The Brisbane Lions have added considerable depth to their line-up with six selections inside the first two rounds of the 2013 NAB AFL National Draft.
The draft meeting was highlighted by the recruitment of James Aish with the Club's prized first round selection (Pick No.7 overall).
Aish, selected from Norwood Football Club in South Australia, is the son of former Redlegs midfielder Andrew Aish, the nephew of 1981 Magarey Medallist Michael Aish and the grandson of former skipper Peter Aish.
The Lions also selected Darcy Gardiner (Pick No.22 overall), Daniel McStay (Pick No.25 overall), Lewis Taylor (Pick No.28 overall), Tom Cutler (Pick No.33 overall), and Nick Robertson (Pick No.34 overall).
National Talent Manager Rob Kerr was confident the Club had been able to fill some of the 'holes' that had been identified in the list prior to the Draft.
“We are really happy with the young talent we were able to add to our list tonight,” said Kerr.
“If someone had told me at the start of the year that James Aish would still be around at Pick 7 I wouldn’t have believed them.
“James has an exceptional football CV and his experience in two SANFL Grand Finals is invaluable.
“We were also really looking to add some youth to our defensive group and we were extremely happy to get Gardiner with pick 22. We rated Darcy as the best key defender in the draft, so we were rapt to get him with our second pick.
“With the six boys we picked, we feel we were able to fill the Club’s needs by adding some midfield and defensive depth, as well as some speed and hardness.”
The Lions also formalised the recruitment of Hyundai Lions Academy graduate Jonathan Freeman with Pick No.63, while former rookie Justin Clarke was elevated to the Club's senior list with Pick No.75.
Draft Summary
Pick No.7 – James Aish (Norwood)
Pick No.22 – Darcy Gardiner (Geelong Falcons)
Pick No.25 – Daniel McStay (Eastern Ranges)
Pick No.28 – Lewis Taylor (Geelong Falcons)
Pick No.33 – Tom Cutler (Oakleigh Chargers)
Pick No.34 – Nick Robertson (West Perth)
Pick No.63 – Jonathan Freeman (Academy Nomination)
Pick No.75 – Justin Clarke (Rookie Elevation)
