Defenestrators
What’s He Doing?
Well, if no one else will.
The Defenestrator’s draft was the one I was most eager to see. His list, more than any other, is intriguing. Fresh off shipping out old players like Gawn, Sinclair, Salem and Coniglio, it seemed this proud club was edging towards a rebuild. A later trade that brought in Duggan and Atkins indicated that Coach Paul doesn’t want his streak of never missing finals to end.
Then came draft day. Paul tried to toe that delicate balance between rejuvenation and performance now. His first six picks encapsulate his draft. He picked promising rookies Jacob Farrow, Dylan Patterson and Jack Dalton. But he also brought in solid stalwarts Conor Nash, Peter Wright and Alex Neal-Bullen. No one is saying he’s the premiership favourite. But the rookies look good, and there seems to be enough talent on the list to push for a top six spot. Especially given the draft choices of some other coaches. He picked rookies, and the players no one else was taking.
First Pick
Jacob Farrow. At pick 6, the Defenestrators were always going to bring in a rookie (quite a tradition for this consistently successful club). They picked Jacob Farrow. Josh Lindsay was probably the other big stand-out, and whilst I personally would have gone the eagle (surprise!), Farrow looks a great get and could be even don the pink on occasion as the Defenestrators compete this year.
He Likes That Guy
Jack Dalton at 50 did surprise me. There is talent there. A fully rebuilding team would make room on their keepers for him. But given this list already has lots of young talent and plenty of handy win-now pieces, it’s hard to see Dalton helping the Defenestrators either this year or in the future.
Tasty Slider
Josh Kelly at 88 is good value. Sure, he will miss games. But he could likely be a big factor come finals – which matter most. If the Defenestrators can do enough to get there, the Kelly reunion may pay massive dividends.
Back End Value
Lincoln McCarthy at 176. Linc has been playing a bit on the half back flank. Basically, any lion that has gone there over the years has succeeded greatly. Coleman, Zorko, Wilmot, Fletcher. A fantastic flyer, with a great potential to shine.
Welcome Home
Every coach always welcomes back players that have represented the club before. Paul was no exception. With his first two non-rookie picks, he welcomed home two good role players – Conor Nash and Peter Wright. Paul is also taking a flyer on Jack Carroll again, perhaps trying to fill that Jack Sinclair-shaped hole in his list. One saint Jack is as good as the next right?
Piqued My Interest
The handcuff principle is a solid principle. Take two players so that if one is out, the other is likely in. Paul did this with the crow’s half backs, taking first Wayne Milera and then Luke Nankervis. What piqued my interest is he later went the handcuff play again by selecting Brayden Cook. The half back at the crows WILL play for the Defenestrators.
Lethal Vipers
What’s He Doing?
The rebuild is ON! The Lethal Vipers made finals last year. But after shipping out some vets and going very young in the draft, Coach Nathan has committed to a direction and has gone very young.
First Pick
Given the Lethal Vipers had two picks in close proximity, we can probably view both Sullivan Robey (pick 9) and Sam Grlj (pick 11) at the same time. Whilst the first eleven were always likely to be rookies, Nathan ensured he didn’t miss out, even if he came later to the rookie party. Robey and Grlj are probably the most valued of Essendon and Richmond’s most recent recruits. Nathan’s trade away from pick 5 to get Garcia and pick 11 may yet bear fruit because of this very even draft class.
He Likes That Guy
Will Setterfield at 65. I mean, if he plays, he scores well. But that’s just about the biggest if in the game (along with if Will Day is fit, if James Sicily keeps his cool and if the umpires can be consistent)
Tasty Slider
Lachie Carmichael at 55. For me, the pick of the draft. This was a top ten rookie by all counts. An injury sullied his value. But no rebuilding team should really care. Nathan benefited from the Soldier’s dearth of picks after pick 7, and the sudden shift in the league away from rookies that began after the Viper’s pick of Grlj at 11. Carmichael has all the makings of a star for a patient coach. Great get.
Back End Value
Dean-a-ling-a-ling. Harry Dean @ 135. In a draft where young key back Zach Reid went at 19, Dean at 135 could be great value. Yes, key backmen tend not to score well. But Dean is super talented, as shown by his high draft selection. He looks like he’ll play as Weitering and Haynes are sidelined. A highly rated recent draftee who should play – bargain at 135.
