2006 NAB AFL DRAFT

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2006 NAB AFL DRAFT ALL CLUB DRAFT PICKS No 1 Carlton Bryce Gibbs 17yo 188cm 78kg No 2 Essendon Scott Gumbleton 18yo 197cm 92kg No 3 Kangaroos Lachlan Hansen 18yo 197cm 90kg No 4 Brisbane Lions Matthew Leuenberger 18yo 203cm 93kg No 5 Port Adelaide Travis Boak 18yo 183cm 77kg No 6 Hawthorn Mitchell Thorp 17, 194cm, 86kg No 7 Geelong Joel Selwood 18yo 182cm 80kg. No 8 Collingwood Ben Reid 17yo 196cm 82kg No 9 - St Kilda David Armitage 18 183cm, 79kg No 10 Collingwood Nathan Brown 17yo, 193cm, 87kg No 11 Western Bulldogs Andrejs Everitt 17yo, 193cm, 77kg No 12 Melbourne James Frawley 18yo, 192cm, 81kg No 13 Richmond Jack Riewoldt 18, 192cm, 85kg No 14 Adelaide James Sellar 17yo 195cm 91kg No 15 Sydney Daniel O'Keefe 18yo, 183cm, 74kg No 16 West Coast Eagles Mitchell Brown 17, 193cm, 90kg No 17 Carlton Shaun Hampson 18yo 201cm 93kg No 18 Essendon Leroy Jetta 18, 177cm, 76kg No 19 Carlton Shaun Grigg 18, 190kg, 79kg No 20 Essendon Tom Hislop 18, 184cm, 86kg No 21 Kangaroos Gavin Urquhart 18, 181cm, 80kg No 22 Brisbane Lions Albert Proud 18, 180cm, 83kg No 23 Port Adelaide Paul Stewart 19, 190cm, 82kg No 24 Hawthorn Brent Renouf 18, 200cm, 92kg No 25 Geelong Nathan Djerrkura 18, 176, 77kg No 26 Richmond Shane Edwards 18, 180cm, 69cm No 27 - St Kilda Brad Howard 18, 181cm, 72kg No 28 Collingwood Chris Dawes 18, 194cm, 101kg No 29 West Coast Eagles Eric McKenzie 18, 195cm, 91kg No 30 Melbourne Ricky Petterd 18, 185cm, 76kg No 31 Fremantle Clayton Collard 17, 177cm, 80kg No 32 Adelaide Kurt Tippett 19, 200cm, 96kg No 33 Hawthorn Jarryd Morton 18, 191cm, 80kg No 34 Brisbane Lions Chris Schmidt 17, 188cm, 80kg No 35 Carlton Mark Austin 17, 193cm, 88kg No 36 Essendon Alwyn Davey 22, 178cm, 72kg No 37 Kangaroos Todd Goldstein 18, 201cm, 106cm No 38 Brisbane Lions James Hawksley 17, 186cm, 73kg No 39 Port Adelaide Natan Krakouer 18, 182cm, 61kg No 40 Hawthorn (Father-Son) Josh Kennedy 18, 186cm, 86kg No 41 Geelong (Father/Son) Tom Hawkins 18, 197cm, 95kg No 42 Essendon Bachar Houli 18, 180cm, 84kg No 43 West Coast Eagles Tim Houlighan 17, 189cm, 74kg No 44 Collingwood Brad Dick 18, 184cm, 78kg No 45 Western Bulldogs Brennan Stack 18, 184cm, 76kg No 46 Melbourne Colin Garland 18, 191cm, 85kg No 47 Essendon Kyle Reimers 17, 184cm, 78kg No 48 Adelaide David Mackay 18, 181cm, 69kg No 49 Sydney Daniel Currie 17yo, 200cm, 91kg No 50 West Coast Eagles Will Schofield 17, 195cm, 82kg No 51 Carlton Clint Benjamin 18, 188cm, 80kg No 52 Fremantle Brock O'Brien 18, 180cm, 78kg No 53 Kangaroos Lindsay Thomas 18, 180cm, 76kg No 54 Brisbane Lions Matt Tyler 18, 194cm, 82kg No 55 Port Adelaide Robert Gray 18, 182cm, 82kg No 56 Hawthorn Garry Moss 18, 180cm, 70kg No 57 Geelong Simon Hogan 18, 181cm, 68kg No 58 Richmond Daniel Connors 18, 183cm, 79kg No 59 - St Kilda Jarryd Allen 18, 193cm, 88kg No 60 Richmond Carl Peterson 183cm, 70kg No 61 Western Bulldogs Joshua Hill 17, 186cm, 72kg No 62 Melbourne Isack Weetra 17, 184cm, 76kg No 63 Collingwood Tyson Goldsack 19, 191cm, 82kg No 64 Adelaide Nick Gill 24, 192cm, 90kg No 65 Sydney Peter Faulks 18yo, 192cm, 74kg No 66 Western Bulldogs Malcolm Lynch 18, 178cm, 65kg No 67 Carlton Joe Anderson 18, 188cm, 81kg No 68 Essendon Pass No 69 Kangaroos Ben Warren 17, 186cm, 78kg No 70 Brisbane Lions Sam Sheldon 17, 183cm, 79kg No 71 Port Adelaide Justin Westhoff 20, 199cm, 83kg No 72 Hawthorn Pass No 73 Richmond Andrew Collins 18, 184cm, 71kg No 74 - St Kilda Matthew Ferguson 22, 187cm, 87kg No 75 Pass. No 76 Western Bulldogs Paul O'Shea 17, 192cm, 82kg No 77 Fremantle Calib Mourish 18, 190cm, 85kg No 78 Adelaide Bryce Campbell 22, 183cm, 73kg No 79 Sydney Jesse White 18yo, 196cm, 101kg No 80 West Coast Eagles James Thomson 18, 194cm, 81kg No 81 Pass No 82 Kangaroos Aaron Edwards 22, 184cm, 88kg. No 83 Port Adelaide Ryan Williams 18, 188cm, 89kg No 84 Richmond Pass No 85 St Kilda Pass No 86 Port Adelaide David Rodan 23, 171cm, 83kg No 87 St Kilda Pass No 88 Port Adelaide Pass No 89 St Kilda Pass

