Greater Western Sydney has selected key forward Aaron Cadman with the top pick in the AFL Draft.
Key points:
- Cadman has been drafted by the Giants as a key forward
- Will Ashcroft was selected by the Brisbane Lions
- The Kangaroos recruited Harry Sheezel and George Wardlaw with their top two picks
Cadman has drawn comparisons to Geelong premiership star Jeremy Cameron, who played for the Giants between 2012 and 2020.
Eighteen-year-old Cadman — who stands at 195 centimetres tall — played his junior football near Ballarat with Darley.
The Giants had traded up to secure the prized first pick.
“Never in a million years did I think I would be in this position,” Cadman told Fox Footy.
“It’s really special.”
The Giants opted against bidding on Will Ashcroft, whose father Marcus was a three-time premiership player with the Brisbane Lions.
But a high-end bid on Ashcroft came from North Melbourne at pick two.
It was immediately matched by the Lions, who had father-son rights to Ashcroft and were always committed to drafting the talented midfielder.
The Kangaroos held the next two selections, taking Victorian duo Harry Sheezel and George Wardlaw with picks three and four respectively.
Sheezel is set to be the first Jewish player in the AFL in two decades.
He was the target of anti-Semitic abuse on social media in the lead-up to the Draft, with the AFL announcing it would launch an investigation.
The Giants’ selection of Cadman came as no surprise as the club had publicly indicated its interest in the teenager.
“He (Cadman) is a mobile key forward who can get up the ground as well as impact closer to goal,” GWS national recruiting manager Adrian Caruso said in a club statement.
“We felt through the interview process that Aaron was a great fit for our footy club.
“When we combined that with his talent and how hard it is to find good young key forwards, we felt it was worthwhile trading up to guarantee we didn’t miss out on him.”
Unlike some other top prospects, Cadman has indicated he is fully prepared to move to Sydney.
That commitment was attractive to the Giants, who have lost a host of players back to their home states in recent years.
Among other top-10 selections, Essendon chose Elijah Tsatas with pick number five, while Jhye Clark with join reigning premiers Geelong after being selected by the Cats at number eight.
The Draft is being held at Melbourne’s Docklands stadium across two nights.
ABC/AAP
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