Welcome Home
There was a massive family reunion mid draft for the Vipers. Within 5 picks, Nathan O’Driscoll, Max Heath, Cooper Simpson and Jeremy Sharp all returned to the club that has invested so much in them. This piqued my interest.
Piqued My Interest
Three of the above – O’Driscoll, Simpson and Sharp – are Freo players. Nathan also drafted Adam Sweid, a promising Fremantle draftee, at this time,. Far be it from me to criticize a coach selecting players from his favourite club (I traded Josh Daicos to get Willem Duursma after all), I admire the boldness of doing it, and the shrewdness of not doing it too early, when I’ll bet the urge was there. (Just imagine pick 9 in the draft – Nathan O’Driscoll)
Love Sparkles
What’s He Doing?
A good question. A team with arguably the best 20 keepers again went to the youngster well. The Love Sparkles aren’t new to the idea of the rebuild-on-the-fly but appear to have coupled the same strategy as last year with renewed focus. Time will tell if these youngsters help the Love Sparkles to 2026 glory – and beyond.
First Pick
Emblematic of how his draft would unfold, Dad picked Zach Reid with his first pick at 19. Reid is a young, highly regarded talent with reasonable question marks. Most of the remaining Sparkle picks fit that description.
He Likes That Guy
I feel a bit bad saying this as the owner of the brother – but Zane Duursma felt like a reach, even at pick 89. He has shown absolutely nothing. Unless I’ve just been transfixed on his brother and oblivious to his preseason. I maintain that Dad feels all his kangaroo picks are just gold and so went with the best roo when he didn’t know what else to do.
Tasty Slider
Lachie Jaques at 39. I would’ve taken Jaques next pick if he wasn’t snaffled here. And given the big wraps on him preseason, it is slightly surprising he was still available at 39. It seems Bevo loves him. And if you can pick the Bevo favourites, your player will do well at the kennel.
Back End Value
Dylan Stephens in the final round, and with the draft’s penultimate pick at 199. That appears to be great value. If nothing else, this is shown by the fact 5 other Sparkle’s draftees have been delisted – but not this roo. Stephens looks like he’ll get games, and has upside, which is absolutely all you can ask for in the twentieth round. Could he match the productivity of the Love Sparkles’ last round 20 pick in Brayden Fiorini?
Welcome Home
A few players are getting a second sparkle, headlined by Love Sparkles premiership hero Patrick Lipinski. Other favourites like Sam Clohesy, Josh Sinn and Mitch Knevitt return to don the blue and gold.
Piqued My Interest
If I were to specify what they are doing further, I’d say they aimed for yesteryear’s early picks. See some of the players he gathered below:
| Player | Pick | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Zach Reid | 10 | 2020 |
| Nate Caddy | 10 | 2023 |
| Zane Duursma | 4 | 2023 |
| Josh Sinn | 12 | 2021 |
| Braeden Campbell | 5 | 2020 |
| Dylan Stephens | 5 | 2019 |
MaherShalalHashBaz
What’s He Doing?
No real surprises here. Get Duursma. Then get help to aim for back-to-back. There was a clear best-available strategy for MaherShalalHashBaz, once the Duursma selection had been made. I figured getting an 18-year-old gave me free license to pick as many 30-year-olds as possible.
First Pick
Willem Duursma. This was the goal. And mission accomplished. The chips are in for a premiership push, with the exception of these chips that just want to watch a West Coast star for many years.
He Likes That Guy
Steele Sidebottom @ 40. To me, age is just a number. To everyone else, the awareness of the cliff brings hesitation before selecting 35-year-olds. Steele Sidebottom came through in a big year for MaherShalalHashBaz in 2025, averaging 90 and winning a premiership. But is this Steele getting a little rusty? (I figured the first name metaphor was safer).
Tasty Slider
Jack Gunston @ 100. Veterans have their place. And at pick 100, I feel you could go a lot worse than the streamable Gunston, who had an All-Australian year last year. Take this with a grain of salt though – I thought all my picks were high value.