David Armitage 18, 183cm, 80kg (Morningside) Brad Howard 18, 181cm, 72kg (Redlands) Jarryd Allen 18, 193cm, 88kg (Calder) Matthew Ferguson 22, 187cm, 87kg (St Kilda)

St Kilda 2006 Draft Picks
9 David Armitage	59 Jarryd Allen
27 Brad Howard	74 Matthew Ferguson

THE DRAFT club by club The Age | Herald Sun

. . . St Kilda passed on three selections, but said it might have only one or two picks in the PSD, the number hinging on its salary cap. The Saints, like Collingwood, are eyeing a ruckman.
Talent capital moves north Jake Niall/TheAgeRealFooty/26Nov06
• Previous Draft No 9's, 27's & 59's 'Devilhead' et al saintsational.com
• Draft Thread 'Eastern' et al saintsational.com
• Was Wool Shafted? 'joffaboy' et al saintsational.com

St Kilda: Permission to train list - Jayden Attard, Brisbane Lions; Cathal Corr, St Kilda; Chais Dunne, Casey Scorpions; Ben Fraser, Casey Scorpions; Ed McDonnell, St Kilda; Alister Neville, Coburg; Tom Roach, Richmond; Ben Ross, Gippsland Power; James Tyquin, St Bedes Mentone; Luke Van Rheenan, Scoresby
Permission to train - All Teams Paul Gough/Sportal/AFL/saints.com.au/29Nov06
St Kilda '07 jumper numbers allocated 'Bono' saintsational.com
Time Trial 'Go Sretnias Go' et al saintsational.com

• Fans pick Saints best 22 '3:16' et al saintsational.com
• Fergus Watts Role in 2007? 'coffssaint' et al saintsational.com

Analysing the Draft
The Saints only opted to use four picks and not utilise No.85, No.87 and No.89. It secured crack Queensland midfielder David Armitage with its first selection at No.9 - he was always in the mix for the Saints at that choice - while speedy defender Brad Howard (No.27) was the first early shock in the meeting. Howard had been speculated as a possible late pick. Key forward Jarryd Allen drifted down the pecking order and proved to be a good acquisition at No.59, while the Saints redrafted defender Matthew Ferguson, who was riddled with various injuries in 2006 and didn't add to his eight-game tally from 2003-05. Armitage is the standout in what turned out to be a relatively low-key meeting for the Saints, although it will be interesting to see how St Kilda approaches the Pre-Season draft with these vacant positions.
The Article Matt Burgan/Sportal/saints.com.au/25Nov06

