GISBORNE forward Patrick McKenna was the bolter in Thursday night’s AFL National Draft with his selection by the GWS Giants at No.23.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And Bendigo Pioneer midfielder/forward Jaden McGrath is also headed interstate to start his AFL career after he was picked up by the Brisbane Lions at No.73.
McKenna has been drafted straight out of the Bendigo Football League where he played 18 games in the seniors and one in the under-18s with Gisborne this year.
The 18-year-old’s selection comes after he turned his back on a promising cricket career that included captaining the Australian under-19 team last month.
“I’m obviously stoked and looking forward to it,” an elated McKenna said.
“So far I’m happy with the decision (to quit cricket) and this is the first box ticked, but now I’ve got to have a crack at it and give it my all.
“I’ve loved playing with Gisborne in the Bendigo Football League. It’s a fantastic country league and hopefully, there will be more stories like myself that come out of it.”
McKenna kicked 45 goals in his 18 senior games for Gisborne this year, including a bag of nine against Kangaroo Flat in the final round.
It was a big night for Gisborne after midfielder Matthew Goodyear was selected by Collingwood with pick No.48.
Goodyear played this season in the TAC Cup with the Calder Cannons, but is a former Gisborne Rookies team-mate of McKenna, with the pair also having gone to school together.
Meanwhile, Kerang’s McGrath overcame an injury-interrupted 2014 season to earn his place on the Brisbane Lions’ list.
McGrath’s 2014 included a wrist injury, patella tendinitis and a hamstring tear, limiting him to six games with the Pioneers, but all that’s behind him as he prepares to join the Lions.
McGrath, 18, is a dual AIS-AFL Academy representative.
It was a nervous wait for McGrath, who was the sixth-last player taken in the draft.
Earlier, St Kilda took Geelong Falcons forward Patrick McCartin with the No.1 pick.
ALL THE PICKS:
ROUND ONE
1 – ST KILDA: Patrick McCartin, 18, Geelong Falcons, forward, 194cm, 94kg.
2 - MELBOURNE: Christian Petracca, 18, Eastern Ranges, midfielder/half-forward, 186, 92kg.
3 – MELBOURNE: Angus Brayshaw, 18, Sandringham Dragons, midfielder, 187, 86kg.
4 - GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY: Jarrod Pickett, 17m South Fremantle, midfielder/half-forward, 177cm, 74kg.
5 – COLLINGWOOD: Jordan De Goey, 18, Oakleigh Chargers, midfield/half-forward, 187cm, 82kg.
6 - GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY: Caleb Marchbank, 17, Murray Bushrangers, forward/defender, 193cm, 85kg.
7 – GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY: Paul Ahern, 18, Calder Cannons, midfielder/half-forward, 181cm, 77kg.
8 - GOLD COAST: Peter Wright, 18, Calder Cannons, ruckman/forward, 203cm, 102kg.
9 – COLLINGWOOD: Darcy Moore, 18, Oakleigh Chargers, forward/defender, 199cm, 93kg, (father/son).
10 - GEELONG: Nakia Cockatoo, 18, Northern Territory Thunder, midfielder/half-forward, 185cm, 86kg.
11 – WEST COAST EAGLES: Liam Duggan, 17, Western Jets, half-back/midfielder, 183cm, 75kg.
12 - RICHMOND: Corey Ellis, 18, Western Jets, midfielder, 185cm, 76kg.
13 – FREMANTLE: Lachlan Weller, 18, Southport/Broadbeach, midfielder, 181cm, 77kg.
14 - ADELAIDE: Jake Lever, 18, Calder Cannons, defender, 193cm, 84kg.
15 – GOLD COAST: Jarrod Garlett, 18, South Fremantle, midfielder/forward, 177cm, 73kg.
16 - NORTH MELBOURNE: Sam Durdin, 18, West Adelaide, defender/ruckman, 197cm, 87kg.
17 – ESSENDON: Kyle Langford, 17, Northern Knights, defender/forward, 190cm, 73kg.
