A PAIR of Western Jets saw their football dreams become a reality tonight when their names were read out at the 2012 NAB AFL National Draft on the Gold Coast.
A bolter in the second half of the year, mercurial forward Spencer White was taken by St Kilda at pick 25, while midfielder Lachlan Hunter went to the Western Bulldogs under the pre-determined father-son bidding system.
And, in a third piece of good news for the Jets, former player Majak Daw was elevated on to North Melbourne’s primary list after serving his development with the Werribee Tigers in the Victorian Football League.
White, 18, has all the attributes to succeed as a forward at the top level: a clean pair of hands, a nice goal sense and a huge vertical leap.
White is one of three players from the Spotswood Football Club in the Western Region Football League who will play in the big league next season.
The others are household names in Callan Ward and Bachar Houli.
Check out what former Jets coach Steven Kretiuk had to say about White in our pre-draft special.
Meanwhile, the Western Bulldogs are chuffed with their five selections and two rookie elevations.
HOW DO YOU THINK THE BULLDOGS FARED? Post a comment below.
The Dogs opted to stay close to home with all the fresh faces coming from Victoria.
Jake Stringer, a powerfully-built forward out of the Bendigo Pioneers, was claimed by the Bulldogs with their prized fifth selection.
The 18-year-old is a bull-at-a-gate type footballer, hard to bring down in a tackle, strong in the one-on-one contest and not afraid to lay a solid tackle of his own.
One selection later, the Bulldogs used their GWS compensation pick on Jackson Macrae, a smooth moving midfielder out of the Oakleigh Chargers.
Macrae, 18, represented Vic Metro at the national championships and showed that he can hit a target with a kicking efficiency of 78% from an average of 19.4 disposals at the national carnival.
He also stood out with six goals in a game against Tasmania.
The Bulldogs added to their in-and-under stocks, calling out Northern Knights captain Nathan Hrovat with pick 21.
Hrovat has been compared to Hawthorn onballer Sam Mitchell and his stats at the national championships only serve to fuel the fire.
The 18 year old averaged 25.5 disposals, 10 of which were contested, and 4.4 clearances to be Vic Metro’s most valuable player at the national titles and earn All Australian honours.
Hunter was next to go with the father-son selection.
A member of local TAC Cup club Western Jets, Hunter is an unassuming midfielder who can win his own ball and has an eye for goal, which makes him tremendously versatile.
Josh Prudden was the last player selected by the Bulldogs before they passed on pick 84 and surrendered their last two choices on rookie elevations Tom Campbell and Jason Johannisen.
Prudden was a draft smokey – a gem in the words of Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney – at pick 50.
The 18 year old time-shared between the Murray Bushrangers in the TAC Cup, Assumption College in the school system and Seymour in the Goulburn Valley Football League.
A highlights package on the Bulldogs website suggests a player with elite kicking ability, clean hands at ground level and and a cheeky sidestep.
HOW DO YOU THINK THE BULLDOGS FARED? Post a comment below.
