2007 NAB AFL Draft wrap

CARLTON selected teenage Northern Knights ruckman Matthew Kreuzer with the No.1 pick and St Kilda threw popular forward Fraser Gehrig a lifeline in the 2007 NAB AFL Draft at Telstra Dome in Melbourne on Saturday.

While focus was on the bevy of young talent in Australia, four clubs recruited players with previous AFL experience, three of them veterans.

Hawthorn has offered ex-Port Adelaide wingman/forward Stuart Dew a new start at Waverley Park, while Fremantle recruited former Essendon premiership midfielder Mark Johnson and key-position player Kepler Bradley.

Kreuzer, 18, hailing from the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup in Victorian, is Carlton’s third top pick in as many years following the selections of Marc Murphy in 2005 and Bryce Gibbs last year.

Kreuzer, sitting beside parents Frank and Margaret and a support team of eight, said he was “very relieved” to be finally a Blue.

“It’s been pretty hectic week. I’ve tried not to read any of the papers. I’m happy to be at Carlton. I can’t wait to start training,” he said.

“I got told on Wednesday night. Wayne (Hughes) and Shane (O’Sullivan) both came out to my house and sat me down and explained to me what was going to happen. They just said to keep it under wraps.

“It was a big relief. It just took the pressure off my shoulders in case it didn’t happen.

“I was very happy to go to Carlton. It’s a great  footy club, a great history and great club for the future."

Richmond selected Kruezer’s Knights’ teammate, midfielder Trent Cotchin, at No.2, West Coast chose onballer Chris Masten with pick three and Melbourne named midfielder Cale Morton at four.

The Western Bulldogs rounded out the top five, selecting key forward Jarrad Grant.

The big ‘G-Train’, Fraser Gehrig, announced his retirement in the final home and way round of the 2007 season, but contacted the Saints this week and said he had a change of heart and wanted to line up for his former club next season.

Saints coach Ross Lyon said Gehrig, turning 32 in February next year, was determined to make a positive contribution in 2008.

“He’s been a great player, and he’ll always be considered a great player and he gets a wonderful opportunity,” Lyon said.

“I’m more from the Kevin Sheedy school of thought in that we lose our champions pretty quick and if you can keep them involved in the game then do that and that’s exactly what we’ve done.

“… There is the human side of people who you respect in your club and he’s got game milestones in front of him. Whatever happens, if things don’t go exactly as planned, it doesn’t matter.”

The Hawks drafted Dew with their third and final round selection at No.45. The burly forward announced his retirement at age 27 at the end of the 2006 season.

Having struggled with weight during his playing days, Dew weighed in at 108kg when he hung up the boots, but the Hawks are confident the forward can be an important contributor.

The South Australian will be making the trip to Papua New Guinea and the Kokoda Track when the Hawks depart on November 30.

“He does have a lot of work to go but he does have five months before the season starts proper,” Hawks player manager Chris Pelchen said.

“He’s already shed a significant amount of weight but the task is ahead, there is no doubt about that. He’ll have been out of football for 18 months so he might have to start at VFL level.”

Fremantle pulled a surprise in nabbing Mark Johnson at No.55 and his ex-Bomber teammate Bradley at 69.

Johnson, coming off a disappointing season with the Bombers after being dropped from the farewell game for James Hird and Kevin Sheedy in round 22, had been training with the Kangaroos.

He’ll now be flying west and reacquainting himself with former assistant coach at Windy Hill Mark Harvey, and teammate Dean Solomon.

“We tend to discount players too easily these days and we’re getting caught up in the win at all costs which means sometimes we make decisions prematurely on players,” Harvey said on Saturday.

“I don’t think a player at 29 is finished. In fact when we did our homework on Mark Johnson he tested better than he did when he was 25.

“Mark plays with good experience, he’s got success behind him and to get him with pick 55 is just a bonus for the club.”

Bradley, delisted by the Bombers after an unsuccessful four years at the club, has been training with the Dockers and Harvey hopes he can settle into a key position.

“Bradley’s been developed by another club, was a former top 10 pick and hopefully in time he can establish himself in a key position,” Harvey said.

“When Kevin Sheedy wrote the article about Kepler Bradley last week I felt like giving him a call and saying, ‘Why are you pumping him up just before the draft? Do it after the draft so we can get him with a late pick’.”

The Kangaroos also re-drafted injury-plagued midfielder Blake Grima. The popular clubman managed only a handful of games in 2007 after breaking down with chronic hamstring injuries.

The Kangas recruiting is confident the 23-year-old can get his body right.

"Blake got through all the medical screenings this week and there's no reason he can't play some good footy for us," recruiting manager Neville Stibbard said.

"He played seven or eight games last season before he started to do his hamstring, but our medical staff are confident they can manage him. He's had a lot of bad luck but he's ready to go."

Meanwhile, the Eagles drafted Scott Selwood, younger brother of Adam, which means all four Selwood brothers are now on AFL lists. Troy Selwood plays with Brisbane and Joel was a 2007 NAB Rising Star Award winner and member of Geelong’s premiership team this year.

Port Adelaide also kept up the family tradition by recruiting Marlon Motlop, the cousin of Daniel, and Mathew Westhoff, brother of Justin.

A total of 69 players were selected during Saturday’s 2007 NAB AFL Draft.

The 69 players included 64 new players and five already anointed through father-son and scholarship selections.

Six clubs passed on picks, which allows them to recruit players in next month’s NAB Pre-Season Draft.

Highlights from this year's NAB AFL Draft include:

• 37 players from Victoria (19 metro and 18 country)
• 15 from Western Australia
• Four from South Australia
• Three from New South Wales (including two from the NSW AFL Scholarship Program)
• Two from Northern Territory
• Two from Queensland
• One from Tasmania
• 13 of the first 14 players selected are graduates of the AIS-AFL Academy. There are 21 players in total from the AIS-AFL Academy.
• The Calder Cannons had six players drafted:  Addam Maric, Darcy Daniher, James Polkinghorne, Mitchell Farmer, Dean Putt, Aaron Kite.
• East Fremantle had five players drafted including three in the first round: Chris Masten, Phys Palmer, Harry Taylor, Bradd Dalziell and Cale Hooker.
• Four of the first round players and five players in total are from the Northern Knights: Matthew Kreuzer, Trent Cotchin, Patrick Veszprem, Jack Grimes and Brett Meredith.
• Four players are Indigenous: Cyril Rioli, Marlon Motlop, Jarrhan Jacky and Tony Armstrong.

“We are delighted that the AIS-AFL Academy program has again produced the best young talent at today’s NAB AFL Draft,” AIS-AFL High Performance Coach Alan McConnell said.

“To have over 20 graduates selected today is a fantastic effort. We are already working with the next generation of stars for next year’s draft.”