How did your club fare in this year's draft period? Click on the flags below for reaction to Wednesday's NAB AFL Pre-Season and Rookie Drafts and the team's draft haul in general. Follow the links for bios and highlights of every player selected.


“We have gone for talent and the talls got knocked off before we could get them, so we stayed true to our talent order with a bit of leaning towards locals where we could. We were really keen to get speed into our list and Charlie (Cameron) fits that. He's your speedy tackling machine and he'll learn plenty from Eddie Betts and Ian Callinan." – Hamish Ogilvie, recruiting manager

We say
The Crows were initially hamstrung entering the draft because they were docked their first and second round selections following the Kurt Tippett saga. But they traded Bernie Vince out to get back into the second round and grabbed midfielder Matt Crouch. From there they continued to target midfielders and smaller players – Riley Knight in the national draft and Charlie Cameron, James Battersby and Jake Kelly with their first three rookie selections. Only the fourth rookie pick, medium forward Alex Spina has neither "small" or "midfielder" next to his name on the club’s website. – Ashley Browne

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Brisbane Lions



They say
"We've been fortunate to work closely with Isaac (Conway) over the past couple of years and seen him emerge as a quality young talent in Queensland. He's a strong-bodied midfielder who can win the contested ball and really lead by example. He was also trialed across half-back at times in 2013, which we feel helped add some extra elements to his game. Zac (O'Brien) is a hard working midfielder who also has the capacity to win the ball at stoppages. He is a clever player with a strong physical element to his game and should add some depth to our midfield group. We're really happy to have Archie (Smith) on board. It's a real coup for the club … to convert such a promising basketball player to our code. Archie has shown an enormous amount of improvement over the past 12 months. That said, he's still very much a work in progress and will require a considerable amount of development." - national talent manager Rob Kerr

We say
Following a disastrous start to the off-season, the Lions have managed to right the ship by bringing in depth in the areas they needed. After five homesick players left during the trade period, they initially went about loading up on tall talent for both ends of the ground, but opted to address the midfield with their rookie picks. Isaac Conway and Zac O'Brien are terrific hard-working midfielders, while Archie Smith is a project ruckman, having only switched from basketball in the past 12 months. He is a long-term back-up to Matthew Leuenberger and sits in nicely behind recruited Cat Trent West. With Jackson Paine, Luke McGuane, and draftees Darcy Gardiner and Daniel McStay all coming in, the Lions have further addressed their need for key talls. However, the real cream came in selecting ready-made James Aish at pick number seven and stealing livewire Lewis Taylor at no.28 in the national draft. Rookie coach Justin Leppitsch should now have depth to pick from in most positions. – Michael Whiting

New Lion Isaac Conway was unlucky to miss selection at the national draft. Picture: AFL Media

Luke Reynolds has a really wide arc, takes a really good mark and kicks goals. Blaine Johnson is a jumping player who takes a good mark. He jumps up over the top of packs, but is also good at ground level and can go through the midfield – we assume he will probably play as a forward for us. Most people will know Cameron Wood, he’s had a go before. With the dearth of ruckman we have at the footy club, we needed to get a ruckman in." – recruiting manager Shane Rogers

We say
The Blues decided against selecting key forward Cameron McCarthy in the NAB AFL Draft, instead choosing to boost their inside midfield stocks by taking clearance king Patrick Cripps and Nick Holman. However, the Blues picked up athletic forwards Luke Reynolds and Blaine Johnson in the Rookie Draft – both having shown an ability to clunk marks and kick truly at goal. The Blues surprised a few by giving Cameron Wood another chance, although he is seemingly cover for the loss of Shaun Hampson to Richmond. HeathScotland was retained as a rookie and will be part of Mick Malthouse's plans heading into the 2014 season. – Ben Guthrie

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Collingwood



They say
“Corey (Gault) is a contracted player to us. It was important that we fulfilled that commitment. We took Corey off the senior list in the knowledge that we could potentially have one or two extra selections, if the opportunity presented itself, which it did. Corey’s had an interrupted couple of years due to injury and form so he now gets the opportunity to reignite his career via the Rookie Draft.” – list manager Derek Hine.