Back End Value
I liked getting Logan Evans at 150. The Josh Carr effect is an unknown. But there is at least a reason to believe in a turnaround. And Evans can pump out hundreds – he even got one last year in his horror run. A worthwhile punt at 150.
Welcome Home
Big party at MSHBHQ. Heaps of people coming home. Jaman Impey, Brad Hill, Steele Sidebottom, Ben Ainsworth, Logan Evans, Logan McDonald, Mark Blicavs and Jack Gunston have all played for the club before. I even learned Matt Flynn suited up a couple of times for me. I guess I really like my guys!
Piqued My Interest
This was not the plan going into the night. But I picked a lot of wingers. It started with Duursma, who will play on a wing (for now). But it kept going. Brad Hill. Steele Sidebottom. Mason Wood. Jacob Wehr. Lachie Weller. Hamish Davis. Again, it wasn’t the plan. But it became a trend. Maybe I just kept arriving late to the midfielder party, tier after tier, and had to settle for the outside roles. Here’s hoping wings this year find that sweet spot between ostrich and Icharus.
Puttanesca Chiefs
What’s He Doing?
Sticking to the list profile. The chiefs have finished 9th, 6th and 9th the last few years. And that 6th feels like a fluke. This is a club that is rebuilding, without the ignominy of a wooden spoon. Coach Mark’s draft maintained that plan to acquire young talent.
First Pick
Pick 2 in the draft has lots of intrigue. Technically pick 1 did too, but Coach Alex tipped his hand. So, with a suite of players who could easily be a pick 1, the biggest question of the draft was “who will Mark pick up?”. I was asking “Was Mark’s intel about not liking Duursma cruel propaganda?”. In the end, the selection of Dyson Sharp seemed like the safest pick. Given Annable is unlikely to get a game, and Duursma and Uwland look to be wingers to start their career, Sharp was a savvy pick that looks to both play and perform well early. A likely fantasy type.
He Likes That Guy
Elijah Hewett at 12. Dyson Sharp and Sam Cumming make sense as first round rookies. Coach Buscumb was the first to deviate from pure rookie at pick 12. And where Alex had him picking Cooper Lord (and he was right about those other Mark picks), the Puttanesca Chiefs actually went with Elijah Hewett.
Now I like Elijah Hewett. I drafted him at eleven the first year he was first drafted to West Coast. He has forward status. He has potential. But if I can be bold with my predictions for a minute, the ball will spend more time in the West Coast backline this year than the West Coast forward line. Still, Coach Mark sees something he likes. Let’s see if these days of Elijah result in drought or bountiful rain.
Tasty Slider
Harry Kyle at 102. The swans rate him – enough to give up a chance to get Lachie Carmichael. And as a rebuilding side, high-upside rookies are the way to go. If they are available in the second half of the draft, it’s just even tastier.
Back End Value
Ryan Byrnes at 162. Early in the draft, you get a few moments where someone takes the guy you have your eye on. You don’t expect it to happen in the seventeenth round. I was chuffed with getting Mark Blicavs and hoped to get Ryan Byrnes, the last of the guys I really wanted. Mark got him. Booo! (Or should that be boo-urns?). Byrnes is a handy player that brings that competitive edge you hope for from your deep bench. At 24, he just fits the Chiefs age profile. Well played, Coach Buscumb.
Welcome Home
Toby Conway and Luca Grego were drafted by the chiefs last year and get their chance to make a bigger impact (read “an actual impact”) this time round. Otherwise, it was a much more focused on the future than the past.
Piqued My Interest
What do Bodhi Uwland (pick 62), Fin Macrae (pick 132), Sam De Koning (pick 142) and Corey Warner (pick 182) have in common? All of them are the inferior brother in their family. Throw in Xavier Duursma and Ollie Hollands sitting on the keeper list, and there is a positive brotherly tension in the air at the Chiefs HQ. I don’t know Mark’s relationship with his brother. I don’t know if he has a brother. But he’ll be hoping that Luigi can outshine Mario this time.
Roughnecks
What’s He Doing?
Foundation and Flyers
Here’s how I see it. The first two rounds are for rookies. Rounds three and four are for building your foundation. Rounds five to nine are getting reasonable players. And everyone from round ten onwards is basically a flyer.
