Draftees get First Taste of the Big Show

The JLT Community Series provides the platform for clubs to let their new players have their first taste of professional sport. The Adelaide Crows and Greater Western Sydney Giants had their final kick-out before the season starts at Manuka Oval in Canberra, giving new draftees the opportunity to take the field.

All 18 AFL clubs took part in the AFL Draft combine in November where young rising stars of the sport are signed by teams as well as clubs promoting players from their ‘rookie lists’. The Draft works by taking the ladder from the previous season and flipping that upside down and each club picking player in that order. Apart from this when players are traded during the trade period future draft picks can also be traded which also affects the order of the draft.

With the 14th draft pick, The Giants selected Jackson Hately.  Hately was a nice pick up for the Giants needing to boulster their midfield stocks, Hately is a tall and strong bodied midfielder that can play both midfield and across the half-forward line. Hately was named an All-Australian at last year’s U/18 state championships. Hately was lively through patches for the Giants midfield picking up 12 disposals serving up a solid performance for this time of the year.

Another draftee able to provide some midfield minutes is number 11 draft pick Jye Caldwell. Caldwell only played through the second half of the match and picked up eight touches playing up forward and through the midfield but will be able to provide plenty of x-factor in the season ahead. Unfortunately for Giants fans, developing big man Matthew Flynn wasn’t able to provide much up forward for the men in orange only touching the footy seven times, and will need to improve if he wants to gain his debut this season after three years on the Giants’ list.

The Crows went into the match up with close to their best side going into Round 1 and only had one new face from last year’s draft in their line-up, number nine draft pick Chayce Jones. Jones was the U/18 Captain of Tasmania during last year’s state championships. Jones was able to show a lot of potential and will be pushing for a Round 1 selection with a tackle on Adam Tomlinson leading to one of his two goals.

Magnificent from Chayce Jones!

The young gun is putting his hand up for a round one debut. #JLTSeries pic.twitter.com/PCGSvH9FhF

— AFL (@AFL) March 8, 2019

Jones will have a tough time trying to crack this Adeliade side with a lot of dominant small forwards such as Eddie Betts, Riley Knight and Richard Douglas. Jones will have to hope for a bit of luck and fortune to get a consistent run of games in the AFL this season.

Chance Jones will be looking to see his name appear for a debut appearance in Round 1 of the season, where Adelaide play Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval, Saturday 23rd March at 4:05pm. Likewise Jackson Hately, Jye Caldwell and Matthew Flynn will all be pushing for their first game against  Essendon at Sydney Showground Stadium, Sunday 24th March at 3:20pm.