A TOTAL of 83 new players were selected by AFL clubs as part of the 2021 NAB AFL National, Rookie and Pre-Season Drafts.
Despite a second year of football affected by COVID-19, more than 860 draft nominations were received from players in every state and territory with players selected from across the country and included international representation from Ireland.
>> SCROLL TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR DRAFTEES PLAYED THEIR JUNIOR FOOTY
Players were selected from every state and territory across Australia with two international players selected from Ireland.
Victoria Metro - 28 players
Victoria Country - 17 players
Western Australia - 16 players
South Australia - 13 players
Northern Territory - 3 players
New South Wales - 1 player
ACT - 1 player
Queensland - 1 player
Tasmania - 1 player
International - 2 players
A total of eight First Nations players were selected, headlined by the 11th overall pick Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (St Kilda). Jesse Motlop (Carlton), Arthur Jones (Western Bulldogs), Marcus Windhager (St Kilda), Eric Benning (Fremantle), Jase Burgoyne (Port Adelaide), Jack Peris (St Kilda) and Josiah Kyle (St Kilda) join AFL lists in 2022.
In a historic moment for the AFL, three players with African origins were selected in the first round after Mac Andrew (Gold Coast) was picked up with selection five, Neil Erasmus (Fremantle) with selection 10 and mature-age Leek Aleer (Greater Western Sydney) with selection 15.
DRAGONS ON FIRE Sandringham leads NAB League's draft charge
With the selection of Domanic Akuei (Carlton) in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft, he became the third Australian player of Sudanese descent to be joining an AFL list in 2022 after Mac Andrew (Gold Coast) and Leek Aleer (GWS).
Carlton was the last team to enter the draft when it selected Motlop with pick No.27, but that was nowhere near as late as West Coast's draft entry point in 2020 when it came in with pick 52. Coincidentally, the year before that, St Kilda's first draft pick was 52, and Hawthorn also entered the draft with pick 52 in 2018.
2021 NAB AFL DRAFT
- NTH Jason Horne-Francis - Christie Beach FC
- WBD Sam Darcy - Glen Iris FC / Scotch College
- GWS Finn Callaghan - Mordialloc-Braeside / St. Bede's College
- COL Nicholas Daicos - Kew Rovers
- GCS Mac Andrew - Berwick FC / St. Joseph’s Ferntree Gully
- ADE Joshua Rachele - Shepparton Swans / Caulfield Grammar
- HAW Joshua Ward - Fitzroy JFC / Melbourne Grammar
- FRE Jye Amiss - Bussellton FC
- RIC Joshua Gibcus - Eastpoint FC / St. Pat’s College
- FRE Neil Erasmus - Sorrento-Duncraig FC / Hale
- STK Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera - Marion FC
- POR Joshua Sinn - East Brighton JFC / Old Xavierians
- ESS Benjamin Hobbs - Horsham Demons FC / Ballarat Clarendon College
- WCE Campbell Chesser - Lavington Panthers FC / Melbourne Grammar
- GWS Leek Aleer - Central Districts, SANFL
- BRI Darcy Wilmot - Montmorency FC / Hazelglen College
- RIC Tom Brown - Mooroopna FC / Geelong Grammar
- SYD Angus Sheldrick - Mosman Park JFC / Christ Church Grammar
- MEL Jacob Van Rooyen - Claremont, WAFL
- BRI Kai Lohmann - Lake Wendoree FC / St Pats
- FRE Matthew Johnson - North Beaches JFC
- NTH Josh Goater - Sunbury FC / Sunbury College
- HAW Sam Butler - Lake Wendoree FC / St. Pat's College
- GEE Toby Conway - St. Mary’s FC / Geelong Grammar
- GEE Mitchell Knevitt - Grovedale FC / Grovedale College
- HAW Connor Macdonald - Doveton FC / Haileybury College
- CAR Jesse Motlop - South Coogee JFC / Aquinas College
