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Ex-Carlton forward Levi Casboult and former North Melbourne veteran Trent Dumont were among the key players to have found a new AFL home in the rookie draft on Friday.
Casboult was picked up by the Suns after 154 games at Carlton, while Dumont found his way to Port Adelaide after North Melbourne delisted him after 113 games in seven seasons.
There were also some feel-good stories to come out via the VFL, headlined by Williamstown defender Charlie Dean, who was picked up by Collingwood - recap the drafts below!
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BOLTERS, SLIDERS AND SURPRISES: AFL draft winners and losers
EVERY CLUB’S DRAFT VERDICT: Cats’ ‘diamond in rough’; shock option to fill looming Tigers’ void
Dean took home the 2021 Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as an intercept defender and becomes the 15th straight winner of the award to be drafted by an AFL club.
One of the big surprises was Ollie Dempsey, with the Carey Grammar forward picked up by Geelong at Pick 13.
In the pre-season draft, which came first, the Suns picked up Rory Thompson (who they delisted with a commitment to redrafting), while the Crows selected Luke Nankervis.
Then came the rookie draft, which opened with Jared Polec being picked up by North Melbourne as promised after initially delisting him.
Former Rising Star winner Lewis Taylor was picked up once again by the Swans, who delisted him earlier this year with an assurance he’d be rookie-listed.
Other players AFL clubs followed through on commitments to redraft as rookies included Lochie O’Brien and Matt Cottrell (Carlton), Isaac Chugg (Collingwood), Connor Blakely and Mitch Crowden (Fremantle), Jez McLennan (Gold Coast), Jacob Wehr (GWS), and Noah Cumberland and Bigoa Nyuon (Richmond).
Players selected in the Rookie Draft still go onto an AFL list, but not the primary list, meaning they’re on a smaller contract.
Seven members of Fox Footy's Top 50 Draft Power Rankings remained available at the outset of the draft, including Ned Long (No.38), Dean (No.39), Jack Avery (No.43), Casey Voss (No.44). Only the former two were selected.
Two players were selected in the Pre-Season Draft - which sees players go onto the primary list - with Rory Thompson returning to Gold Coast, and Adelaide selecting wing Luke Nankervis.
2021 AFL ROOKIE DRAFT
Round 1
1. North Melbourne – Jared Polec (North Melbourne AFL)
2. Collingwood – Charlie Dean (tall defender, Williamstown VFL)
3. Gold Coast Suns – Levi Casboult (tall forward-ruck, Carlton AFL)
4. Adelaide Crows – Ben Davis (Adelaide Crows AFL)
5. Hawthorn – Ned Long (midfielder, Northern Knights/Fitzroy/Melbourne Grammar)
6. Carlton – Lochie O’Brien (Carlton AFL)
7. Richmond – Bigoa Nyuon (Richmond AFL)
8. Fremantle – Karl Worner (wing, Oakleigh Chargers/East Burwood)
9. Essendon – Patrick Voss (tall forward, Oakleigh Chargers/GWS Giants Academy/Turvey Park/Wesley College)
10. Sydney Swans – Lewis Taylor (Sydney Swans AFL)
11. GWS Giants – Cooper Hamilton (medium defender-midfielder, Bendigo Pioneers/Colbinabbin/ Caulfield Grammar)
12. Brisbane Lions – Cam Ellis-Yolmen (midfielder, Brisbane Lions AFL)
13. Geelong Cats – Ollie Dempsey (forward, Old Carey VAFA)
14. Port Adelaide – Trent Dumont (wing-midfielder, North Melbourne AFL)
15. Western Bulldogs – Charlie Parker (utility, Sturt SANFL)
16. Melbourne – Judd McVee (midfielder, East Fremantle/Geraldton)
Round 2
17. Gold Coast Suns – Jez McLennan (Gold Coast Suns AFL)
18. Carlton – Matthew Cottrell (Carlton AFL)
19. Fremantle – Mitch Crowden (Fremantle AFL)
20. GWS Giants – Jacob Wehr (GWS Giants AFL)
21. Port Adelaide – Sam Mayes (Port Adelaide AFL)
22. Western Bulldogs – Robbie McComb (midfielder, Footscray VFL)
Round 3
23. Fremantle – Connor Blakely (Fremantle AFL)
2021 AFL PRE-SEASON DRAFT
1. Gold Coast Suns – Rory Thompson (key defender, Gold Coast AFL)
2. Adelaide Crows – Luke Nankervis (wing, Sandringham Dragons)
Recap the AFL Rookie Draft and Pre-Season Draft in our live blog blow!