We say
The Pies did their best work early, trading aggressively to ship Heath Shaw and Dale Thomas out of the club, bringing in Taylor Adams, Jesse White and Patrick Karnezis and positioning themselves to snare Matthew Scharenberg and Nathan Freeman with picks inside the top 10. They also grabbed Jonathan Marsh late, after anticipating that he wouldn’t be available. Little wonder they were bit part players in the rookie draft, bringing back swingman Corey Gault, who played 27 VFL games for the club since arriving at the start of 2012. – Ashley Browne

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Essendon



They say
"We wanted to address our talls on the list and we went for a needs basis in the draft. Today we were able to get a ruckman (Thurlow) and a key forward (Ambrose) who will hopefully replace Scott Gumbleton and David Hille on our list." – list manager Adrian Dodoro

We say
The Bombers went into the draft period with the aim of addressing two glaring needs – adding pace to the midfield, as well as replenishing their tall stocks. The club focused on speed in the NAB AFL Draft and brought in two taller players in the Rookie Draft. Zach Merrett is an astute pick, given his relationship with brother Jackson, while Orazio Fantasia will complement the club's pacey forwards. Fraser Thurlow is a ready-to-go ruckman with a competitive edge and strong athletic attributes. – Ben Guthrie

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Fremantle



They say
We were really excited to add a variety of positions to fit with our list management needs. To get some talls in Scott Gumbleton, Michael Apeness and Alex Pearce as mobile boys who can play key position was pleasing. To get Colin Sylvia through free agency was a real plus. He's going to really add to our midfield depth. With the boys through the rookie draft, we're pleased to add a couple of mid-range talls, a third tall forward in Michael Wood and then a third tall defender in Tom Vandeleur - they really filled a couple of spots we’ve been looking for. We see Jacob Ballard as having a really good running capacity and a real competitiveness about him so we feel like we can develop him through the midfield and across half-back. We see Brady Grey as a really talented sportsman that's really improved his football over the last 12 months. So we think we've been able to fill a range of needs, particularly the talls and we're really pleased with the period."  - general manager of player management Brad Lloyd

We say
The Dockers had a clear strategy for this draft period which was to stock up on talls. They picked up Michael Apeness (201cm) and Alex Pearce (199cm) with their first two picks in the national draft as they seek to find a long-term replacement for Matthew Pavlich. Brady Grey provides something different as a small outside midfielder to compliment the Dockers’ big bodies inside. They also picked two players over 189cm in the rookie draft. Michael Wood is a medium sized forward at 189cm and Thomas Vandeleur is a 193cm key defender. – Alex Malcolm

Tom Vandeleur is set to strengthen the Dockers' defensive stocks in 2014. Picture: AFL Media

"We've brought some young players into the club who have shown a good attitude and also have a lot of ability, who still have plenty of development left in them." – recruiting manager Stephen Wells

We say
After trading away its experienced campaigners in the trade period, the Cats had a youth focus during the 2013 draft week. Its three national draft picks – Darcy Lang, Jarrad Jansen and Jake Kolodjashnij – were based on the premise of taking the best players available. Specific needs were also addressed in the rookie draft, with James Toohey and Nick Bourke a pair of talented players brought into the fold. The Cats also continued their run of bringing in untried players, signing star junior basketballer Michael Luxford as a Category B rookie. – Ben Guthrie

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Gold Coast



They say
"We rated Louis Herbert very highly and being a draft with small numbers and not many picks, we were quite excited he got through. He's got really strong underlying athletic attributes, he's quick, got a good leap, can play forward and back. He's 19, a bit more mature and we think he's got big improvement in him. Jarred Ellis is from our academy and he's worked his way onto our list in his own right and we're excited to give him a go. He had a shoulder reconstruction and missed a lot of footy, but he's tall and athletic and versatile and his best is good enough. We just need to get some consistency in his game."  - list manager Scott Clayton

We say
A very quiet period for the Suns who have backed the list they have built over the past three years. Coach Guy McKenna wanted some more punch from his half-back line and that's exactly what he's got. Louis Herbert is another strong addition in that part of the ground, while Broadbeach product Jarred Ellis is an agile midfielder who can break the lines. It rounds out a productive off-season for the Suns who landed classy Tasmanian Kade Kolodjashnij and Sean Lemmens to further bolster their defence. Gold Coast needs to unearth some tall defenders to stand alongside Rory Thompson, and Jack Leslie fits the bill nicely. – Michael Whiting

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Greater Western Sydney



They say
“We did pick some key position players [in the NAB AFL Draft], but in our first couple of years we brought in a lot of midfielders. We also lost Josh Bruce to St Kilda over the trade period, so we needed to replace him. We think we've now got a good mix of midfielders and key position players, which will hold us in good stead for the future." – list manager Stephen Silvagni

