Rookie draft: Crows take mature-aged local
The Crows and the Power have both selected West Adelaide premiership players in today’s rookie draft, with Adelaide picking up 25-year-old SANFL utility Jonathon Beech with their final pick.
Will Snelling leads his state under 18 teammates onto the ground.
Beech, a 187cm and 85kg utility, kicked 35 goals for West Adelaide this season in the Bloods’ drought-breaking premiership year, but has the capacity to play anywhere on the ground.
Port Adelaide have also gone for a Bloods premiership player, selecting fine young midfielder Will Snelling – the state under 18 captain.
Adelaide looked to bolster its ruck stocks with its first pick, taking 22-year-old NEAFL player Paul Hunter.
Hunter is described by the club as an athletic big man who won the NEAFL Rising Star award in 2014, as well as the best and fairest award for his club, Redland.
As flagged earlier in the year, the Crows also picked up project players Hugh Greenwood and Alex Keath as category B rookies. Greenwood is looking to switch to AFL from top-line basketball and Keath is a former Victorian cricketer.
After picking up Snelling with their first pick, Port Adelaide went for young North Adelaide midfielder Cam Hewett, Oakleigh Chargers medium forward Dan Houston, and threw a lifeline to Kane Mitchell.