Adam seemed to say, “forget about rookies and reasonable” and shuffled all his picks into the foundation and flyer baskets. Those five consecutive picks in the third round, combined with some handy fourth rounders really gave his team the depth it needed to be called (the? a?) premiership favourite. From there, he took flyers. Skewing young, but he could afford to given his foundation (and, you know, the star-studded keepers).
Mark was commenting on draft strategies earlier. Adam’s insistence on third and fourth rounders this year could well be the draft playbook for contenders for years to come. Especially if it culminates in a premiership.
First Pick
Look, Jack Macrae is a good get for first pick. I considered and passed on him at pick 20. A great pick at pick 23.
But it’s hard to separate him from Elliot Yeo, Daniel Rioli, Luke Parker and Cam Rayner as they all came in a row. Adam picked the eyes out of the draft and loaded up on the players who helped his team the most, getting more mids and a defender and a forward. (I guess having Grundy and Marshall limits the need for an early ruck).
He Sees Something
All those early picks made perfect sense to me. I was striking lots of names high on my list while these picks happened. It was Hugh Boxshall at pick 31 that surprised me. I don’t anticipate him having a big year. But I can see him as handy insurance. If Flanders or Macrae go out of the midfield, having Boxshall on the list makes some sense.
And even if I consider Boxshall a 7th or 8th round selection, Adam had no picks between the 4th and 10th, so had to grab his guys while the going was good.
Tasty Slider
Luke Parker at 26. Sure, he could have been taken at 23 too. But that is still great value. In my eyes, Parker was in the top three of non-rookies this draft. Along with Jarman Impey. And that’s enough of my private notebook!
But Parker looms as another low-floor player with genuine ceiling scores. And the inaugural Roughneck gets to add to his 117 games for the club. If I was neutral, I’d wish him a premiership after all these years. But I’m not. And my wishes don’t really matter anyway. Parker, and this team, will play well again.
Back End Value
Look, we expect a poorer year for Reilly O’Brien. But pick 138? Are there really 337 players in the league that offer more value? A very solid grab late. Coach Adam would normally grab youngsters at this stage, but even this value proved irresistible. The Roughneck sentimentality and crow sentimentality only adds to the tastiness. Wishing Rory all the best as he aims to get his career back on track.
Welcome Home
With premiership ambitions come reunions! The Roughnecks welcome back Jack Macrae, Elliot Yeo, Luke Parker, Stephen Coniglio, Jaeger O’Meara, Reilly O’Brien, Rhylee West and Sam Berry.
It just feels right for some players to play for the Roughnecks. Perhaps Sam Berry most of all.
And imagine that line-up if this was the year 2019. It’d be good night, Irene!
Piqued My Interest
Adam and I have a lot of similarities in how we rate players. One area where we differ is our love of rucks. I recruited Matt Flynn and Mark Blicavs as ruck cover. He recruited – only Reilly O’Brien. And whilst O’Brien was great value. I don’t think he’ll play each week. (Perhaps not many weeks at all). Assuming Coach Adam plays Rowan Marshall as utility, that means the ruck emergency spot will likely be vacant for the Roughnecks going forward. Will this bite them? Let’s see.
Taxmanian Devils
What’s He Doing?
You gotta be in it to win it!
This club has racked up enough losses in the past. With a grand final heartbreak and prelim final heartache, it’s chips-in again to make a push in 2026. Coach Max carefully examined the pool of best available players and made savvy win-now selections consistently. Unlike other coaches who coach teams that don’t rhyme with anything I can think of, the Devils also didn’t skew too young with their win-now players, with five of the first six being thirty or younger. And all ready to help the club win it all right now.
First Pick
Willem Drew. The second-best Willem of the draft. But still a good get and a worthy first selection. He is locked into the best 22 for Port and often starts in the centre square because of Port Adelaide’s strict quota on talent in the centre square. He’s racked up stats in preseason and will at worst be solid, and at best, churn out good scores for the Devils.
He Sees Something
Jake Lloyd at pick 30. Now far be it from me to undersell Jake Lloyd. But it looks as if Dean Cox doesn’t like him (or maybe doesn’t like BT calling his name). Last year was a bit of a dance between how well he can play, and how much of a drop off in form justifies a drop. Big gamble? Or does talent always win out? Let’s see how this long-time Sparkle goes in new stripes.
