North Melbourne following their unsuccessful Nick Murray trade bid<\/a>. <\/p>\nEast Perth interceptor Jake Soutar\u2019s breakout WAFL season culminated in an impressive WA state combine, clocking a 6 min 32-second 2km time trial and a 8.048-second agility run. <\/p>\n
Soutar presents as a ready-made key defender for clubs in the back-half of the draft and has been interviewed by 14 clubs. <\/p>\n
It is understood North Melbourne is one of three clubs that have had repeat interviews with Soutar, who averaged 16 disposals, nine intercepts and four intercept marks as East Perth\u2019s best-and-fairest winner. <\/p>\n
The Roos were unable to prise Murray from Adelaide during the trade period, but holds picks 33 and 49 in this year\u2019s draft, which are right in Soutar\u2019s range. <\/p>\n
North Melbourne list manager Brady Rawlings said on Wednesday night that the Roos would consider key defensive options through the draft and pre-season supplementary period. <\/p>\n
The leaping 190 centimetre defender told this masthead at the WA combine last Saturday he is \u201creally hungry and desperate\u201d to be drafted. <\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely think I can perform at the level,\u201d Soutar said. <\/p>\n
\u201c(In my draft year), I don\u2019t think I was as mature and professional as these 18-year-old boys are, having trained with them the last couple of weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it took me a while to mature and find my feet. I got a push from the senior boys at the club, and it\u2019s put me in the position that I am now.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Nick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792119138_944_421a9c9ee9add884a191d5f8505e6334.jpeg\")
THE FIRST-ROUND BOLTER WITH PLENTY OF FANS <\/p>\n
A first-round draft bolter is continuing to win over clubs as a highly versatile player who has also interviewed well with a laid-back and bubbly personality. <\/p>\n
Sandringham Dragons product Lochie Burrows met 15 clubs at the national draft combine earlier this month, with recruiters being left impressed after their 20 minute chats. <\/p>\n
Burrows started the season as a midfielder-forward, which had always been his position through junior football. <\/p>\n
However, an unexpected switch to halfback ahead of Vic Metro\u2019s under-18 national championships campaign proved a turning point in Burrows\u2019 season and saw him rocket up draft board. <\/p>\n
Burrows\u2019 first game in defence came in Vic Metro\u2019s trial match against Vic Country before the championships in early June, where he racked up 22 disposals, nine marks and eight rebound 50s. <\/p>\n
\u201cI got told I was playing backline on the Thursday before the Saturday game,\u201d Burrows said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d never played backline before. So, they just chucked me back there and see how it went, but it ended up going quite well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t sure about it because we\u2019d gone through a couple of trainings and I always trained as a midfielder, so I was ready for that and more prepared for that. So going into the backline was definitely a weird feeling, just not knowing exactly what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burrows is combative defensively, but also boasts strong running power and speed on counter-attack. <\/p>\n
\u201cI look at different strengths of people\u2019s games,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like looking at like Sam Durham\u2019s toughness or like Jason Horne-Francis\u2019s power as he runs through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burrows has told clubs he is happy to play at either end, with opinions on his best spot still split. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty weird, because some of them (clubs) think I\u2019m that more mid-forward, some of them think I\u2019m more just a small forward and some think I\u2019m a back,\u201d Burrows said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt more depends wherever the team needs you.\u201d<\/p>\n
HOW DOGS PLAN TO LAND NGA FORWARD<\/p>\n
The Western Bulldogs believe they still have the \u201cflexibility\u201d to shift draft picks as they search for enough points to match a bid on Next Generation Academy forward Khaled El Souki.<\/p>\n
The trade for Zak Butters left the Dogs short on draft selections and a pick swap with the Brisbane Lions on Wednesday only went some of the way to accumulating enough points for El Souki. <\/p>\n