St Kilda Additions:
Exchange period - received: Shane Birss (Western Bulldogs), Michael Gardiner (West Coast)
Rookie elevation: 0, Father/son selection: 0
NAB AFL Draft: Jarryd Allen (Calder Cannons), David Armitage (Morningside), Matthew Ferguson (St Kilda), Brad Howard (Redlands)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft: (Draft 12th Dec) NAB AFL Rookie Draft: (Draft 12th Dec)
St Kilda Deletions:
Retired: Justin Peckett (veteran - outside list), Stephen Powell
Exchange period - traded: -
Delisted: Cain Ackland, Matthew Ferguson, Mark McGough, Allan Murray, Troy Schwarze (second list lodgment), Cathal Corr (rookie), Ed McDonnell (rookie), Dylan Pfitzner (rookie)
All Club Lists
Additions & Deletions Matt Burgan/Sportal/AFL/saints.com.au/27Nov06

PRE-SEASON DRAFT
St Kilda has up to three vacancies on its list but seems certain to select no more than two players, the final number depending on salary-cap considerations. Interest in ruckmen including Clark Keating and Tristan Cartledge. Stephen Rielly/TheAgeRealFooty/28Nov06
Pre - Season Draft 'locoplayaz' et al saintsational.com

Now for the Rookie Draft
When previous NAB AFL drafts have been completed, invariably there have been a number of players surprisingly overlooked and without an AFL club. Last November, two players Ryan Jackson and Alan Toovey were overlooked to the surprise of many. Yet it was no coincidence that in last December's NAB AFL Rookie Draft, the first two players selected were Jackson (No.1) by Carlton and Toovey (No.2) by Collingwood. Both players have been retained for the 2007 season, with Jackson remaining a second-year rookie with the Blues, while Toovey has been promoted to Collingwood's senior list.
The Article Matt Burgan/AFL/saints.com.au/27Nov06

Saints' balancing act
St Kilda is confident it has assembled a list with enough depth to see it competitive deep into September. Despite new coach Ross Lyon taking the reins just last month, Saints chief executive Archie Fraser said Lyon was happy with Saturday's additions to the squad and now had the right team balance. "Certainly getting young David Armitage from Morningside, a good quality kid and obviously is going to be a super player," Fraser said. "I think we've done well with our additional picks, right down to our fourth pick, the recruiters are very happy." But after the departure of ruckman Cain Ackland to Carlton, the Saints are still in need of another tall to sure up their ruck stocks. With established ruckmen, including Brisbane Lions premiership player Clark Keating and former Blue Chris Bryan nominating for the pre-season draft, it is expected the Saints will opt for height with its remaining pick. "We've kept one pick for the pre-season (draft)," Fraser said. "The guys will meet on Monday and discuss what the outcome of draft day is because you really don't know what you are going to end up with beforehand."
The Article David Hastie/HeraldSun/27Nov06

Redland Bombers drafted
Two young Redland Bombers players - Brad Howard and Paul O'Shea - have been picked in the NAB Australian Football League Draft. This makes three players Bombers have had drafted to the AFL in the past two seasons. Howard, who will turn 20 this month, was sixth chosen among a record 11 Queensland draftees. "I still can't believe it," he said. St Kilda recruiting manager John Beveridge said: "We're really excited about his athleticism . . . he's a bit of a freak." At the State Screening, Howard clocked an impressive 2.92sec for the 20m sprint, a 15.01 beep test (timed runs), a standing vertical jump of 74cm (the next best at the camp was 69cm) and he recently did an unofficial 3km time-trial of 10min53sec. Redland coach Gary Odgers described Howard as "the complete package".
The Article Redland news/30Nov06

Country Vic and QLD go well in draft
. . . Six players from the North Ballarat Rebels and three from the Bendigo Pioneers have been drafted to AFL clubs, demonstrating the strength of country areas producing top talent. The big surprise of the AFL draft this year was the lack of talent coming from the metropolitan area. Ironically, the Victorian metro team won the Australian Carnival earlier this year. The talent scouts named just two players from the Melbourne area as part of the top 36. On the other hand, the recruiting of 11 players from Queensland demonstrated that the AFL is doing some great work as far as the promotion of its code in a rugby-mad state goes. On the money side, a high school student who was picked up in the first round of the draft has a starting wage of $50,000 and then he gets match payments on top of that.
The Article Sporting Briefs/BendigoAdvertiser

