This year’s top draftees will be handed their first guernsey by a cavalcade of club greats
Jagga Smith and Lance Whitnall during the Telstra AFL Draft at Marvel Stadium, November 20, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos
CARLTON premiership player Peter Dean will present his son, Harry, with a Blues guernsey when the teenager is picked up at Wednesday night’s Telstra AFL Draft.
Harry, a tall defender, is expected to be drafted as a father-son selection as early as pick 3 in the first round of the draft.
Peter, a 1995 premiership player with the Blues, will be at Marvel Stadium to present Carlton’s new draftees with their guernseys on stage when their names are read out by AFL CEO Andrew Dillon.
Peter Dean is one of several former and current stars who will present draftees with their first jumpers in the first round of the draft.
Fourteen players have been invited to the event at Marvel Stadium in the anticipation of being drafted in the first round; Willem Duursma, Cooper Duff-Tytler, Zeke Uwland, Dylan Patterson, Sullivan Robey, Harry Dean, Dan Annable, Xavier Taylor, Sam Grlj, Jacob Farrow, Dyson Sharp, Sam Cumming, Cam Nairn and Lachy Dovaston.
West Coast is planning for star player Harley Reid, who received his Eagles jumper from Nic Naitanui when he was the No.1 pick in 2023, to do the honours, with Duursma expected to go to the Eagles at pick 1 and Duff-Tytler also set to be drafted in the top five.
Richmond, which has two top-10 picks, will have former Tigers David Astbury and Bachar Houli in the room, while former Essendon skipper Dyson Heppell will do the honours for the Bombers.
Legendary Melbourne player Hassa Mann will represent the Demons while club greats Shane Crawford (Hawthorn), Brett Kirk (Sydney) and Glenn Archer (North Melbourne) will present the jumpers if a player is drafted by their club.
Recently retired trio Oscar McInerney (Brisbane), Callan Ward (Greater Western Sydney) and David Swallow (Gold Coast) will also be on standby to present jumpers, as will Adam Treloar (Western Bulldogs) and Matthew Nicks (Adelaide).
Several clubs do not have a first-round pick so are unlikely to feature at Marvel Stadium, but AFL.com.au’s Cal Twomey is reporting Paul Licuria (Collingwood), Josh Carr (Port Adelaide) and Ross Lyon (St Kilda) will be present and do the honours if a shock pick swap is orchestrated to bring those clubs into the first round of the draft.
With just 14 players at the event and clubs like the Eagles, Suns, Tigers, Bombers and Demons set to take more than one player in the top end of the draft, many of the jumper presenters will not be required.
