Pick No.7 – James Aish (Norwood)
“We’re ecstatic to get James Aish at our first selection. He’s s two-time premiership player over in the SANFL and we’ve watched him very closely since he was outstanding as a 16-year-old in the National Championships.”
Pick No.22 – Darcy Gardiner (Geelong Falcons)
“Darcy Gardiner was probably the best key defender in this year’s pool. He’s very competitive and has had a terrific record through his junior ranks. We hope he can progress that through to the senior ranks starting from next season.”
Pick No.25 – Daniel McStay (Eastern Ranges)
“Daniel is a tall and athletic rebounding utility type who played the majority of his junior footy across half-back. He’s also played on the wing and as a high half-forward, so can be very versatile which appeals. He’s had a couple of considerable growth spurts in recent years which saw him go from being a midfield type to key position size (194cm). He has a lovely long and penetrating left foot kick and loves to run with the footy. He has a lot of traits that relate well to being an AFL player.”
Pick No.28 – Lewis Taylor (Geelong Falcons)
“’Lewy’ was one that slipped a little bit. We’d already added some size to our group (with Gardiner and McStay), so counteracting that with Lewis worked out really well. He’s got a bit of spunk about the way he plays – he’s quick and enthusiastic. We think as a small forward who can also go on the ball, he’s going to have a real impact on the Club.
Pick No.33 – Tom Cutler (Oakleigh Chargers)
Tom’s a 190cm player who can play anywhere – he played through the three parts of the ground last year. He was a super member of both the Oakleigh and Trinity’s premiership teams last year, but probably didn’t have the year he would have liked (in 2013) due to some ankle injuries. We’re very confident that Thomas, in a full-time program, will be an outstanding member of our Club. This time last year if you were to say that we’d pick him up in the 30s – it just wouldn’t have happened. So we believe he can play a role on the wing, across half-back, and even in the midfield going forward.
Pick No.34 – Nick Robertson (West Perth)
Nick’s somewhat similar to Thomas. He had a fantastic bottom-age year as part of the AIS program, but had a few injuries this year which probably held him back a touch. He’s a big strong 190cm midfielder. He’s aggressive and I think that big body will add to our group.