Clarke may return a Saint
Former Adelaide ruckman Matthew Clarke is poised to follow Mal Michael out of retirement and into the AFL pre-season draft. Clarke, 33, is understood to be considering a nomination for the pre-season draft by next Friday's deadline in the hope of joining St Kilda. The Saints, in desperate need of a ruckman after losing uncontracted Cain Ackland to Carlton - he will be taken with the No.1 pick at the pre-season draft - are understood to have talked Clarke into playing. He retired from Adelaide at the end of last season after a 14-season, 248-game career with the Crows and Brisbane Lions . . . New Saints coach Ross Lyon is believed to have head-hunted his former Brisbane teammate Clarke as Ackland's replacement, telling him he will be one of the club's lead ruckman next year.
The Article Andrew Capel/TheAustralian/30Nov06
Matthew Clarke a Saint!!?? 'skeptic' et al saintsational.com
TS40 Rumour '3:16' et al saintsational.com

Pies reject Clarke
Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse says the Pies will not use their pre-season draft pick on any older, recycled players making it unlikely that former Brisbane and Adelaide ruckman Matthew Clarke will move to the Lexus Centre next season. Clarke, who retired at the end of last season after playing 248 games with the Crows and Brisbane Lions, is understood to be planning to nominate for the pre-season draft and has been linked with both St Kilda - which has three picks in the December 12 NAB AFL pre-season draft - as well as Collingwood. However Malthouse said Clarke's age - 33 - will count against him when the Pies decide how to use their pick.
The Article Sportal/04Dec06

David Armitage
. . . "I was pretty excited and nervous", said Armitage, whose parents Greg and Annette, flown to Melbourne by the AFL for the draft, were among about 700 people watching the event which was televised live. "Definitely, I'm excited about going to St Kilda", he said. "I was not expecting to go there but it's a club I'm happy to play for, they've got a lot of stars such as Robert Harvey, Fraser Gehrig and Nick Riewoldt. I'll be flying down on Friday and go straight into training on Saturday. Armitage has been playing for the Morningside AFL club and working for the Brisbane Lions for the past few years since leaving Mackay. He said the draft selection meant he would be living his dream of playing AFL in football-crazy Melbourne. "I've been there a little bit, it's a lovely city but the traffic is hectic. It just shows that it is possible to make it from the country. I started playing when I was five or six, but I didn't see the opportunity to play in the AFL until I was 16 or 17. I've just got to knuckle down now and focus on training and whether or not I get to play in the senior team will take care of itself next year." His father Greg said he was stunned by the attention given to the draft. "There would have been 700 people in the room, apart from the players. There were 20 to 30 TV cameras and the press were everywhere. It was daunting, he said. "As far as I know David is the first Mackay player to be selected in a draft. I've been involved since the 80's and I know of no-one else" . . . Armitage is quite mature physically.
Draft duo making a big mark Daily Mercury/Mackay/27Nov06
New AFL funded positions in Qld aflq.com.au/28Nov06

• My Day With Nicky Winmar 'riccardo' et al saintsational.com
• List management . . . going along nicely 'saintsRrising' et al saintsational.com

Cannons fire in draft: Jarryd Allen
. . . with Allen picked at number 59 . . . (he) was touted as a top-30 pick before the draft, surprising many when he was left until midway through the fourth round. After completing an outstanding season for the Cannons as a key position tall and attending the AFL draft camp, the 18-year-old at one stage thought his chance was drifting away. "I was getting a bit nervous. I didn't know what to think," he said. "It was a bit emotional for the family. When I came back to reality it hit me. I'm happy it was St Kilda. It's a good club that is going places." The Saints were one of many clubs chasing the services of Allen after the draft camp, where he impressed in physical testing and interviews. Allen played 18 games for Calder this season, including a superb purple patch of 21 goals in three matches in the middle of the season. Soon he will be rubbing shoulders with league stars like Nick Riewoldt and Robert Harvey. "I think I'll be a bit nervous going to training. It's a bit overwhelming," Allen said. "I just can't wait to get down there. I want to get stronger and fitter" . . . Calder Cannons regional manager Chris Gleeson said the club was thrilled to have two of its members graduate to the highest level. "It was terrific for us. I couldn't have hoped for anything better," he said. "It doesn't matter whether they're number one pick or 75th pick, they're all level when they get to an AFL club. I'd expect Jarryd to be a good player, and he'll keep improving, which is important as well."
The Article Adrian Ceddia/StarNewsGroup/28Nov06

