Three Werribee-based footballers, a former Altona junior and Greenvale young gun are among those to realise their AFL dreams.
Round one of the draft was held on Monday night with the remaining rounds playing out on Tuesday and the rookie draft the following day.
Hybrid-forward Logan Morris was the first local to go on Tuesday night, being picked up by the Brisbane Lions with pick 31 which the Lions secured after completing a trade with the Gold Coast Suns on the opening night of the draft.
Selected from the Western Jets, Morris stands at 191 centimetres and is regarded as a hard-working hybrid forward who also has the ability to play in defence.
The Werribee Districts product had a strong Coates Talent League season, booting 30 goals for the year, while being thrown down back for Vic Metro.
“Logan is a competitive young man who adds some versatility to our forward group,” Lions national recruiting manager Stephen Conole said
“He is a terrific contested player, strong mark, presents well and reads the drop of the ball well, and is a forward who can play high or deep.”
The second Werribee product to go for the night was Shaun Mannagh from the town’s Victorian Football League side.
Geelong took the mature age recruit with their second selection and 36th pick overall
Mannagh, at 175 centimetres and 80 kilograms is a damaging midfielder-forward, who hunts the ball, and kicks goals.
His six goal, 28 possession, Norm Goss Medal winning performance in the VFL grand final firmly placed him on recruiters’ radars everywhere.
The Cats, according to recruiting manager Stephen Wells, were no different.
“Shaun has deserved a chance to be on an AFL list, we think, based on a number of years of performances,” he said.
“It became evident to us that we wanted him on our list, and we think he can make an impact straight away. At the end of the year when he played in the grand final, it became a bit of a priority for us.”
Calder Cannons’ young-gun Hugo Garcia was also taken on Tuesday, picked up by St Kilda with pick 50.
Garcia played junior footy at both Greenvale and Taylors Lakes.
A well-balanced midfielder-forward who can impact offensively and defensively, the pacy Garcia had an impressive start to the Coates League season with eight goals in the first five rounds, before finding more of the football further afield.
St Kilda traded up the order with Greater Western Sydney in order to secure Garcia, handing over a future third-round selection for pick No. 50 which brought in the Cannons product.
“Hugo is a versatile young talent whose biggest impact comes playing as a high half-forward and midfielder,” St Kilda list manager Stephen Silvagni said.
“He has a strong blend between offence and defence without sacrificing his ability to win the ball, and we’re eager to see him flourish at the Saints.”
Sam Clohesy became the third Werribee player to be selected, taken by the Gold Coast Suns in the rookie draft.
He won the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the best player aged 24 years and younger in the VFL this year.
Former Altona junior Emerson Jeka has got a second life as an AFL footballer, taken by Geelong in the rookie draft.
He was delisted by Hawthorn at the end of this year after playing seven games.
