The Roar
The Roar

2024 AFL Draft

Sam Lalor of the GWV Rebels speaks with media during an AFL Draft Media Opportunity at AFL House on November 19, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The 2025 AFL Draft began on Wednesday, November 20 and concluded on Thursday, November 21.

Night one saw the first round of draft picks selected, with night two featuring all other selections, while the rookie and pre-season drafts will take place on Friday, November 22.

Sam Lalor was selected by Richmond with Pick 1 in the draft.

Check out the full draft order here.

2024 AFL National Draft order

Round 1

Pick Club Player
1 Richmond Sam Lalor
2 North Melbourne Finn O’Sullivan
3 Carlton Jagga Smith
4 Adelaide Sid Draper
5 Brisbane Levi Ashcroft
6 Melbourne Harvey Langford
7 Richmond Josh Smillie
8 St Kilda Tobie Travaglia
9 Gold Coast Leo Lombard
10 St Kilda Alix Tauru
11 Melbourne Xavier Lindsay
12 Richmond Taj Hotton
13 Essendon Isaac Kako
14 Richmond Jonty Faull
15 Port Adelaide Joe Berry
16 West Coast Bo Allan
17 Fremantle Murphy Reid
18 GWS Oliver Hannaford
19 GWS Harrison Oliver
20 Western Bulldogs Cooper Hynes
21 Richmond Luke Trainor
22 Sydney Jesse Dattoli
23 Richmond Harry Armstrong
24 GWS Cody Angove
25 Brisbane Sam Marshall
26 Sydney Ned Bowman
27 North Melbourne Matt Whitlock

Round 2

Pick Club Player
28 Richmond Thomas Sims
29 Western Bulldogs Lachie Jaques
30 West Coast Jobe Shanahan
31 Western Bulldogs Josh Dolan
32 St Kilda James Barrat
33 Port Adelaide Jack Whitlock
34 Fremantle Charlie Nicholls
35 Hawthorn Noah Mraz
36 GWS Jack Ough
37 Essendon Kayle Gerreyn
38 Port Adelaide Christian Moraes
39 Essendon Angus Clarke
40 Carlton Harry O’Farrell

Round 3

Pick Club Player
41 Sydney Riley Bice
42 Brisbane Ty Gallop
43 Carlton Ben Camporeale
44 Geelong Jay Polkinghorne
45 St Kilda Hugh Boxshall
46 West Coast Tom Gross
47 Collingwood Joel Cochran
48 West Coast Lucca Grego
49 Gold Coast Cooper Bell
50 Collingwood Charlie West
51 Western Bulldogs Sam Davidson
52 Geelong Jacob Molier
53 St Kilda Alexander Dodson
54 Carlton Lucas Camporeale
55 Sydney Riak Andrew
56 Collingwood Will Hayes

Round 4 onwards

Pick Club Player
57 North Melbourne Luke Urquhart
58 Richmond Jasper Alger
59 Adelaide Tyler Welsh
60 St Kilda Patrick Said
61 Essendon Rhys Unwin
62 Western Bulldogs Luke Kennedy
63 Fremantle Jaren Carr
64 Hawthorn Cody Anderson
65 West Coast Hamish Davis
66 Geelong Lennox Hofmann
67 North Melbourne River Stevens
68 Melbourne Aidan Johnson
69 Geelong Keighton Matofai-Forbes
70 Essendon Zak Johnson
71 GWS Logan Smith

National Draft Picks by club

Adelaide 4, 59
Brisbane 5, 25, 42
Carlton 3, 40, 43, 54
Collingwood 47, 50, 56
Essendon 13, 37, 39, 61, 70
Fremantle 17, 34, 63
Geelong 44, 52, 66, 69
Gold Coast 9, 49
GWS 18, 19, 24, 36, 71
Hawthorn 35, 64
Melbourne 6, 11, 68
North Melbourne 2, 27, 57, 67
Port Adelaide 15, 33, 38
Richmond 1, 7, 12, 14, 21, 23, 28, 58
St Kilda 8, 10, 32, 45, 53, 60
Sydney 22, 26, 41, 55
West Coast 16, 30, 46, 48, 65
Western Bulldogs 20, 29, 31, 51, 62

2023 AFL Rookie Draft order

Round 1

Pick Club Player
1 West Coast Loch Rawlinson
2 North Melbourne Finnbar Maley
3 Hawthorn Cooper Stephens*
4 Gold Coast Sam Clohesy
5 Fremantle Odin Jones
6 Richmond Pass
7 Geelong Emerson Jeka
8 Essendon Vigo Visentini
9 Adelaide Will Hamill*
10 Western Bulldogs Lachie McNeil*
11 Sydney Sam Reid*
12 Melbourne Jake Melksham*
13 Port Adelaide Xavier Walsh
14 GWS Adam Kennedy*
15 Carlton Matt Carroll
16 Collingwood Pass

Round 2

Pick Club Player
17 North Melbourne Pass
18 Gold Coast Will Rowlands
19 Fremantle Pass
20 Adelaide James Borlase*
21 Western Bulldogs Taylor Duryea*
22 Melbourne Kynan Brown
23 Collingwood Pass

Round 3

Pick Club Player
24 Gold Coast Jack Mahony
25 Western Bulldogs Pass
26 Melbourne Pass
27 Collingwood Pass

Round 4

Pick Club Player
28 Gold Coast Pass

Round 5

Pick Club Player
29 Gold Coast Pass

* Delisted and re-drafted as a rookie

2023 AFL Pre-Season Draft order

Pick Club Player
1 Hawthorn Chad Wingard*
2 Gold Coast Sam Day*
3 St Kilda Riley Bonner

* Delisted and re-drafted

History
Back in its VFL days, the national draft was introduced in 1981, allowing the Victorian teams to acquire interstate players depending on where they finished on the ladder.