We say
The Giants know they must start producing wins in season three, and they have put themselves in a position to be more competitive with some strong off-season signings. Lamb's selection on Wednesday was the final move in a mature-age recruiting spree that also netted Shane Mumford, Heath Shaw, Dylan Addison and Josh Hunt. Add draftees Tom Boyd and Josh Kelly and the returning Jon Patton, and put another pre-season behind the remainder of the young list, and there is reason for optimism about 2014. – Mark Macgugan
"We were unable to fit Derick Wanganeen on the primary list, but we were always keen to get him back as a rookie. Dallas (Willsmore) is an AIS graduate from this year. He had a late start to the year, but he's 191cm, he's got excellent foot skills – he's a left-footer – he marks the ball really well and he's got really good endurance. We think he's got the ability to play a high half-forward role or as a key forward. Zac (Webster) had a really good year down in Tassie playing senior football. He's versatile, he's got good speed and endurance, he tackles really well, and he's able to put a lot of pressure on in the forward half of the ground as well as going through the midfield. We've followed Ben (Ross) since he left North Melbourne. He won the Liston Medal last year, and then had a late start to this year, which showed up in his footy – he had a good back half of the year. We were keen to get a mature-age guy in who had some versatility, and he's certainly got that." – recruiting manager Graham Wright.

We say
The Hawks have reason to be pleased with their haul in the national and rookie drafts, especially given their position at the back-end of the order. Last week's draftees Billy Hartung, Dayle Garlett and James Sicily could all prove bargains, while in the rookie draft they have added a player on every line. Half-back Wanganeen should push to play senior football next year, having already spent three years on the Hawks' rookie list, and Ross will add immediate midfield depth. Willsmore and Webster will take some time to develop, and are therefore likely to spend next season at Box Hill. New Zealander Shem Tatupu has just had surgery to fix a broken bone in his foot, meaning he won't be running until January. – Mark Macgugan

Derick Wanganeen should play senior football this year after three years as a rookie. Picture: AFL Media

“Our strategy for the rookie draft was to pick the best available player in our eyes, which was James (Harmes) and we add another midfielder to the mix. We then wanted a developing tall and a mature defender and we believe Alex (Georgiou) can play senior football straight away. Neville (Jetta) has never had full pre-season and is a good character who works very hard." – recruiting manager Jason Taylor

We say
The Demons spent the trade period and the start of the draft focusing on their midfield, bringing in the likes of Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson, Daniel Cross and Christian Salem. The Demons targeted a midfielder once again with the tough and speedy James Harmes, their first rookie selection. They went tall with their selections, Max King, a 200cm ruckman/forward and added to their defensive depth with the gangly Alex Georgiou from Norwood, who former Redlegs coach Nathan Bassett says might be ready to play AFL football straight away. Neville Jetta gets another 12 months on the rookie list after five games last year and 41 in total. – Ashley Browne
"We had Luke Delaney go out, so we wanted to get a key back to replace him if we could. Joel has spent time on rookie lists at two other clubs, but he was a late starter to football, and he had injuries in his time at both Brisbane and Gold Coast. He's been really consistent since moving across to West Adelaide, playing 41 games in the last two years, as that last line defender with the capability of playing on the power forwards. Kayne Turner will be a development player. If he had been born six hours later, he wouldn't have been eligible for the draft. He's a slightly built lad, but he's unconditional in his attack on the ball. He's got very good hands, he sees the game well, and he's got a lot of speed as well. We think he can play small back, small forward and even wing." - recruiting manager Bryce Lewis

We say
The Kangaroos capped a big off-season of on- and off-field signings by taking much talked about key defender Tippett, the younger brother of Sydney Swan Kurt, along with late bolter Kayne Turner. At only 67kg, Turner will be a project player, but given the club took three players with senior state league experience at last week's NAB AFL Draft, and added mature bodies Nick Dal Santo and Robbie Nahas via free agency, it could afford to be speculative with its final pick in the rookie draft. – Mark Macgugan

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Port Adelaide



They say
"Heading into the national draft Ken (Hinkley) was wanting more small options down back and we've managed to pick up a couple of blokes to fill that need now. Sam (Russell) is another small defender who we can add to the group we brought in through the national draft. We like his competitiveness, determination and ability to run the ball out of defence. He'll help us sure up that defensive area. Sam Gray trained with us last pre-season and went away with some things to work on and we were pleased to see he did that all year. It's a really good result that we've kept one of our Magpies players in the tent. But it's also a reward for his performance because Sam has been very impressive in the SANFL all year." - recruiting manager Geoff Parker

We say
Port targeted speed in this year's draft period, identifying the need for pacey smalls that can play at either end of the ground. Jarman Impey, Darcy Byrne-Jones and Karl Amon certainly provide that. All three are versatile players who can play in either defence or through the midfield. The Power also picked up South Australian key forward Mitch Harvey. The Power selected another small running defender in the rookie draft in Sam Russell. They also re-listed ruckman Brent Renouf as well as rewarding Port Adelaide's Magarey Medal runner-up Sam Gray. International rookie Daniel Flynn from Ireland looks a promising pick-up. – Alex Malcolm