Knight Sexton joins St Kilda Saints
Northern Knights' Danny Sexton became the second coach in as many years to leave the club for the bright lights of the Australian Football Legue. Like Neil Connell before him, Sexton accepted an offer from a big league club to be a development coach, and will join St Kilda for the 2007 season. Sexton, who has an outstanding pedigree as a coach and motivator, spent his last official day at Northern at Saturday's national draft. His season at the Knights followed two as an assistant at fellow TAC Cup club Calder cannons, and an extended period in the Diamond Valley Football League with Lower Plenty. This year Sexton led a talented team to the preliminary final after finishing fifth on the home and away ladder. The Knights missed out on a grand final by one point after losing to the Cannons. Northern has already advertised for a new coach, and hopes to have the position filled by the end of the year.
The Article Adrian Ceddia/ThomastownEppingLalorStar/29Nov06

Draft exposes cold realities
. . . just three players with AFL experience were taken. St Kilda re-drafted Matthew Ferguson, ex-Tiger David Rodan went to Port Adelaide and the Kangaroos revived the career of former Eagle Aaron Edwards. This following an AFL exchange period in which only eight players traded colours . . . The apparent strength of this year's draft, particularly the high number of talented tall players, contributed to the unusually small number of trades and player recyclings. Few clubs were willing to trade high picks and most claimed they could find potential 100-gamers in the lower rounds where once they might have filled a short-term need with a veteran cast-off.
The Article AAP/TheAge/27Nov06
Not just tall tales at draft tower Chip Le Grand/TheAustralian/27Nov06
Combining faith and football Emma Quayle/TheAgeRealFooty/27Nov06
Cats pounce on Djerrkura, Selwood and Hogan Jay Clark/GeelongAdvertiser/27Nov06

St Kilda No.9 - David Armitage 183cm, 79kg
Highest in the Draft Camp Agility Test - 7.88 sec
Medium midfielder/defender, Armitage attacks the ball strongly and is quick with his hands. Neat left-footer and averages 20 possessions.

Armitage settling in with Saints
. . . Yesterday the recruits joined in gym and pool sessions with the rest of the St Kilda squad, who have been in pre-season training since November. "Awesome" is how Armitage described the experience of his introduction to the world of AFL, in the city where the sport is No 1. "We went straight into training yesterday and had a session, it was awesome," he said. "We got a number allocation and all the boys came up and introduced themselves and said good luck" . . . Armitage said he was living at Brighton Beach, a suburb close to the Saints' Moorabbin ground at St Kilda.
The Article DailyMercury/06Dec06

David Armitage moved to Brisbane from Mackay to finish his schooling and further his football development. He became a part of the AFL's SportsReady program, an initiative designed to combine on the job experience (at a sporting related organisation) and relevant study. He now aims to be selected by an AFL Club in the November draft. The pool of local Queensland talent for this year's draft is said to be deeper than ever, which is reflected in the results of the National Under-18 Championships played earlier this year. Queensland went through the competition undefeated, winning the Division Two title for the first time since 1999. Armitage, known to his team mates as 'Armo', was one of Queensland's best when they defeated Tasmania by 39 points to clinch the title. He averaged over 20 possessions throughout the tournament and was subsequently awarded with All-Australian honours. AFL Talent Manager Kevin Sheehan describes Armitage as "a neat left-footer, who with quick hands and a strong attack on the ball, provided Queensland with great drive throughout the Championships". His great form with local team Morningside was highlighted at the recent AFLQ Grogan Medal Award Night, where Armitage was recognised as the AFLQ's Rising Star. He polled 60 votes to edge out Broadbeach's Ricky Petterd (41) and Southport's Kurt Tippett (26), both of whom are also expected to feature at this year's draft.
Armitage set for AFL lions.com.au/saints.com.au/03Oct06

St Kilda No.27 - Brad Howard Age 18 - 183cm - 72kg
Toowoomba's . . . (Brad) Howard spent two years playing for the Suncoast Lions in the State League competition, but returned to Toowoomba to play for the Central Bombers in 2006, when he missed out on a place on the Brisbane Lions' rookie list. Some impressive performances in representative games saw approaches come his way and Howard finished the season with Redlands where he finished sixth in their Best and Fairest vote, despite just playing six games for the year.
Howard prepares for biggest day of career
Cameron Leslie/ToowoombaChronicle/11Nov06

St Kilda No.59 - Jarryd Allen 192cm, 85kg
Tall defender/ruckman, Allen is also able to go forward. He was a consistent player throughout the NAB AFL U18 Championships and was ranked 10th overall in the Champion Data player rankings.

