The Draft – Emma Quayle

Two thousand boys. Sixty positions. One year. Who will make it? Lots of boys dream of playing footy for an AFL team. Only a few will make it.

Trent Cotchin is a possible No. 1 draft pick. Cyril Junior’ Rioli loves to play footy but isn’t into the draft game. Brad Ebert is the latest in a line of famous South Australian footballers. Ben McEvoy lives miles away from his football team on the family farm. Patrick Veszpremi has a nagging shoulder injury and has been told he’s not fit enough.

In their final year of junior football, these five boys join the other 2000 or so who nominate for the national AFL draft. Teetering on the brink of sporting careers, they have important decisions to make, gruelling physical work ahead of them, anxious parents and Year 12 to pass. And what if they’re not picked? What if it’s all a waste of time?

Meanwhile, Hawthorn Football Club has a 5-year plan to revitalise their playing list. After finishing near the bottom in 2004, they see strategic use of the draft as their pathway to a premiership. Things are going well, so far.

This is the inside story of the AFL draft, looking at all aspects – scientific and instinctive – of identifying whether a boy has the talent and mental toughness to be an elite footballer and whether he fits a club’s requirements. It’s do-or-die for the boys, and crunch time for the coaches and recruiters.

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