Lachy Dovaston and Xavier Taylor are hoping they can stick together after Wednesday night’s draft
Lachy Dovaston (left) and Xavier Taylor (right) during a Telstra AFL Draft Media Opportunity at Marvel Stadium, November 18, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
LACHY Dovaston plays with swagger and a mullet, has been likened to Nick Watson and couldn’t think of anything better than buzzing around Essendon’s forward line with Isaac Kako.
If the small forward has his way, he’ll have best mate Xavier Taylor at the Bombers with him next year too.
Speedy Dovaston, 18, is the premier small forward in this year’s draft and Essendon list boss Matt Rosa is expected to trade for Carlton’s top pick to add him to their swag.
An Eastern Ranges product like Hawthorn dynamo Watson, Dovaston is eyeing off forming his own attacking partnership with exciting young Bomber Kako.
“Been pretty close with Kako the last two years,” Dovaston said.
“I tagged him, I think two years ago in a game.
“But I saw him the other day, obviously at the Hangar, and yeah, that’d be pretty special to play alongside him.”
When asked how the Kako tag went, Dovaston quipped: “I was just his handbag for the day.”
The young gun already has his eyes set on round one and winning over his new team’s fans.
“I play with bit of swagger and bit of confidence, which I think is good,” he said.
Dovaston, Taylor and fellow top prospect Sullivan Robey, who is expected to end up at Richmond, all toured Essendon last week.
It’s got Taylor and Dovaston daring to dream of landing at the same spot.
“We’ve been talking about it a little bit,” Dovaston said.
“I don’t think we thought it was really realistic, but you never know.”
Taylor, a Richmond fan who models his game on Nick Vlastuin, would love to help the Tigers surge.
But the 18-year-old is also excited by the prospect of the Bombers turning things around.
“It’d be good to go with a few mates and even to a big club like Essendon, that would be a big dream of mine,” Taylor said.
