Draft summary
"We were probably lucky in that two lads we rated as draftable got through to us at rookie stage as mids - those being young Mitch Golby and Josh Dyson. We certainly rated them well in the draft but couldn't get to them and we were very fortunate, I think, to get to them in the rookie draft.
"They add midfield versatility. One's what you'd describe as a very, very quick offensive mid and the other you would describe as probably a little bit more defensive in his nature.
"Both confident, both well-skilled and lovely left foot kicks. So they tick all the boxes, each of them in their own way.
"Claye Beams was out of the game for 12 months and he was sort of focussing on his cricket. But I suppose if your brother's doing great things in the AFL, you're pretty keen to get back.
"Sean Yoshuira had a very good year last year in that he started off in reserves footy and worked his way up to senior football. He's an outstanding to elite stage athlete."
Player comments
Selection No.16: Mitchell Golby
DOB: 03/10/91, Height: 183cm, Weight: 82kg
Recruited from: Gippsland Power (VIC)
"There's no doubt he would have been in the Vic Country 18s but for his untimely injury - he did his ACL in a trial game out at Vic Park. I think he can certainly play half-forward and he can certainly play midfield, but he's basically this year had some very good run-with roles for Gippsland before his injury. Our Victorian team took note of him last year, but it was really in that trial game that we all stood to attention because he was in absolutely ripping form for just a short period and it did provide confirmation to all of the trial evidence that we had."
Selection No.32: Josh Dyson
DOB: 12/08/91, Height: 181cm, Weight: 69kg
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges (VIC)
"He's a beautiful left foot mid. He's more offensively orientated, in that he'll invariably add to the scoreboard. He's a lovely clean ball handler and has got extreme pace, which we were certainly looking for, but it's not always available. So we're very lucky. I suppose we just thought he really grew as a boy. He's come on so much as a lad he was added to the Eastern [Ranges] leadership group and about mid season he really played as a leader, as a very responsible leader. And when you're drafting or rookie-ing lads, you're looking beyond just the footballer. You're looking for a package. Those leadership traits really clinched the deal for us in terms of his value, because we weren't convinced prior to that."
Selection No.45: Pass
Selection No.57: Pass
Selection No.67: Niall McKeever
DOB:16/02/89, Height: 198cm, Weight: 95kg
Recruited from: County Antrim (Ireland)
"Niall has all the physical attributes to be a success in the AFL. He is tall, quick and athletic and we believe he could develop into a quality key defender." (Football manager Graeme Allan)
Selection No.74: Sean Yoshiura
DOB: 06/08/91 Height: 187cm, Weight: 71kg
Recruited from: Mt Gravatt (QLD)
"He was invited down to play for the Brisbane Lions reserves and did a wonderful job on Travis Johnstone. He's got a lot to learn in footy. He's represented Queensland on numerous occasions and won state middle distance and distance titles. He really is in the elite category for athletics. He's a very light boy, as you might expect for an endurance athlete, but he's got a nice frame and he'll certainly add weight very rapidly."
Selection No.76: Claye Beams
DOB: 11/09/91, Height: 182cm, Weight: 77kg
Recruited from: Labrador (QLD)
"Reignited his passion for football with his brother's (Collingwood's Dayne Beams) success. He's a multi-talented sort of a kid - he's an A-grade cricketer - but it just required his focus to go back into football, which he was able to do this year. His talent soon surfaced because from reserves footy at Labrador he was relatively quickly promoted to senior footy. Played half-back and a little bit in the midfield, mainly. He showed he's a lovely, lovely kick of the ball and he's a very good decision maker. And he's a one touch player. He's probably - dare I say it - he may be a better kick [than his brother] but of course Dayne was a wonderful handballer. There are similarities. They both have very good game awareness. He's a real competitor."
Selection No.78: Broc McCauley
DOB: 20/12/86, Height: 200.1cm, Weight: 96.5kg
Recruited from: Southport (QLD)
“He’s a Southport lad and has been playing as their primary ruckman. He’s a gigantic, mobile lad. He’s very strong and did particularly well in the state screening. He did a 2.94 (seconds) over 20m, which is very good for a player of that size, and a 13.2 shuttle, which was again in the better group for that size. He’s a powerful kid, very mobile. Has a bit of skill development to do but will be a good back-up for the three dominant players on the Brisbane list.”