Tasty Slider
Nick Haynes at 87. He was consistently my last defender last year, including in the grand final. And consistent is a word that describes him well. He always plays well when he scores, and you’d think he goes back into the team when fit. If he does, he will score.
Back End Value
Mitch Lewis at 197. Another 20th round selection shows incredible shrewdness. Mitch Lewis has huge potential. And the fact he is a key forward is mitigated somewhat by the good team he plays for. Charlie Curnow eventually turned it around – and if Mitch Lewis does anything like that, this will be a pick that stands out in the drafting textbook for years to come.
Welcome Home
For the second consecutive year, Adam Saad has been cut but redrafted by the Taxmanian Devils. He’s a culture guy if ever there was one. Ed Langdon and Jy Farrar are also selections who have played less than a handful of games for the club and will be hoping for a bigger role this year.
Piqued My Interest
The Devils, for a long time now, are associated with two clubs – Carlton and Port. They doubled down on those priorities again!
Nick Haynes, Adam Saad and Mitch McGovern are basically the Carlton backline, and they join George Hewett and Patrick Cripps to ensure the navy blue is not fading at the Devils.
And while the navy-blue refuses to fade, the teal shines brighter than ever. Adding to superstars Horne-Francis, Butters, Rozee and Visentini (you’re welcome, Dante) come first pick Willem Drew, as well as Ewan McKinlay and Will Brodie. He may have hidden it for a while, but it’s time to admit the truth. And we have to help him. Max, you are a Port supporter. The evidence is overwhelming.
It’s history here in the making.
Te Puke Pukekos
What’s He Doing?
Aaron Burr famously said in the Hamilton stage play “Wait for it”. Coach Nelson could well sing that tune. He almost played finals last year, and only the most brutal of fixtures towards the back end of the year prevented him from sneaking in. With a list that is starting to show incredible potential, pukeko punters were pondering if now was the time for Nelson to go win-now. Not to be. He’s slow played this so far and he’ll slow play it some more, stockpiling more and more youngsters to this impressive list.
First Pick
Honestly, you could throw a blanket over the first five draft picks. Which means selecting at pick 4 was quite valuable. I know leagues where Zeke Uwland went pick one. He’s excellent value at pick 4 and should be a staple for the team for years to come. Kiwi Zeke has a nice ring to it. He joins a litany of other uber-talented first round picks (in both senses of the word) as an almighty list forms before our very eyes.
He Sees Something
Zeke Uwland was great value for the Te Puke Pukeko’s first pick. Oliver Greeves seems like a stretch with their second at pick 14. Talented? Sure. But his bad attitude meant he went undrafted altogether and only got snaffled in the rookie draft. He was passed over by many in the rookie draft too. The rookie draft has some huge success stories but pick 14 is a lot of trust for a player that went at pick 12 in the AFL rookie draft.
Tasty Slider
Connor Budarick at 34 is a good get. I wanted to pick Connor Budarick at pick 20. Partly because it would be the fourth time a premier has done so. But mostly because he looks good in the red, white and blue. Nelson has got a very handy player here.
Back End Value
Harry Schoenberg at pick 134 is good backend value. Schoenberg looks good enough to make the eagles midfield. Which isn’t much of a compliment. But it’s enough for a solid nod with the 134th selection in the draft.
Welcome Home
Connor O’Sullivan and Brady Hough are the two that I noted are donning Pukeko colours once more. Not much welcoming home, which is common for these future-focused rebuilding sides.
Piqued My Interest
Nelson’s patience caught me off guard. I thought he’d be gunning for best available from early in the draft – maybe pick 14. I also thought he’d take a long time agonizing over each selection. I was wrong on both counts. He was our fastest selector on draft night and his steady commitment to slowly build something grand never wavered throughout the night.
Threat Level Midnight
What’s He Doing?
Threat Level Nine O’clock
Another team that with a strong list of young keepers could have boldly gone for seasoned performers to have a tilt. Instead, Coach Rowan has backed himself to get those next guys to go pop. You could hardly accuse him of drafting like a rebuilder. But there was a definite youthful edge to the selections. I’m used to the full throttle plunge – this was third gear.
