How the AFL’s 2025 draft pool will turbocharge the trade period

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St Kilda used pick No.10 to select emerging star Alix Tauru in last year’s draft. Melbourne used pick 11 on Xavier Lindsay, Richmond pick 12 on Taj Hotton, and even Fremantle got to use pick 17 on exciting forward Murphy Reid.

Such prospects would be snapped up no later than pick five “in a heartbeat” in this year’s national draft, according to recruiters sifting through this year’s academy-compromised draft pool with just two games remaining in the under-18 national championships, which South Australia have already won.

Saints debutant Alix Tauru sprung from a stellar crop of draft picks in 2024

The assessment is a general indication of club recruiting managers’ overall grading of the pool of players who are available to all clubs, rather than those tied to a specific club as an academy graduate or father-son in the 2025 national draft.

Another recruiter told Money Talks the relatively shallow draft pool would fuel the trading period as cashed-up clubs will be more willing to hand over higher draft picks in trades for established talent than they were last season when first-round picks were tightly held.

Zeke Uwland, Dylan Patterson (Gold Coast), Daniel Annable (Brisbane Lions) and Max King (Sydney Swans) are likely first-round selections tied to northern academies, while father-son prospect Harry Dean (Carlton) and NGA graduate Zac McCarthy (Collingwood) are likely to attract bids under new rules designed to make clubs give up more draft capital to match bids than they have in previous seasons.

But it’s not all bleak for the five clubs out of this year’s finals race who hold top-10 draft picks to add the country’s best underage talent to their list.

Those clubs – West Coast (currently pick No.1), Richmond (2, 3), St Kilda (4), Essendon (5, 6) and Sydney (9) – all hold tickets to this year’s parade. The Blues could grab a top-10 draft pick if Tom De Koning decides, as expected, to join St Kilda as a free agent, with their pick likely to be inserted into the top 10, depending on the Blues’ finishing position.

North Melbourne, Carlton, Port Adelaide and Melbourne traded out of the top of this year’s draft to secure Finn O’Sullivan, Matt Whitlock (North Melbourne), Jagga Smith (Carlton), Jack Lukosius, Joe Berry (Port Adelaide), Harvey Langford and Lindsay (Melbourne). Hawthorn and Gold Coast are inside the top eight and hold top-10 selections after receiving future draft picks in last year’s trade period.

It means those looking to a brighter future scouring available players need to get familiar with South Australians Dyson Sharp, Aidan Schubert and Mitch Marsh; Victorians Willem Duursma, Cooper Duff-Tytler, Josh Lindsay, Louis Emmett and Ollie Greeves; and West Australians Fred Rodriquez and the surging Jacob Farrow.

Louis Emmett, Willem Duursma and Daniel Annable are among prospective AFL draftees at the 2025 national draft.

Marsh has both the name and the pedigree to become an elite sportsman, but his form with South Australia in the under-18 national championships has him among the more intriguing draft prospects available to clubs, as supporters of teams out of finals contention turn their attention to the draft and trade period.

Marsh kicked 12 goals in the championships, including five in the deciding game against Vic Country at Marvel Stadium, to put himself in contention, and his namesake – the Australian all-rounder – threw his support behind him in a video to AFL Media.

Although not eligible as a father-son pick due to the fact his father Ben Marsh played 48 games with the Crows and seven with the Tigers, his football smarts are evident At 191 centimetres, Mitch is not particularly tall, but he knows where the goals are and is in the frame for clubs wanting goalkickers.

Another player who has shot up draft boards through the championships is West Australian midfielder Farrow, who has drawn comparison to injured Dockers playmaker Hayden Young. He has speed and power, and was influential in his state’s recent win over Vic Country.

Farrow has demonstrated that patience may be needed with this draft crop as the No.1 selection remains up for grabs, with Vic Metro heading to Brisbane to play the northern academy-stacked Allies, before the champs finish the following Sunday when Vic Metro clashes with Vic Country.

Recruiters are keenly watching lightly raced tall Emmett and Sam Grlj after quiet championships so far.

Retention is the Giants’ priority

GWS midfielder Xavier O’Halloran is in career-best form after responding brilliantly to the club’s determination to hold on to him during last year’s trade period. The Giants are optimistic they will be able to re-sign the soon-to-be 25-year-old, who will reach the 100-game milestone with the club next season.

Xavier O’Halloran is in career-best form at Giants

The Giants are also in negotiations with athletic forward Callum Brown, who has attracted interest from several clubs looking to bolster their forward stocks. He has been a key contributor to the Giants’ forward group, kicking 14.2 since round 10, working in partnership with the more high-profile pair Jesse Hogan and Aaron Cadman.

Defender Leek Aleer has played the past six matches and been an important contributor for the team in Sam Taylor’s absence, but he remains unsigned beyond this season, with St Kilda expected to land the 23-year-old who was pick No.15 in the 2021 national draft. He has found it difficult to break into the Giants’ defensive set-up, which includes Jack Buckley, Harry Himmelberg, Taylor and Connor Idun.

Another Tasmanian tied up

The Blues had a win this week when they extended Tasmanian Lachie Cowan’s contract out until the end of 2028, meaning he is locked in with the Blues until after the Tassie Devils’ scheduled entry into the AFL at the start of that season. He joined North Melbourne defender Colby McKercher in signing a contract that goes beyond the expansion club’s expected entry date.

Young Blue Lachie Cowan has extended his contract until 2028

The Blues also showed their confidence in the futures of defenders Harry O’Farrell and Matt Carroll, who both played in last Friday night’s loss to Collingwood. The pair have re-signed until the end of 2027.

Judd is just taking his time

Judd McVee isn’t going to get the same headlines as his namesake Chris Judd did when he decided to come home from West Coast, but Melbourne supporters are as interested in securing the smooth-moving McVee beyond this season.

Judd McVee’s season was delayed by a hamstring injury, but he is a key part of the Demons’ immediate future.

The former rookie selection was injured at the start of the season so re-signing wasn’t his priority, but now he’s back he is taking his time to work through his decision to extend his time with the Demons.

That is no cause for concern for Demons supporters at this stage – just sensible business for a player with a bright future who might develop into a midfielder at the club that gave him an opportunity.

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