- RIC Tyler Sonsie - Lysterfield JFC / Rowville FC
- RIC Samuel Banks - Clarence FC
- RIC Judson Clarke - East Ringwood FC / Yarra Valley Grammar
- WCE Brady Hough - Harvey FC
- GEE James Willis - Ingle Farm FC/ The Heights School
- STK Mitchito Owens - Beaumaris FC / Mentone Grammar
- SYD Matthew Roberts - Langhorne Creek FC/ St. Peters College
- NTH Paul Curtis - Melton South FNC / Keilor FC
- ADE Jake Soligo - Lysterfield JFC / Dromana FC
- WCE Rhett Bazzo - Guilford Grammar
- NTH Miller Bergman - Berwick FC / Mazenod College
- MEL Blake Howes - Mordialloc-Braeside / Parkdale FC / St. Bede's
- SYD Corey Warner - Willetton JFC / Aquinas College
- BRI James Tunstill - Bussellton JFC / Bunbury Grammar School
- GWS Joshua Fahey - Queanbeyan FC
- WBD Arthur Jones - Claremont
- ADE Zac Taylor - Oak Park / Penola Catholic College
- COL Arlo Draper - Willunga FC
- ESS Alastair Lord - Norwood
- STK Marcus Windhager - Beaumaris FC / Haileybury College
- GEE Flynn Kroeger - Eastern Ranges
- COL Cooper Murley - Tea Tree Gully FC
- ESS Garrett Mcdonagh - Richmond
- STK Oscar Adams - South Gambier FC-Mount Gambier
- COL Harvey Harrison - Tyndale Christian College
- HAW Jai Serong - Warragul FC / Geelong Grammar
- FRE Eric Benning - Waringarri Crows
- POR Hugh Jackson - Crystal Brook FC
- POR Dante Visentini - Xavier College
- WCE Jack Williams - Rossmoyne FC
- SYD Lachlan Rankin - Beverley Hills JFC / Caulfield Grammar
- NTH Jackson Archer - Northern Knights
- POR Jase Burgoyne - Woodville-West Torrens, SANFL
- WBD Luke Cleary - Beaumaris FC
- WCE Greg Clark - Subiaco
- GCS Charlie Constable - Geelong Cats
- GEE Cooper Whyte - Grovedale FC / Grovedale College
- MEL Taj Woewodin - Booragoon JFC/Coorparoo JAFC-QAFL
2021 NAB AFL PRE-SEASON DRAFT
3. Gold Coast Rory Thompson - Gold Coast
4. Adelaide Luke Nankervis - Sandringham Dragons
2021 NAB AFL ROOKIE DRAFT - Pre-Selected Category B Rookies
INTERNATIONAL
Hawthorn Fionn O'Hara - Westmeath County
Geelong Oisin Mullin - Mayo
NGA, ACADEMY, QUEENSLAND& NSW BASED ZONE
Carlton Domanic Akuei - Northern Knights
Melbourne Andy Moniz-Wakefield - NT Thunder
St Kilda Josiah Kyle - Dandenong Stingrays
St Kilda Jack Peris - Sandringham Dragons
Western Bulldogs Cody Raak - Western Jets
2021 NAB AFL ROOKIE DRAFT
1. North Melbourne Jared Polec - North Melbourne
2. Collingwood Charlie Dean - Williamstown
3. Gold Coast Levi Casboult - Carlton
4. Adelaide Ben Davis - Adelaide
5. Hawthorn Ned Long - Northern Knights
6. Carlton Lochie O'Brien - Carlton
7. Richmond Bigoa Nyuon - Richmond
8. Fremantle Karl Worner - Oakleigh Chargers
9. St Kilda Pass
10. West Coast Pass
11. Essendon Patrick Voss - Oakleigh Chargers
12. Sydney Lewis Taylor - Sydney
13. GWS Cooper Hamilton - Bendigo Pioneers
14. Brisbane Cameron Yolmen - Brisbane
15. Geelong Oliver Dempsey - Old Carey Grammarians
16. Port Adelaide Trent Dumont - North Melbourne
17. Western Bulldogs Charlie Parker - Sturt
18. Melbourne Judd Mcvee - East Fremantle
19. North Melbourne Pass
20. Collingwood Isaac Chugg - Collingwood
21. Gold Coast Jez Mclennan - Gold Coast
22. Hawthorn Pass
23. Carlton Matthew Cottrell - Carlton
24. Fremantle Mitchell Crowden - Fremantle
25. St Kilda Pass
26. Essendon Pass
27. Sydney Pass
28. Greater Western Sydney Jacob Wehr – Greater Western Sydney
29. Geelong Pass
30. Port Adelaide Sam Mayes - Port Adelaide
31. Western Bulldogs Robbie McComb - Footscray Bulldogs
32. Gold Coast Pass
33. Fremantle Connor Blakely - Fremantle
34. Essendon Pass
35. Gold Coast Sandy Brock - Peel Thunder
36. Gold Coast Bodhi Uwland - Broadbeach AFC