First Pick
Cooper Lord at pick 13 – a kid with high upside and talent, as shown in the preseason. If Voss plays him in the guts, it will be a big win for Rowan (and a kick in the guts for me). Lord typified the strategy. Go young, but with potential booms this year that help the premiership push for 2026 and beyond.
He Sees Something
Will Powell at pick 53 is intriguing. Powell has shown something in the preseason, yes. But in the absence of Matt Rowell. Will Rowell replace Powell? Or will they both handle the trowel?
Tasty Slider
Ed Allan at 81 is a good get. He seems to be the next one they throw in there. He has a few preseasons under his belt and is more primed than a rookie or recent draftee. Quality drafting at this point.
Back End Value
No one values the up-and-coming ruck class like Coach Rowan. So, when Lachie Blakiston slid into the back half of the draft, he ensured Blakiston slid no further than pick 113. Whilst Blakiston is unlikely to be the primary ruck for Essendon for the whole season, he makes an excellent handcuff for Rowan with Nick Bryan out, and he could well score ok too. More than enough justification for a late flyer.
Welcome Home
Coach Rowan is perhaps the least sentimental of all of us. I only spotted Ed Allan as a player that has been on this roster before. He runs a clinical operation. I feel Rowan has attached to every player a Midnight-Ball number that sums up their usefulness in a figure. If that means fewer reunions, so be it.
Piqued My Interest
I alluded to it earlier. This guy likes the up-and-coming rucks. It was true last draft when his first pick after waiting three rounds was Ned Moyle, who still is yet to surpass Jarrod Witts. Now Ned Moyle, Dante Visentini and Nick Bryan have the name keeper, and Lachie Blakiston together with Lachlan McAndrew join them. A bevvy of punts on young rucks. You can’t help but feel at least one of them is going to pay off. But are all these tall folk part of the long-term plans. Consider my interest piqued.
Solomon’s Soldiers
What’s He Doing?
To absolutely no one’s surprise, he is rebuilding. No need to probe deeper there.
First Pick
No crazy back-tracks here. Coach Alex picked Cooper Duff-Tytler with the first overall pick, as telegraphed. And it makes heaps of sense. Any of five players could have been the first pick. Four of those are midfielders. Given Alex’s abundance of midfielders from previous drafts and trades, selecting the next Luke Jackson became a no-brainer.
He Likes That Guy
Latrelle Pickett at 57. Granted, Alex’s work was done after taking Josh Lindsay at 7 – his third rookie in the first seven picks. Pickett feels like a reach for Alex’s fourth rookie. He could be something, I suppose. Kozzie Pickett has certainly become something. But even with that pedigree, the pick doesn’t excite me. But I guess, what else was he going to do? Pick Changuoth Jiath? The best rookies were off the board, so the less-than-best rookies were the go.
Tasty Slider
Whichever of the top 5 slid to 5 would be considered a slider. In our draft, it was Dan Annable, with Coach Alex ready to pounce with the pick. Regarded by many as the best prospect, Alex would be absolutely stoked to have Dan Annable, when he would have to be considered at 1. A very tasty slider indeed.
Back End Value
Nic Madden at 141 was a great get. Particularly because Rowan has been on a mission o vacuum up all the up-and-coming ruckmen. With Nic Madden, Alex takes a handy flyer on a ruck who could get game time and even break out. Not bad drafting for a coach whose biggest priority after the first round was second breakfast.
Welcome Home
Solomon’s Soldiers had a smattering of sentimentality, bringing back Max Michalaney and Lucas Camporeale. The Max pick was great, coming right after Dad had reunited with Knevitt and I with Gunston. The reunion vibes were too much to pass up at that moment.
Piqued My Interest
This isn’t specific to Solomon’s Soldiers, but it applies across the board. There were so many different ways to rank rookies. Alex had CDT top. I had Duursma. Others had Annable. This draft, particularly more than others, has had much more subjectivity with the rankings. It resulted in a fun draft.
But let’s be honest. Draft night is always lots of fun, no matter what. Highlight of the fantasy year.
Let the fun, but not-quite-as-fun part of the season unfold!