Believe the hype: dazzling debuts remind us the AFL future comes fast

The Guardian

16-03-2025

The high-end draft talent assembled over the weekend sounded like a band of Irish rebels on the Ballarat goldfields – Sam Lalor, Sid Draper, Finn O'Sullivan and Murphy Reid. The experts said it was an unusually hot draft, and the pick of them all delivered in round one.
Reid was named the Victorian metro team's most valuable player last year but surprisingly slipped to No 17 in the draft. On Friday, never averse to hyping up young talent, the West Australian newspaper gave us '40 things you need to know about Murphy Reid'. It included such phlegmatic insights as 'nickname is Bruce', 'plays golf' and 'is elusive'.
The Fremantle debutant was certainly that for six minutes on Saturday, conjuring four goals out of thin air and giving the Dockers some real momentum heading into the last change. But Geelong quickly snuffed that out. 'Reid it and Weep,' was the paper's back page the following day, a neat way of capturing the brief glimmer of hope on an otherwise dirty day.
O'Sullivan is best friends with Lalor, who made a huge impression in his first game on Thursday night. North Melbourne great Keith Greig presented O'Sullivan with his jumper when he was drafted. When Greig won consecutive Brownlow medals in the mid 1970s, he was earning just $30 a game but O'Sullivan will be in clover thanks to the astronomical money that's now flowing into the game. The Kangaroos have selected midfielders in the top five of every draft since 2020, but as is coach Alastair Clarkson's way, he eased his latest prized draftee into senior footy across half-back, where O'Sullivan acquitted himself well.
Several years ago, Adelaide drafted a young defender, Fischer McAsey. He was the highest draft selection in the history of the club, and he was seen as a future leader. But he didn't really want to be a professional footballer. In the press release announcing his retirement, the Crows described him as 'versatile tall Fischer McAsey.'
It put a lot of pressure on everyone involved with drafting Draper, an even higher selection than McAsey at pick No 4. He's an Adelaide local and had already played senior SANFL football. His agility, his ability to spin out of trouble and his versality and vim make him the ideal addition to what has been a vanilla midfield. Draper started as the sub against St Kilda but did some nice things once given his chance and already looks a safe bet.
MAKE THAT FOUR IN FOUR MINUTES FOR THE DEBUTANT 🤯Murphy Reid, remember the name 🌟#AFLCatsFreo pic.twitter.com/ksRYPKBFqp
Isaac Kako played in all the same representative teams and carnivals as these young men. But he and his family have trodden a very different track than most coming through the system these days. Kako's dad was in the Iraqi Army for a decade, an unenviable task at that point of history.
Kako's first goal for Essendon was a soccer volley just as he was being crunched by new Hawthorn defender Tom Barrass, who's about 25 times the size of the small forward. I sometimes look at these little fellows and think, 'you're going to get killed out there'. But they tend to be the ones with the least fear and self-doubt. Kako is exactly what Essendon's been missing – both emotionally and structurally - a player for the fans to love but also someone reliable in one of the most important roles in the modern game.
Brisbane's latest father-son selection, Levi Ashcroft, also had a dazzling debut on Saturday, and went through all the same junior pathways with the highly-touted Jagga Smith. On draft night last year, as with most clubs, there seemed to be about 100 people crammed into Carlton's Situation Room - from the coach, to the chief executive, to the scouts, to the random interlopers in navy blue polo tops. The Blues gave up a lot to secure Smith. But they considered him the pick of the bunch. His game was so assured, so neat, so perfectly suited to what Carlton's crying out for – speed, poise, leadership.
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There's an old adage in horseracing – the faster the horse, the more likely they are to blow a tendon. Thankfully, ACLs in humans don't tear according to talent. I know someone who ruptured one while decorating a Christmas tree. But Smith's injury, like new teammate Sam Docherty's in the opening round last year, was shattering for the player, for the club, and for anyone wanting to see the best athletes out there.
More debutants took their turn, with Matthew Jefferson booting a goal 15 seconds into Melbourne's game against GWS and Jack Henderson dribbling his first a few minutes later. But not all have come through the traditional pathways. Sam Davidson is 23 years old and has completed five years of a medical degree, with the mandatory placements in hospitals all over country Victoria. He's doing a PhD part-time on paediatric health and both his mum and brother are paediatricians. A mad Western Bulldogs supporter growing up, he watched the 2016 premiership on toes in the standing room section.
Davidson too kicked his first goal on Saturday night. Not surprisingly, they call him 'Doc'. It sure beats 'Bruce'.