The Brisbane Lions have welcomed six new players to the Club tonight at the 2014 NAB AFL National Draft. ?
The Lions formalised the recruitment of Hyundai Help for Kids Lions Academy graduates Liam Dawson with Pick No.44 and Harris Andrews with Pick No. 61 and Father-son selection, Josh Clayton with the Club’s last live selection, Pick No.86.
The Lions also selected Josh Watts, from Glenorchy, Tasmania with Pick No. 65, Jaden McGrath from the Bendigo Pioneers with Pick No.73 and Josh McGuiness, from Lauderdale, Tasmania with Pick No. 81.
It was a very different draft night to that of 12 months ago for the Club, who headed into the 2013 AFL Draft with six of the first 34 selections.
This time around, the Club didn’t have any live selections until Pick No.65 – having traded off their first two selections (picks 5 and 25 overall) as part of the deal that secured Dayne Beams.
Recruiting Manager Steve Conole was happy with the quality of talent the Club was able to add to its list on the night. ?
?“We are really happy with the young talent we were able to recruit tonight,” said Conole. ? ?
“Even though the past two drafts have been poles apart for our Club, we had to do just as much work on analysing and researching players this year because we were very much in the dark as to who might be available at 65.? ?
“We are rapt to have added six very talented players to our list tonight. We were really happy with the calibre of player that was still available at the latter end of the draft, and as such we believe we were able to add some quality young players to our list tonight.”?
?“It’s also great to once again see the talent coming through from the Hyundai Help for Kids Academy program, with Liam and Harris officially joining the ranks tonight.? ?Watts, 194cm, and McGuiness, 189cm, are defenders who will join fellow Tasmanians, Josh Green, Ryan Harwood and Mitch Robinson at the Lions. Both players impressed across the national U18 carnival, with McGuiness being rewarded for his efforts with All-Australian selection.”?
McGrath is a small forward and dual AIS-AFL Academy representative. His 2014 season was interrupted by injury and as such missed the U18 championships and played intermittently with his TAC Cup side the Bendigo Pioneers.
Andrews, a product of the Aspley Hornets, is a 200cm key position defender and back-up ruckman who has shown considerable improvement during his time in the Lions Academy.
Also from Aspley, Dawson, is a 188cm versatile defender who won the Harrison Medal in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships in 2013, before missing this year’s championships with injury.
Father-Son selection, Clayton, who stands at 190cm, has been used all over the ground throughout his TAC Cup season with the Sandringham Dragons and in his games with Vic Metro and Brighton Grammar in 2014.
