WEST Coast has put its faith in skilful Victorian forward Ryan Maric to help fast-track its rebuild after snaring the Gippsland Power product with pick No.1 in Wednesday's AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft. 

The 18th-placed Eagles held the first selection in the mid-season intake for the second consecutive season, giving Maric his first AFL opportunity after the 18-year-old's rapid emergence this season.

He was one of 13 players given a mid-season opportunity, with former Collingwood wingman Caleb Poulter and ex-Geelong midfielder Quinton Narkle given second chances at the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide respectively.

Poulter, who was delisted at the end of last season after 12 senior games, has been under the Bulldogs' noses as part of the Footscray VFL program, averaging 16.9 disposals in eight games on the wing. 

Narkle, meanwhile, has relaunched his AFL career after 41 games with the Cats, joining Essendon's VFL program this season and averaging 20.3 disposals in nine games. 

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Sydney's approach was one of the storylines of the night, opting for mature-age key-position players Harry Arnold, from Brisbane's VFL team, and Claremont goalkicker Jack Buller, with the hope that both can play roles this season. 

North Melbourne, meanwhile, swooped on Subiaco small forward Robert Hansen jnr with pick No.2 to disappoint several clubs with early picks who had been eyeing off the dynamic WAFL gun. 

Greater Western Sydney, meanwhile, had two selections in the draft but passed on both after their preferred options were taken off the board.

Regarded by many recruiters as the best talent available in the group of overlooked players from last year's national draft, Maric is the fourth player in three years to join the Eagles via a mid-season selection. 

A serious knee injury to last year's No.1 pick, Jai Culley, opened up a list spot for the decimated Eagles, who took the opportunity to add a player they believe can play a significant role in their rebuild. 

"It means a lot," an emotional Maric told AFL.com.au after joining the Eagles. "I’ve dreamed about this for a while, but to finally get read out, it hasn't really felt real until now."

Maric has undergone a physical transformation in the past two years after weighing 107kg and deciding he needed to slim down for his own wellbeing. 

The Drouin forward, who models his game on Melbourne premiership goalkicker Bayley Fritsch and Geelong superstar Jeremy Cameron, now weighs 83kg, with his hard work making an AFL berth possible. 

He caught the attention of AFL recruiters with a four-goal performance in round one this season against the Murray Bushrangers.  

The 193cm forward made his VFL debut a fortnight ago and has kicked two goals in each of his two games with Box Hill, with his penetrating kicking a feature of his play. 

Given the Eagles' ongoing injury issues, Maric is considered a good chance to feature at AFL level this season. 

West Coast drew criticism for not seeking avenues to add more selections in Wednesday's intake by moving long-term injured players to the inactive list. 

Culley, however, was the only player who qualified under AFL rules with a genuine season-ending injury, with the Eagles hoping to regain a group of injured stars before the end of the campaign. 

North Melbourne opted for Hansen jnr at pick No.2 after an impressive patch of WAFL form, with Hawthorn then snaring 204cm Eastern Ranges ruckman Clay Tucker at pick No.3. 

Richmond looked to the SANFL at pick No.4 to add Glenelg small forward Matt Coulthard before Greater Western Sydney passed on its selection. 

Sydney looked to address its decimated key position stocks at pick No.6 by adding 194cm defender Arnold from Brisbane's VFL program, with the 24-year-old arriving after some excellent lockdown and intercepting roles with the Lions. 

Geelong opted for mature-age SANFL ball-winner Mitch Hardie at pick No.7, with Fremantle then selecting 19-year-old Box Hill wingman Ethan Stanley and Essendon adding Perth tall forward Jaiden Hunter. 

The Bulldogs and Power then rounded out the first round by adding former AFL-listed players Poulter and Narkle respectively as the only recycled players selected on Wednesday. 

Hawthorn, Richmond and Sydney all took two selections on the night, with the Hawks launching the second round by adding 200cm key forward Brandon Ryan from the Northern Bullants. 

The Tigers opted for versatile defender James Trezise at pick No.13 before the Giants passed again with the second selection.

Claremont key forward Buller was the final pick, landing at Sydney with selection No.15 after some standout WAFL performances with the Tigers.  

Seven clubs chose not to open list spots for Wednesday's draft, with Collingwood, Brisbane, Melbourne, St Kilda, Adelaide, Gold Coast and Carlton all on the sidelines.

2023 AFL MID-SEASON DRAFT

First round

1. West Coast - Ryan Maric (Gippsland Power/Drouin)
2. North Melbourne - Robert Hansen jnr (Subiaco/Mines Rovers)
3. Hawthorn - Clay Tucker (Eastern Ranges/Rowville Hawks)
4. Richmond - Matt Coulthard (Glenelg/Port Noarlunga)
5. Greater Western Sydney - Pass
6. Sydney - Harry Arnold (Brisbane VFL/Broadbeach)
7. Geelong - Mitch Hardie (Woodville-West Torrens/Leeton Whitton)
8. Fremantle - Ethan Stanley (Box Hill Hawks/Frankston YCW)
9. Essendon - Jaiden Hunter (Perth/Applecross)
10. Western Bulldogs - Caleb Poulter (Footscray/Ardrossan)
11. Port Adelaide - Quinton Narkle (Essendon VFL/Maddington)

Second round

12. Hawthorn - Brandon Ryan (Northern Bullants/Maribyrnong Park)
13. Richmond - James Trezise (Richmond VFL/Tooradin-Dalmore)
14. Greater Western Sydney - Pass
15. Sydney - Jack Buller (Claremont/Cottesloe)