The Bulldogs gained picks 42 and 53 from the Lions in exchange for a second-round pick in 2027, but those two selections are only worth 230 points. <\/p>\n
If El Souki was to attract a bid at pick 25, the Dogs would require 590 points to match it. <\/p>\n
However, the Bulldogs still hold their own first-round pick for 2027 as well as a second-round pick tied to Port Adelaide. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith the future hand that we have, we\u2019re able to read, react and understand what\u2019s happening on draft night and even in the upcoming pick-swap period where we might be able to position ourselves to match Khaled,\u201d Western Bulldogs Player Acquisition and Strategy Manager Michael Regan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve still got a great deal of flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
A 176cm livewire forward from the Western Jets, El Souki kicked 40 goals from 14 games in the Talent League this year. <\/p>\n
He also booted three majors after receiving a late call-up to Footscray\u2019s VFL side for a round 20 debut against North Melbourne.<\/p>\n
El Souki met with eight clubs during the national draft combine earlier this month. <\/p>\n
ACADEMY GUN WANTS TO GROW WESTERN SYDNEY FOOTY<\/p>\n
Prized GWS academy prospect Ethan Matthews is determined to grow footy in western Sydney as the Giants edged closer to securing the potential top-10 selection during the trade period. <\/p>\n
The Giants finished the home-and-away season with picks 7 and 30, but strengthened their draft hand by executing trades with Carlton and Brisbane, which led to them seizing the Lions\u2019 pick 20. <\/p>\n
With the Giants\u2019 12th-placed finish giving them a 10 per cent bidding discount, picks nine (1377 draft value index points) and 20 (787) allow them to match a bid as high as pick two (worth 2488 points) for the game-breaking midfielder while going into draft deficit. <\/p>\n
A rare Giants Academy product from western Sydney, GWS had unsuccessfully appealed to the AFL midway through the year to list Matthews outside the bidding process, something Matthews described as \u201cpretty cool\u201d. <\/p>\n
The Ingleburn and South West Sydney prospect, who was sidelined in the back-half of the season with a foot injury, has at least a dozen clubs across the year, which came as a surprise to him. <\/p>\n
Speaking at the draft combine earlier this month, Matthews said rival clubs had quizzed him about potential bids. <\/p>\n
\u201cClubs are hypothetical,\u201d Matthews explained. <\/p>\n
\u2018If we were to bid on you\u2019, and clubs have said that academy bids haven\u2019t stopped us in the past, we\u2019ve bidded on people in the past. <\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t lie to you and say I don\u2019t want to go to the Giants. I\u2019ve been there since I was 12 and being able to build western Sydney footy and still be out there and head down to local games often and go to training would be really cool. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo just being around this area would be super cool and playing for the Giants would be amazing. But if it\u2019s someone else, that\u2019s fine too. I\u2019m a little bit nervous, but at the end of the day, it is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Giants have signalled their intent to Matthews, a diehard Collingwood fan through his Melbourne-born father, without making promises.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been very optimistic and they\u2019ve said to me, \u2018they\u2019ll do anything they can to get me\u2019, and they\u2019re really keen on me,\u201d Matthews said. <\/p>\n
\u201cObviously Giants would be ideal, but playing AFL footy at the end of the day is playing AFL footy.\u201d <\/p>\n
