Take a closer look at the trades and bids that were matched on the opening night of the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft
Zeke Uwland, Willem Duursma and Harry Dean at the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft. Pictures: AFL Photos
WEST Coast did its best Oprah Winfrey impression on the opening night of the Telstra AFL Draft on Wednesday.
However, rather than handing out cars to everyone in the audience like the famed American television host, the Eagles were placing bids on players tied to opposition clubs like they were going out of fashion.
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In fact, West Coast tried on four separate occasions inside the first 20 selections to lure players from elsewhere, but were thwarted at every turn.
Gold Coast matched bids on Academy graduates Zeke Uwland (No.2), Jai Murray (No.18) and Beau Addinsall (No.19), while Carlton also matched father-son Harry Dean at No.3.
The Eagles were always going to shape the draft with the first two selections, taking Willem Duursma at No.1, making the Suns and Blues match their moves for Uwland and Dean respectively before selecting Cooper Duff-Tytler with its next live pick at No.4.
Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson pose after being selected by Gold Coast in the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft at Marvel Stadium. Picture: Getty Images
They weren’t done yet though.
With another selection at their disposal midway through the first round, West Coast did a trade with the night’s other big movers, Hawthorn, to move up the order.
Moving out a future second round pick to the Hawks, the Eagles moved up a spot from 18 to 17 in the hope of putting the squeeze on the Suns.
They first bid on Murray, which Gold Coast matched, and then immediately went again on rugged midfielder Addinsall, in the hopes the Suns might be low on points after already snapping up Uwland and Dylan Patterson (No.5) earlier in the night.
The masters of points accrual had done enough though, leaving West Coast to grab Geelong Falcons defender Josh Lindsay at No.20.
The Hawks clearly had a plan entering the night, skipping a few spots forward in the first round courtesy of an early trade with Brisbane that cost them a future second rounder.
Then, when it was their turn to select at No.14, Greater Western Sydney came knocking for a trade.
The Giants probably have long memories, because it seemed more than coincidental they bid on crosstown rival Sydney’s Academy graduate Harry Kyle, much in the same nature as the Swans had bid on Harry Rowston at an almost identical spot of the 2022 draft.
The Hawks decided to slide one more pick when the Eagles offered up a future second, before they eventually took South Australian forward Cam Nairn.
The total of Hawthorn’s trading was essentially filling their 2026 stocking with second round selections from West Coast (tied to St Kilda) and GWS, while giving up its own third-round pick.
While all Academy players, and Dean as the only father-son, were matched in the top 20, two players didn’t get to their ‘home’ club on night one.
After snapping up Kyle, Sydney did not match the Western Bulldogs’ bid placed on half-back Lachie Carmichael at No.21.
The Swans Academy graduate was the Allies’ MVP during the national under-18 championships earlier this year.
And then on the final pick of the evening (No.25), tough Essendon Next Generation Academy midfielder Adam Sweid was taken by Fremantle after the Bombers opted not to match.
