Another three Gippsland Power players have been drafted on night two of the AFL National Draft for 2019. Sale’s Charlie Comben and Moe duo Brock Smith and Leo Connolly joined Caleb Serong and Sam Flanders as the 2019 Gippsland draftees. Night two featured the second round of picks through to the end of the national draft with Leo Connolly being selected with pick 64, the penultimate pick of the national draft. It has been an amazing year for Power and the region with five players making it onto AFL lists so far after Sam Flanders and Caleb Serong were selcted in the top 11 picks on night one.
Above: Brock Smith with coach Lachlan Sim accepting the 2017 Under 16's premiership cup. Three players from that side have been drafted already in 2019.
All five players have played their Under 16’s and Under 18’s club football in the Gippsland League. The five selections in the national draft is the regions largest since the 2005 super draft which saw Xavier Ellis, Dale Thomas, Scott Pendlebury, Jay Neagle and Trent West all selected, with four of those players going on to win senior AFL premierships. Other years since 2000 where five players selected from Gippsland in the combined national, rookie and pre season drafts include; 2015 (J Dunkley, H McKay, B McKay, S Skinner, T Papley, A Tipungwuti), 2011 (S Docherty, C Smith, J Tynan, D Butcher, J Staley ) ,2009 (J Butcher, K Stevens, N Vardy, M Golby, J Weston), 2008 ( C Heath, N Heyne, J Blair, B Connolly, T Francis) and 2002 (B Goddard, J Winderlich, S Dempster, M Ferguson, N Greenwood)
Above: 2005 was a bumper year for Gippsland with Collingwood premiership players Scott Pendlebury and Dale Thomas among th crop of draftees
Sale’s ruckman Charlie Comben was the first to go on night two when he was selected with the 31st pick by North Melbourne. Comben played his junior football at College Junior Football Club in the Sale & District Junior Football Association before moving into the Sale senior club in 2016. Comben last played in the Thirds final series in 2018 where he kicked multiple goals in both the Magpies finals.
Above: Comben kicks one of his two goals in the 2018 Under 18's semi final at Morwell
Two picks later and former Moe junior captain and current Gippsland Power captain Brock Smith was off to join the Lions. Brisbane selected smith with their pick 33 in the draft where he will join fellow Moe boy Sam Skinner who the Lions have reportedly committed to redraft for 2020. Smith was the Lions 2017 Under 16 premiership captain as he led the undefeated side from which three players have been selected in the 2019 national draft. He made his senior debut in round 14 2017 and went on to feature in Moe’s senior finals campaign that year.
Above: Smith in action during the 2017 senior elimination final against Morwell
With the second last pick in the national draft the St Kilda Saints selected Leo Connolly. The Moe junior that hails from Trafalgar finished off the year with Power with a bang to shoot his name back into draft contention. Connolly is the third player from the Moe 2017 Under 16’s premiership side to be selected in the national draft. He made his senior debut in round 5 2018 against the reigning premiers Leongatha. Connolly moved to Moe in 2016 to play in the Gippsland League after playing his entire junior career with Trafalgar Football Club. Connolly is a gifted sportsman and still plays cricket with Trafalgar where he won the A Grade League batting average in 2018/19 and made 87 not out in his last A Grade match two weeks ago.
Above: Connolly during his senior debut against Leongatha in 2018
The draft continues today where the pre-season draft and rookie draft will take place. Gippsland still has a few names in contention with the likes of Riley Baldi, Fraser Phillips and Harry Pepper still with a chance to get picked up.
Last Modified on 29/11/2019 11:15