18 - SYDNEY SWANS: Isaac Heeney, 18, Sydney Swans Academy, Cardiff NSW (father-son), midfielder, 185cm, 82kg (Academy player selection).
19 – CARLTON: Blaine Boekhorst, 21, Swan Districts, midfielder, 184cm, 69kg.
20 - ESSENDON: Jayden Laverde, 18, Western Jets, half-back/midfielder, 189cm, 82kg.
21 – ST KILDA: Hugh Goddard, 18, Geelong Falcons, forward/defender, 196cm, 94kg.
ROUND TWO
22 - ST KILDA: Daniel McKenzie, 18, Oakleigh Chargers, midfielder, 183cm, 77kg.
23 – GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY: Patrick McKenna, 18, Gisborne, forward, 186cm, 76kg.
24 - GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY: Jack Steele, 18, (GWS Academy, Belconnen), midfielder, 186cm, 82kg (Academy Player selection).
25 – NORTH MELBOURNE: Daniel Nielson, 18, Eastern Ranges, defender, 193cm, 90kg.
26 - WESTERN BULLDOGS: Toby McLean,18, Oakleigh Chargers, forward/midfielder, 179cm, 72kg.
27 – WESTERN BULLDOGS: Lukas Webb, 18, Gippsland Power, forward 186cm, 80kg.
28 - CARLTON: Dillon Vjojo-Rain, 18, Western Jets, defender/midfielder, 185cm, 80kg.
29 – GOLD COAST: Touk Miller, 18, Calder Cannons, midfielder, 177cm 80kg.
30 - COLLINGWOOD: Brayden Maynard, 18, Sandringham Dragons, defender/midfielder 186cm, 88kg.
31 – HAWTHORN: Daniel Howe, 19, Murray Bushrangers, defender, 191cm, 84kg.
32 - WEST COAST EAGLES: Tom Lamb, 18, Dandenong Stingrays, forward/midfielder, 193cm, 84kg.
33 – RICHMOND: Connor Menadue, 18, Western Jets, midfielder, 188cm, 69kg.
34 - FREMANTLE: Connor Blakely, 18, Swan Districts, midfiedler, 186cm, 81kg.
35 – ADELAIDE: Harrison Wigg, 18, North Adelaide, defender, 179cm 74kg.
36 - NORTH MELBOURNE: Ed Vickers-Willis, 18, Sandringham Dragons, defender, 190cm, 82kg.
37 – SYDNEY SWANS: James Rose, 18, Sturt, forward, 186cm, 78kg.
38 - SYDNEY SWANS: Jack Hiscox, 19, Sydney Swans Academy/Sydney University, midfielder, 184cm, 74kg (Academy player selection).
39 – WESTERN BULLDOGS: Declan Hamilton, 18, Port Adelaide, forward, 183cm, 68kg.
40 - MELBOURNE: Alex Neal-Bullen, 18, Glenelg, midfielder 182cm, 77kg.
ROUND THREE
41 – ST KILDA: Jack Lonie, 18, Dandenong Stingrays, forward, 174cm, 67kg.
42 - MELBOURNE: Billy Stretch, 18 Glenelg (father-son) midfiedler, 180cm, 69kg.
43 – ADELAIDE: Mitch McGovern, 20, Claremont forward 191cm , 84kg.
44 - BRISBANE LIONS: Liam Dawson, 18 Aspley, Queensland, Brisbane Lions Academy, defender/midfielder 188cm, 81kg (Academy player selection).
45 – WESTERN BULLDOGS: Bailey Dale, 18, Dandenong Stingrays,, forward, 182cm, 70kg.
46 - WESTERN BULLDOGS: Caleb Daniel, 18, South Adelaide, midfielder/forward, 167cm, 68kg.
47 – GEELONG: Cory Gregson, 18, Glenelg, forward, 175cm 72kg.