It has since been expanded to include players from all locations, and is now the primary source of new talent for every AFL club.

The draft order is determined each year by awarding the clubs their draft picks in reverse finishing order – the club that finished last receives the first pick, and so on.

However, these picks can then change hands during the trade period and the final draft order is often quite different to the original one released after the end of the season.

After originally being held in 1981 and 1982, the draft was then not held again until 1986, but has been held in some form every year since.

For much of its early history, it was held in Victoria each year, but in recent times it has regularly been held interstate.

The draft was brought to the Gold Coast for the 2010 event, then to Sydney for 2011, and then returned to Gold Coast for several years, before being moved to Adelaide in 2015 and to Sydney again in 2016, and was then shifted around the country during the COVID years.

The draft has returned to Melbourne for 2022 and 2023.

The No.1 draft pick is always a prized possession, though clubs have gotten smarter about using it in modern times than they were in the past.

1987 No.1 pick Richard Lounder, for example, only ever played four games for his club, Richmond. But in recent times No.1 picks like Nick Riewoldt, Luke Hodge and Adam Cooney have won premierships, Brownlows, and become legends of the game.

In the table below is every No.1 draft pick in VFL/AFL history, from 1981 onwards.

Draft Player Selected by Recruited from
1981 Alan Johnson Melbourne Perth (WAFL)
1982 Andrew Purser Footscray East Fremantle (WAFL)
1986 Martin Leslie Brisbane Bears Port Adelaide Magpies (SANFL)
1987 Richard Lounder Richmond Central District (SANFL)
1988 Alex McDonald Hawthorn Ballarat YCW (Ballarat League)
1989 Anthony Banik Richmond Won Wron Woodside (Alberton League)
1990 Stephen Hooper Geelong East Perth (WAFL)
1991 John Hutton Brisbane Bears Claremont (WAFL)
1992 Drew Banfield West Coast Eagles Subiaco (WAFL)
1993 Darren Gaspar Sydney South Fremantle (WAFL)
1994 Jeff White Fremantle Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup)
1995 Clive Waterhouse Fremantle Port Adelaide Magpies (SANFL)
1996 Michael Gardiner West Coast Eagles Claremont (WAFL)
1997 Travis Johnstone Melbourne Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup)
1998 Des Headland Brisbane Lions Subiaco (WAFL)
1999 Josh Fraser Collingwood Murray Bushrangers (TAC Cup)
2000 Nick Riewoldt St Kilda Southport Sharks (QAFL)
2001 Luke Hodge Hawthorn Geelong Falcons (TAC Cup)
2002 Brendon Goddard St Kilda Gippsland Power (TAC Cup)
2003 Adam Cooney Western Bulldogs West Adelaide (SANFL)
2004 Brett Deledio Richmond Murray Bushrangers (TAC Cup)
2005 Marc Murphy Carlton Oakleigh Chargers (TAC Cup)
2006 Bryce Gibbs Carlton Glenelg (SANFL)
2007 Matthew Kreuzer Carlton Northern Knights (SANFL)
2008 Jack Watts Melbourne Sandringham Dragons (TAC Cup)
2009 Tom Scully Melbourne Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup)
2010 David Swallow Gold Coast Suns East Fremantle (WAFL)
2011 Jonathon Patton GWS Giants Eastern Ranges (TAC Cup)
2012 Lachie Whitfield GWS Giants Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup)
2013 Tom Boyd GWS Giants Eastern Ranges (TAC Cup)
2014 Paddy McCartin St Kilda Geelong Falcons (TAC Cup)
2015 Jacob Weitering Carlton Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup)
2016 Andrew McGrath Essendon Sandringham Dragons (TAC Cup)
2017 Cam Rayner Brisbane Lions Western Jets (TAC Cup)
2018 Sam Walsh Carlton Geelong Falcons (TAC Cup)
2019 Matt Rowell Gold Coast Suns Oakleigh Chargers (NAB League)
2020 Jamarra Ugle-Hagan Western Bulldogs Oakleigh Chargers (NAB League)
2021 Jason Horne-Francis North Melbourne South Adelaide (SANFL)
2022 Aaron Cadman GWS Giants GWV Rebels (NAB League)
2023 Harley Reid West Coast Eagles Bendigo Pioneers (Talent League)
2024 Sam Lalor Richmond GWV Rebels (Talent League)

More AFL content