Victoria celebrates huge 2024 AFL Draft haul

The 2024 Telstra AFL Draft took place across Wednesday and Thursday nights this week and of the 71 players who were selected by AFL clubs, 44 are from Victoria.

It shows the strength of the Victorian local football and talent pathway system and its importance to the national game. For young Victorian boys aspiring to reach the elite level and become professional footballers, opportunities are there.

Of the 44 Victorians, 26 are from metropolitan areas and 18 from country regions.

While the top picks deservedly dominate the headlines, there were many great stories throughout and hopefully many of the players picked go onto have long and successful AFL careers.

The draft started with the first three picks being young Victorian midfielders. Sam Lalor, who played more than 100 games of junior footy with the Bacchus Marsh Cobras before progressing to the Greater Western Victoria Rebels in the Coates Talent League, was taken by Richmond with pick one.

Sam’s friend and fellow country boy, Finn O’Sullivan, a product of the Koroit Saints, went next to North Melbourne with pick two, which was followed by Carlton snapping up Jagga Smith, who played his local footy with Richmond Junior Football Club before starring for the Oakleigh Chargers.

Shepparton twins Matt and Jack Whitlock both found AFL homes (North Melbourne and Port Adelaide respectively) while River Stevens, who’d most recently played local footy for the Newtown & Chilwell Eagles in the Geelong Football Netball League, is heading to North Melbourne, where his father Anthony became a champion of the game.

One of the more remarkable stories was Aidan Johnson. The 24-year-old key position prospect hails from Gooramadda, a small town in north-east Victoria. He was selected by Melbourne with pick 68 after playing a starring role in Werribee’s drought-breaking 2024 VFL premiership. Johnson started his footy journey with the Lavington Panthers in New South Wales and as recently as 2023 he was playing seniors for Yarraville Seddon Eagles in the Western Football Netball League after stints at the Brock-Burrum Saints and Old Brighton Grammarians.

Johnson’s premiership teammate at Werribee, Riley Bice, is also on an AFL list after the Swans picked him at 41 overall. The drafting of Johnson and Bice, both 24 (Bice is from Albury, New South Wales) follows Shaun Mannagh and Sam Clohesy getting drafted from Werribee in 2023, an incredible run of producing top-level talent for the VFL powerhouse. It also shows that the VFL can provide an opportunity for players who don’t get picked as 18 year-olds but still aspire to reach the elite level.

The VFL produced a third draftee in 2023, with 22-year-old medical student Sam Davidson getting his chance when taken by the Western Bulldogs with pick 51. Davidson, who played most of his junior football with the East Brighton Vampires and has also had stints in the country with Sale City, South Mildura and Maffra, impressed with 26 goals in 17 games for Richmond at state league level this year and continued the run of Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal winners (best young talent in the VFL) getting drafted.

Northern Knights midfielder Zak Johnson was the final player from Victoria picked and second-last overall, at number 70 by Essendon. The classy Northern Knights midfielder, who played junior footy for St Marys Greensborough Junior Football Club and was this year named captain of the Herald Sun Shield Senior Boys Team of the Year after leading his school, Parade College, to back-to-back titles, joins fellow recent Parade graduates Nate Caddy (drafted last year) and Isaac Kako (pick 13 this year) at the Bombers. For Johnson, the result is the same as Sam Lalor at pick one – he’s now on an AFL list.

Kako has long been a part of the Bombers’ Next Generation Academy (NGA) program. His family has Iraqi heritage and his progress via the Northern Saints Football Club and Calder Cannons made him one of the top draft prospects in 2024.

Another name called out this year that will be familiar to many AFL fans is Riak Andrew, younger brother of Gold Coast star Mac, who the Swans selected with pick 55. Andrew, who started his football journey with Wantirna South before moving to Berwick and then represented Dandenong Stingrays, adds to the growing number of AFL players with South Sudanese background.

AFL Victoria would like to congratulate all the local clubs, talent pathway program staff, coaches, volunteers and families who have played such big roles in the development of the AFL Draft class of 2024. None of these boys could’ve made it onto AFL lists without support around them.

Check out the Draft Tracker on afl.com.au for the full list of 2024 Telstra AFL Draft picks, including the local clubs that have helped to produce this year’s draftees: https://www.afl.com.au/draft/draft-tracker/2024