Four exciting young prospects have delivered the Cats a fantastic result at the 2017 AFL Draft.
The Cats selected Lachlan Fogarty at pick 22, Tim Kelly at 24, Charlie Constable at 36 and Gryan Miers at 57. The selections saw the Cats pick up a pair of under 18 All Australians, a hard bodied 23 year old and an elusive goal kicker. All four can play midfield and forward.
Fogarty won All Australian honours and finished as runner up in the Western Jets best & fairest. A creative and brave midfielder, Fogarty averaged 19 possessions at the under 18 national championship and he is a good decision maker with good hand and foot skills.
Kelly was runner up in the WAFL’s Sandover medal. Kelly is a mature 23 year old who was one of South Fremantle’s best players. He has played 93 games at WAFL level, and is playing his best football over the past two years. Kelly averaged 26 possessions a game in 2017 and has a great goal sense.
Constable earned All Australian under 18 honours as a tall midfielder who can swing forward or back. He has strong ball skills and is hard to beat in a one on one contest. Constable averaged 26 possessions a game at the under 18 national championships.
Miers booted 50 goals for the Geelong Falcons in their TAC Cup premiership season, including seven in the grand final win over Sandringham. Miers is a small forward with good goal sense. He represented Vic Country at the under 18 national titles. Miers was named as best on ground in the TAC Cup grand final.
“At each selection there were a number of players we rated highly,” Stephen Wells said.
“We think these players all had very good years and helped their clubs have success, and think they will step in and help us.
"Lachy had a fantastic season and earned All Australian honours at the national championships as a midfielder. Tim is an experienced player with close to 100 senior games under his belt. Like Sam Menegola and Tom Stewart, we think he will have an impact at our club.
“Charlie also had a very good year and has some improvement in him. Gryan showed in the TAC Cup grand final that he has the ability to step up in big games.”
The Cats will finalise their list at Monday's pre-season and rookie drafts.