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Richmond



They say
"There was no specific focus on mature-age players – it was just the way it unfolded. Quite a few of the boys we rated went early so that was fine. We just went through how we rated the players. We think the age profile of our list is really good. I think last year we took five 18-year-olds and this year we took less, but in saying that all of our rookies had an impact last year and in taking those experienced players, we feel they can play a role. The length of the season is significant plus the intensity of footy increases each year, and having that depth enables players to perhaps get a breather at some stage, which is important come finals time. - recruiting manager Francis Jackson

We say
For the second straight year, the Tigers have largely gone for mature-age talent. Shaun Hampson, Nathan Gordon and Sam Lloyd have already been added, along with young gun Ben Lennon, and the additions of rookies Todd Banfield (pick No.11), Anthony Miles (No.27) and Matt Thomas (No.42) – all from AFL clubs – will give them greater depth after the relative success of Ricky Petterd, Troy Chaplin, Aaron Edwards and Chris Knights (before his knee injury) last year. Petterd has been promoted and Orren Stephenson is back for another rookie season, with the extra injection of experience to complement the progression of the Tigers' recent draftees. – Jennifer Phelan

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St Kilda


They say
"There was definitely a need from a player list perspective to increase the depth in our midfield and it was more broadly identified as a midfielder's draft. We were addressing some needs but were also trying to target what we believed was the stronger point within the draft. We're extremely pleased with the two months of the trade period and the draft periods. We set about with a very deliberate plan and it's a credit to everyone with how it's been executed." - head of football Chris Pelchen

We say
After a disastrous year, the Saints have done well. They pounced on hard-running Tasmanian midfielder Eli Templeton with their first pick in the rookie draft – No.3 overall – after he was surprisingly overlooked last week. Gold Coast midfielder Maverick Weller was added at No.20, after the ex-Sun impressed while training with the Saints recently, before eye-catching USA recruit Jason Holmes was confirmed as an international rookie at No.36. With Jack Billings, Luke Dunstan and Blake Acres added via the national draft – and Shane Savage brought in via the McEvoy trade – there's been a focus midfield depth after the club addressed key position needs with the recruitment of Josh Bruce, Billy Longer and Luke Delaney. – Jennifer Phelan

Eli Templeton is set to be one of the best pick-ups from the rookie draft. Picture: AFL Media

Pulling off the Lance Franklin coup makes the Swans an automatic off-season winner. They get a marquee forward that keeps them in the premiership hunt, and also helps the marketing department. While giving up Jesse White, Shane Mumford, Andreas Everitt and Jed Lamb in the process of landing Buddy, the savvy Swans seem to have covered those holes during the draft. Zak Jones can play as a small defender, George Hewitt as a midfielder, Toby Nankervis in the ruck and Aliir Aliir bounding out of defence. - Michael Whiting

“We believe we recruited strongly and expect the players we have added will have the character and work ethic required to give themselves every chance of having successful AFL careers with our club. We rated Will Maginness  highly throughout the year and were thrilled to be able to add him to our squad. We will be patient with Rowen (Powell) who is a developing tall player and a young man in whom we see great upside. Of course we know Murray (Newman) very well and have been pleased with his progress in recent months.” – football operations manager Craig Vozzo

We say
The Eagles went for home-grown players in this year's draft week. Across the national and rookie draft the Eagles selected five Western Australian players in seven picks. They also targeted midfielders who can push forward with Dom Sheed, Malcolm Karpany and Will Maginness fitting that mould. Sheed, Tom Barrass, Dylan Main and Rowen Powell all remain in Perth. Barrass and Powell are tall defenders while Main is a mid-sized forward. The Eagles also committed to re-listing troubled midfielder Murray Newman in the rookie draft. – Alex Malcolm

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Western Bulldogs



They say
The Bulldogs didn't make any selections in the rookie draft as they have kept Mark Austin, Jack Redpath, Lin Jong and Alex Greenwood as rookies for 2014. They have promoted Brett Goodes to the senior list. They didn't have a selection in the pre-season draft.

We say
The Bulldogs were happy to focus on youth at the national draft, having acquired Stewart Crameri and Sam Darley in the trade period. They snared Marcus Bontempelli, a tall midfielder who can win his own ball, with selection No.4 and competitive small forward/midfielder Mitch Honeychurch. They also collected 23-year-old Norwood premiership defender/forward Matthew Fuller at No.42, and were rapt to land Honeychurch at No.60, with the Eastern Ranges youngster to provide more midfield depth with his appetite for the contested ball. They'd be happy having landed Crameri in particular and look to have strengthened their attack further with Fuller, who kicked a famous long goal in the 2013 SANFL Grand Final. – Jennifer Phelan

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The fans' take





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