Jarryd Allen . . . Just hours before West Coast won its third premiership on the MCG last Saturday, Allen was part of the Cannons grand final side that went down to the Oakleigh Chargers on the hallowed turf. Although it was not the result he was hoping for, Allen then had to overcome a grand final defeat, recover from the match - which yielded 25 disposals, seven marks and 2.3 - before turning up for a day's work on Monday and then heading to the nation's capital on Tuesday.
Huge week for Allen Matt Burgan/Sportal/AFL/saints.com.au/04Oct06

Bevo archive pic John Beveridge Interveiw Script Transcript by 'SaintBot' saintsational.com . . . JB: Probably the way the draft was going to go, that there were probably ten in the pecking order and David Armitage, inside midfielder. He's probably, good endurance, hard at it, won the rookie of the year in Queensland. We picked him at pick 9, inside, tested very well agility wise, he's a left footer. Interviewer: Best available at the time? JB: Yep that's where it was. If they pick him we'll pick him da de da de da. Interviewer: Pace wise midfielder . . . JB: He is more endurance than speedy. . . . JB: The boy we selected number 2, Brad Howard. Genuine pace, 15 beep test, 2.92: 20 meters, outstanding vertical leap. He's only at 180 but he played Queensland under 18 last year. He turns 19 in December. Comes from Toowoomba, came down and played about seven games with Redland, came 6th in their best and fairest even though he only played a few games. So he is quite an exciting player Interviewer: Is he a bit of a smokey? JB: He didn't nominate for the draft last year Interviewer: Why was that? JB: He just didn't think he was ready. So is he a smokey at 27, some people might have been surprised but we were just very attracted by his athleticism and we hope he will be fine. Interviewer: Is he ready for senior football? JB: Well that's very hard to tell. Athletically he is, he is only 70 odd kilos so he is a light sort of a guy but he has enough power athletically to play senior. Interviewer: With Powell and Peckett gone leaves extra space to push up pretty early . . . JB: I would think so, Armitage is very mature physical, comes from a rugby league background, fierce tackler. . . . Interviewer: A fair bit is known about Jarryd Allen and you must be pleased to get him at 59. JB: Yeah, key position forward more so. Remarkable reach and he has had a very good year for Calder Cannons. Made the TAC Cup team of the year, played Vic Metro and played well in the under 18 championships. So yeah we reckon he gives us some balance with Armitage as an inside midfielder, Howard an outside midfielder because he is a lean athlete and we always planned to take Ferguson back with our last pick. Interviewer: Some suggestion that Allen might have gone earlier . . . JB: Some people would feel he has a bit of query below his knees but that is often the case with bigger players and we think he is fine, especially at 59. . . . Interviewer: Was Ferguson always locked in? JB: We decided to do that. He had an ankle op. not too long ago but he has been training with us and with the tallish defensive situations. He has been injured more than he hasn't so we think he's due for a change of luck. John Beveridge Interveiw Script BigPond The Post 'SaintsBot' saintsational.com

Top pick a happy Saint
Mackay now officially has produced one of Australia's hottest AFL talents after David Armitage was drafted by grand final hopeful St Kilda at No.9 in Saturday's NAB National Draft. Armitage, 18, born and raised in the flourishing central Queensland city 1000km north of Brisbane, is only the fourth player from the Sunshine State to be drafted top 10. The first top 10 pick was Nick Riewoldt, who was selected at No.1 in 2000 and has gone on to captain St Kilda. Riewoldt will be a teammate of Armitage after the Saints plumped for him with their first pick in the draft. Armitage will try to break into a midfield that rates among the best in the AFL, with dual Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey, the sublime Lenny Hayes, classy Nick Dal Santo, and young gun Luke Ball having helped the Saints to three consecutive finals appearances. "It's great, I can't wait to make the move down and start training and get to know all the boys and fit into the team," said Armitage, who met some of his new teammates on draft day. "I was talking to the Saints CEO (Archie Fraser) and he said the (new) coach (Ross Lyon) likes to give young guys a go, and I just want to get out there and start training."
The Article Morningside AFLQ/25Nov06
Brad Howard: Draft smokey from Toowoomba Morningside AFLQ/25Nov06

