The AFL National Draft will commence on Wednesday and Thursday nights while the Rookie and Pre-Season Drafts go live on Friday, where almost 1000 names will be hoping to hear their own called upon during the football recruitment firestorm.
Of the 985 nominees throwing their arms up for the 2025 AFL Draft, 23 hail from the Goulburn Valley region.
Big-bodied Shepparton United product Riley Onley shapes as the region’s main hope to be taken in the draft, slated to go anywhere in the potential 30-50 range.
And, while Onley is the GV’s best hope at gaining a spot on an AFL club’s list, stranger things have happened than an outside hope’s dreams being realised during the bevy of bids.
Perhaps the best example of a “smokie” success story is Dane Swan, who was taken by Collingwood at pick 58 in the 2001 AFL Draft and went on to win a Brownlow Medal 10 years later.
Closer to home, Benalla export Tom Rockliff went from an unassuming Murray Bushrangers medium forward to a ball-winning AFL midfielder who played more than 200 games in the top flight, a far cry from his projection after being snapped up at pick five in the 2009 Pre-Season Draft by Brisbane.
This week is set to be a football lottery, so here are the GV locals who have bought a ticket and nominated themselves for the draft.
AFL Draft nominees - Goulburn Valley products
Jamaron Atkinson (Rumbalara), Mac Calleja (Mooroopna), Jye Chalcraft (Shepparton United/Swan Districts) Boston Dowling (Collingwood VFL/Shepparton), Jensen Dowling (Shepparton United), Kade Dwyer (Shepparton Swans), Tom Evans (Echuca), Mitch Grumley (Shepparton Swans), Darby Jones (Echuca), Harry Mahoney (Mansfield), Max Mahoney (Mansfield), Zavier Maher (Shepparton United/North Adelaide), Jack Marks (Mansfield), Harry Moon (Numurkah), Riley Onley (Shepparton United), Cohen Paul (Euroa), Liam Prior (Shepparton Swans), Logan Prout (Echuca/Carlton), Caden Ratcliffe (Mooroopna), Angus Scoble (Kyabram), Oliver Warburton (Shepparton Swans/Carlton), Archie Watt (Kyabram), Nathan Wright (Benalla)
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