Draft summary
“We had Luke Thompson rated pretty high up in the national draft, so we were happy to get him. I know he’s another versatile, key-position player and we’ve loaded up on them this year but he was just too good a player to pass up.
“We knew enough about Matthew Wright and Matthew Jaensch to pick them and I didn’t think anyone else was going to take them anyway. They were the two blokes we’d been targeting from the South Australian system over the last couple of weeks.
“They’re two of the better midfielders in the SANFL and they’ve missed out on being drafted over the last year or two for various reasons. They’ve both had a couple of good years playing in a really tough competition.”
Player comments
Selection No.17: Luke Thompson
DOB: 8/02/91, Height: 192cm, Weight: 85kg
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons/Timboon (VIC)
“Luke’s a fantastic kid. His psychological testing was as good as we’ve seen and he’ll fit in really easily. He played two years in the TAC Cup and during that time he played wing, forward and also down back. He represented Vic Country in the U18 Championships and had a fantastic contest with Western Australian Jack Darling, who is going to go in the first couple of picks next year. Luke had a shoulder operation after the championships, so he’s going to be a slow starter but his physical testing earlier in the season was outstanding.”
Selection No.33: Matthew Wright
DOB: 14/12/89, Height: 179cm, Weight: 81kg
Recruited from: North Adelaide (SA)
“Matty’s not without issues injury-wise in terms of his knee. He did his posterior cruciate ligament late in the season, but we did our homework on that. Matty had the same procedure Brad Moran had on his knee and both his surgeon and our doctor gave it the all clear. He also had a horrific head injury a few years back and the timing of it all wouldn’t have helped his case to be drafted as an 18-year-old.”
Selection No.46: Matthew Jaensch
DOB: 18/09/89, Height: 181cm, Weight: 80kg
Recruited from: Sturt (SA)
“Matt’s a midfielder but he can sneak a goal or two, which is good. He’s a beautiful kick; a good decision maker and he had a great finish to the year in the finals for Sturt. We picked all talls in the draft last year and more talls again this year, so we’re happy to get a couple of quality midfielders into the club.”
Selection No.58: Aiden Riley (NSW Scholarship player)
DOB: 13/12/91, Height: 181cm, Weight: TBA
Recruited from: Wollongong Lions (NSW)
“We saw Aiden play a bit earlier in the year. He had some injury problems, but he played enough to impress us. He played for NSW in the U18 Championships and played quite well. We brought him over to play a game in the Sturt reserves and after a slow start he was pretty good in the last three quarters. He’s a tough nut and puts his head over the ball. He’s doing pretty well. It’s been tough for him, but he’s fitted in okay.”