48 - COLLINGWOOD: Matthew Goodyear, 18, Calder Cannons, Gisborne, midfielder, 185cm, 77kg.
49 – HAWTHORN: Teia Miles, 18, Geelong Falcons, midfielder/defender 179cm 68kg.
50 - HAWTHORN: Marc Pittonet, 18, Oakleigh Chargers, ruckman, 201cm, 100kg.
51 – WEST COAST EAGLES: Jackson Nelson, 18, Geelong Falcons, defender/midfielder, 187cm, 81kg.
52 - RICHMOND: Nathan Drummond, 19, Murray Bushrangers, midfielder, 181cm, 85kg.
53 – MELBOURNE: Oscar McDonald,18, North Ballarat Rebels, defender, 196cm, 84kg.
54 - FREMANTLE: Ed Langdon, 18, Sandringham Dragons, forward, 182cm, 72kg.
55 – GEELONG: Dean Gore, 18, Sturt, midfielder, 183cm, 86kg.
56 - PORT ADELAIDE: Dougal Howard, 18, Murray Bushrangers, forward, 195cm, 88kg.
57 – SYDNEY SWANS: pass.
58 - ADELAIDE: Harry Dear, 18, Sandringham Dragons, ruckman/forward, 197cm, 98kg.
ROUND FOUR
59 – GEELONG: Jordan Cunico, 18, Gippsland Power, midfielder, 184cm, 72kg.
60 - CARLTON: Clem Smith 18, Perth, defender/midfielder, 177cm, 77kg.
61 – BRISBANE LIONS: Harris Andrews, 17, Aspley, Queensland, Brisbane Lions Academy, defender/ruckman, 198cm, 91kg.
62 - WESTERN BULLDOGS: Zaine Cordy, 18, Geelong Falcons, defender, 192cm, 80kg, (father/son).
63 – CARLTON: Jayden Foster, 19 Calder Cannons, forward, 194cm, 91kg.
64 - GOLD COAST: passed.
65 – BRISBANE LIONS: Josh Watts, 18, Glenorchy, defender, 194cm, 75kg.
66 - WEST COAST EAGLES: Damien Cavka, 18, Calder Cannons, midfielder/half-back, 184cm, 79kg.
67 – RICHMOND: Daniel Butler, 18, North Ballarat Rebels, forward, 181cm, 79kg.
68 - FREMANTLE: Josh Deluca-Cardillo, 18, Subiaco, midfielder/forward, 179cm, 80kg.
69 – PORT ADELAIDE: Logan Austin, 19, Belconnen, defender, 194cm, 86kg.
70 - SYDNEY SWANS: Abaina Davis, 18, UNSW-Easts, NSW/Sydney Swans Academy, forward/defender, 193cm, 86kg (Academy player selection).
ROUND FIVE
71 – CARLTON: passed.
72 - GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY: passed.
73 – BRISBANE LIONS: Jaden McGrath, 18, Bendigo Pioneers, Kerang, midfielder/forward, 179cm, 73kg.
74 - GOLD COAST: passed.
75 – COLLINWOOD: passed.
76 - WEST COAST EAGLES: Alec Waterman, 18, Claremont, midfielder, 183cm, 89kg, (father-son).
77 – RICHMOND: Reece McKenzie, 18, Northern Knights, forward/ruckman, 196cm, 100kg.
78 - PORT ADELAIDE: Jesse Palmer, 18, North Ballarat Rebels, forward, 188cm, 81kg.
79 – SYDNEY SWANS: passed.
ROUND SIX
80 - GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY: passed.
81 – BRISBANE LIONS: Josh McGuinness, 19, Lauderdale, defender, 189cm, 72kg.
82 - CARLTON: passed.
83 – RICHMOND: passed.
84 - PORT ADELAIDE: Billy Frampton, 18, South Fremantle, ruckman, 199cm, 85kg.
ROUND SEVEN
85 – GREATERN WESTERN SYDNEY: passed.
86 - BRISBANE LIONS: passed.
87 – CARLTON: passed.