Mal practice or not, Michael will line up with Dons
No Amount of protest, public outrage or calls for royal commissions will prevent Mal Michael from lining up alongside Dustin Fletcher in Essendon's defence in 2007. It matters not whether Michael dudded the Lions, nor even if he harboured a secret lust for joining Essendon via the pre-season draft. It's not a question, either, whether his actions were reprehensible or dodgy. What it comes down to is this: Can the AFL prove beyond doubt, under its rules, that he colluded with Essendon before he informed Brisbane of his decision to retire? As Lions coach Leigh Matthews knows, a conspiracy will be harder to prove than the existence of the Loch Ness monster. While the AFL could subpoena phone records, it has as much chance of finding the smoking telephone number - and confirming Sheedy shenanigans - as Shane Woewodin has of being picked up in the December draft.
The Article Jake Niall/TheAgeRealFooty/28Nov06

South Africa draft legacy
AFL Youth Coordinator Jason McCartney believes the first AFL Indigenous Youth Tour of South Africa earlier this year played a significant role in the drafting of five young players in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft. Joe Anderson, Brad Dick, Nathan Krakouer, Malcolm Lynch and Isack Weetra were members of the Under-17 touring squad which played one International Rules Test and two Australian Rules Tests against the South Africans in February. On Saturday, Carlton selected Anderson with pick 67, Dick joined Collingwood (44), Port Adelaide snared Krakouer (39), Lynch (66) went to the Western Bulldogs and Weetra (62) became a Demon. McCartney, who was the assistant coach on the tour, said the drafting of the five was a strong endorsement of the program which will continue next year with two matches against South Africa in the Top End early next year.
The Article Angus Morgan/afl.com.au/27Nov06
What's wrong with Vic Metro? Mark Stevens/HeraldSun/27Nov06

Queensland rich in talent
Until the 2004 draft, Queensland's export tally was just 17. With 10 players drafted in the past two years, AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan says the trend has been steadily building. "It was an extremely good result for them," Sheehan said. "You can put it down to three things. The success of the Lions and the profile of the game up there after winning triple premierships" . . . Likened to prolific Western Bulldogs midfielder Scott West, David Armitage led the Queensland charge, selected by St Kilda at No 9. "Armitage is a hard-at-it inside midfielder who keeps getting his hands on the footy," Sheehan said. "He had a terrific national championship and then really started to dominate at senior level and won the rising star in the AFLQ competition."
The Article Zac Milbank/AdelaideAdvertiser/28Nov06

What's wrong with Vic Metro?
The once-fertile suburbs of Melbourne are in the grip of a big dry, raising fresh queries about junior talent identification in the AFL's heartland. Only two Victorian Metro players - Andrejs Everitt (11) and Chris Dawes (28) - featured in the opening two rounds of Saturday's draft. Queensland managed eight inside the top 34. Tassie mustered three. Ask any recruiting manager to talk about the battle of the 'burbs and they will carefully tiptoe around the subject, which has become increasingly sensitive.
The Article Daryl Timms/HeraldSun/27Nov06

Hardy misses on AFL draft
AFL aspirant Justin Hardy will turn his attention to the rookie draft after missing out in weekend's National Draft. Hardy, a former Stawell Warriors footballer, will sweep aside the disappointment of not being drafted and look towards a position on a club rookie list. "Mum and dad came to Ballarat and we listened to it on the radio," he said. "I was disappointed because a fair few people thought I would go."
The Article Tim O'Connor/Stawell News/01Dec06
Draft overlooks locals Michael Simmons/Victor Harbour News/01Dec06

Let them play - if wanted
I hope Matthew Clarke does get drafted by St Kilda. I hope Ben Hart gets drafted by, well, anyone really (the ultimate irony would be Port Adelaide). I really hope Romario played well last night for Adelaide United. All three have one thing in common in that they are in the twilight of their respective careers. In Romario's case, he's probably closer to midnight. But why shouldn't they play if someone will have them? . . . But performance is expected of Romario, as will be expected of Clarke and Hart. How strange that the much maligned Clarke, the least naturally talented of the trio, is the one most in touch with career-best form.
The Article Graham Cornes/AdelaideAdvertiser/30Nov06