.

7:15pm

Gold Coast take South Australian jet Jack Lukosious with pick 2.

"I've always dreamt of making it to this moment so I couldn't be happier right now," Lukosious said.

"[Tom Lynch left] very big shoes to fill so hopefully I can play in the forward line but I'm just looking forward to getting stuck in.

7:20pm

Gold Coast have taken fellow South Australian prospect Izak Rankine at pick 3. He'll be following his mate up north.

Rankine is a classy mid with pace, skills and goal sense whose been compared to Chad Wingard and is related to Gavin Wanganeen.

Decent wraps then.

"I'm just excited to be here and excited to start the next chapter," he tells Tom Morris.

7:25pm

St Kilda take tall forward Max King from Sandringham Dragons with pick four!

King is a 204cm key forward who ruptured his ACL during the season after an eight goal haul on debut for Sandringham. He grew up following the Saints so he'll be loving life right now.

His twin brother Ben will feature in the draft pretty soon as well - Max thinks he may be going interstate. 

7:30pm

Port Adelaide has taken Connor Rozee from North Adelaide with pick five.

Rozee is a medium forward who can run in the middle and can take a strong overhead grab.

He also played in defence for North Adelaide in the SANFL this year - this kid can do anything.

"I'm not too fussed, i think it's one of my strengths (being able to play anywhere on the park)... I don't mind getting chucked around a bit," he tells Tom Morris.

He's thrilled to be staying in Adelaide too - "There's only two clubs in South Australia so it seemed unlikely at the start of the year," he says.

7:35pm

Gold Coast take Ben King with pick six.

Ben is another giant like his brother who can play as a key forward or a key back.

He was an All-Australian in a year that included an eye-catching five goal haul against Western Australia.

He has pace and agility and will compete with Lukosious to take on Tom Lynch's spot.

"I'm proud of my self and what Max has been able to achieve, I think it's a credit to the support Mum and Dad gave us," he tells Neroli Meadows.

He remains diplomatic on being asked about being split up from his brother.

"I'm just really excited to him and for me to go to Gold Coast, it's a dream come true for both of us," he said.

"After this year I'd say [I prefer playing in the] forward line but i'm easy to play anywhere."

7:39pm

We have our first ever live pick trade! Sydney has traded their third round pick in 2019 for pick 26.

7:40pm

The Western Bulldogs have picked Bailey Smith at seven.

Smith is a gut-running midfielder with elite endurance who can play around the stoppages.

Smith says it's "an absolute dream come true" to go to the Dogs and play with his great mate Billy Gowers.

He also says he fancies himself a chef and his signature dish is an eye fillet with red wine jus and mash!

He joins Bailey Williams, Bailey Hunt and Bailey Dale to complete a full set of Baileys at the kennel.

7:46pm

North Melbourne have matched Adelaide's bid for Tarryn Thomas from North Launceston with pick 8.

Thomas comes up from Tassie and can play in the midfield or defence.

He's strong and quick and is a contested ball winner, and is the first Tasmanian kid to go in the top ten of the draft since Kade Kolodjashnij went at pick 5 in 2013.

His mum is in floods of tears watching her boy chat to Sarah Olle, and he stops short of demanding a Tasmanian AFL side.

7:51pm

The Crows have taken Chayce Jones at pick 9, another Tassie boy!

Jones is a small midfielder and forward who's ferocious in his attack on the footy.

He averaged nearly seven tackles a game in the under-18 championships.

Jones credits his friends and family with helping him recover from broken ankle and leg in 2017.

7:54pm

Sydney has matched a bid from GWS on Nick Blakey at 10, but Gil isn't ready to read his name out! Weird scenes.

A video shows the Swans in the process of matching the bid eventually, and the Swans have done brilliantly here - Blakey is a star.

He is a tall forward who is athletic and excellent overhead and kicks brilliantly on his left foot.

His dad, John, played for North Melbourne and Brisbane, but he nominated for the Swans via their academy.

Sydney will be hoping Blakey takes some of the heat off Buddy Franklin.

Blakey has been training with the Swans this year.

"I'm just enjoying being around the club... it's a bit of a head start on some of the other players," he said.

"I'm just really excited to finally be part of the Swans."

8:01pm

GWS take Jye Caldwell with pick 11.

Caldwell is a tough midfielder who struggled with hamstring injuries this year.

He works hard, crashes into packs and just wins the footy.

Caldwell says he has "no i-clue" about live pick trading. Join the club mate.

8:03pm

Another trade! Sydney have given their future second round pick to West Coast for pick 24. They've gone up two picks.

8:06pm

Port Adelaide take Zak Butters at pick 12.

He's a medium mid from the Western Jets who is a smart user of the footy.

Butters only played eight games for the Jets this year due to a season-ending shoulder injury but came fifth in the best-and-fairest.

A classy operator.

Butters reckons he's a cheeky sledger but won't give us any of his material!

8:10pm

Collingwood has matched GWS's bid for Isaac Quaynor from Oakleigh Chargers.

Quaynor is a line-breaking medium defender with speed and agility, who makes good decisions with and without the ball.

His father is Ghanian and he qualified for Collingwood's Next Generation Academy.

Quaynor says going to Collingwood is a "dream come true", which is a theme of the evening.

He says he was at the grand final and hopes they can go one better next year.

A bunch of brothers and his parents are at the draft and they all looked super proud. Amazing scenes.

8:15pm

The Giants have taken Jackson Hately from Central Districts at pick 14.

Hately is a versatile midfielder who wins the ball, and averaged 18.4 touches for Centrals this year.

He's ready to go already.

8:20pm

Geelong has taken Jordan Clark from Claremont.

Clark is a cool-headed defender with clean disposal, and is the first Western Australian kid taken tonight.

He also represented Australia in cricket at junior level and once took a hat-trick against Pakistan

When asked about the move for Perth to Geelong, Clark says "[I'm] stoked, I wanted to try and get to Melbourne so, yeah, stoked with that outcome. Obviously leaving home is gonna be hard, but nah, stoked."

I reckon he's stoked.

8:25pm

Adelaide take Ned McHenry from Geelong Falcons at 16.

He's a tough small forward with goal sense. He tells us he loves to fish with his dad in Queensland.

8:30pm

Fremantle's pick 17 sees them take Sam Sturt from Dandenong Stingrays.

A classy left-footer with footy smarts and goal sense who could have played cricket at the highest level as well.

Can take a grab too.

He says he's keen for Perth and wanted to get away from home, which doesn't go down brilliantly with his mum!

8:35pm

Port Adelaide take Xavier Duursma from Gippsland.

Pacy player who can break lines from defence or midfield and is a natural leader, having captained Gippsland this year.

He's not like Bailey Smith - "two minute noodles and popcorn" are more his culinary go.

8:40pm

Wow! Carlton has just traded their first round pick next year for Adelaide's pick 19 and 2019 first round pick! That could theoretically be pick one and will almost certainly be in the top five. Big call.

8:41pm

The Blues have taken Liam Stocker at 19, but frankly the bigger news is that pick swap. There's incredulity in the room, no one can quite believe what Carlton just did. It's either gutsy or foolish depending on who you talk to.

8:46pm

Richmond's pick 20 is Riley Collier-Dawkins, who sounds more like an English cricketer than a footy player.

Collier-Dawkins is a big bodied mid who grew 8cm in the last year and uses his body to smash into packs.

He says he was brought up by two mums. Very 2018.

8:51pm

Brisbane take Ely Smith from Murray Bushrangers at 21.

Smith is a tough mid who hits the contest hard. Will be important around stoppages.

Smith reckons he had "no idea" which clubs would pursue him but he's looking forward to going to Brisbane. 

8:56pm

GWS take Xavier O'Halloran with pick 22, the last pick of the night.

He captained Vic Metro this year and is an agile and athletic mid.

Rudi Edsall

22 November 2018

Article by:

Rudi Edsall




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