Such is the dearth of football numbers in the region, Matthews and his mates have been incentivised with \u201csigning bonuses\u201d to recruit talents from other sports. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been given signing bonuses for going and getting kids. Dad will give you 20 bucks and get him across from basketball,\u201d Matthews chuckled. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s what you\u2019ve got to do. You don\u2019t have the luxury of all the numbers as you would in Melbourne. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s been good to see it develop, and it\u2019s definitely something I\u2019m passionate about and would want to keep pursuing and bringing more numbers to the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all intertwined. It builds western Sydney footy. So the more people coming out to the Giants means the more people are watching the game, and the more people starting to play.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While player movement has now stopped, clubs can still wheel and deal draft picks. Here\u2019s the latest Draft…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":929770,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[496489,496465,437700,496462,427202,496424,400523,13808,26137,496436,55611,496480,496490,496434,496422,496448,256328,89838,414460,136952,146155,28327,26455,495704,43158,125575,379283,376963,377450,496482,418626,436932,496421,379096,376490,496449,378100,496494,496431,496451,496464,496426,496438,2687,469985,420856,496442,496479,496488,496425,479133,64,63,211606,42192,496473,23816,496492,2474,496430,15832,159812,496445,496496,495688,496443,391899,496466,310020,210890,8852,56960,233142,6854,50643,496475,391934,253532,67651,29602,496452,496435,647,496463,496427,496481,496446,479135,235081,155207,496433,496493,61822,42257,6855,496474,15498,496437,6622,496487,496428,496484,496485,488560,496491,19453,66801,496440,1917,3252,46677,6082,496497,496459,496429,122788,6858,479134,74473,7134,365330,28331,457605,307673,496468,386434,85,496454,670,19023,2801,496478,496469,496455,42204,400744,496476,496444,496450,194493,446752,496447,496477,381004,382205,385675,284650,495687,419736,410080,377453,496441,496458,48148,496439,377511,496470,495636,377191,387328,380148,382332,378354,469801,413311,377486,387322,376521,446751,395547,496456,452791,496453,378969,496460,496457,493678,496483,199184,364611,495425,488583,496495,496461,496471,1133,80055,496472,41313,496432,496486,496467,496423],"class_list":["post-929769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-s-back-up-plan-after-failed-murray-bid","tag-s-benji-russell","tag-s-draft","tag-s-draft-pool","tag-s-first","tag-s-louis-salopek-and","tag-s-national-draft","tag-13808","tag-26137","tag-11-and-13","tag-55611","tag-17-clubs","tag-17-futures","tag-17-futures-game","tag-196cm-key-defender-clancy-snell","tag-1990-collingwood-premiership-player-mick-gayfer","tag-256328","tag-89838","tag-414460","tag-136952","tag-146155","tag-28327","tag-26455","tag-7-and-12","tag-43158","tag-125575","tag-a-bid","tag-a-bit","tag-a-chance","tag-a-good-indication","tag-a-good-look","tag-a-key","tag-a-late-season-vfl-debut","tag-a-little","tag-a-number","tag-a-possible-back-up-plan","tag-a-range","tag-a-ready-made-option","tag-a-running-player","tag-a-second-top-five-pick","tag-a-small-points-deficit","tag-a-western-australian-mature-age-defender","tag-academy-midfielder-ethan-matthews","tag-access","tag-afl-grand-final-day","tag-all-eyes","tag-all-the-latest-2026-afl-draft-news","tag-all-the-picks","tag-an-athletic-194cm","tag-an-interesting-part","tag-angus-brown","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-axel-walsh","tag-baxter-sruk","tag-brisbane-lions-academy-member-jackson-bridge","tag-clubs","tag-daicos-and-co","tag-dogs","tag-draft-intel","tag-draft-picks","tag-eighth","tag-either-end","tag-essendon-father-son-koby-bewick","tag-father-son","tag-fellow-tasmanian","tag-five-weeks","tag-fourth-round-picks","tag-greater-western-sydney","tag-griffin-barker","tag-hand","tag-hands","tag-hartley","tag-hawthorn","tag-illness","tag-its-first-round-pick","tag-its-own","tag-jake-miller","tag-last-month","tag-links","tag-list-boss-justin-leppitsch","tag-max-gulliver","tag-melbourne","tag-midfield-runners","tag-more-draft-news","tag-more-picks","tag-murray-back-up","tag-nate-jenkins","tag-next-month","tag-next-year","tag-nga-prospect-dougie-cochrane","tag-nga-prospect-zemes-pilot-draft-picks","tag-nick-daicos","tag-nick-murray","tag-north-melbourne","tag-november-19-and-20","tag-options","tag-other-top-talents","tag-part","tag-pick-1","tag-pick-22","tag-pick-5","tag-pick-6","tag-pick-8","tag-pick-9","tag-picks","tag-pies","tag-pies-give-clues-around-top-pick-collingwood","tag-plans","tag-player-movement","tag-plenty","tag-port-adelaide","tag-port-adelaide-father-son-louis-salopek","tag-port-adelaide-father-son-percy-burgoyne","tag-port-adelaide-nga-prospect-zemes-pilot","tag-possession","tag-richmond","tag-riley-stratford","tag-roos","tag-sale","tag-sam-gayfer","tag-second","tag-seven-players","tag-sixth","tag-some-sound-reasoning","tag-some-talent","tag-sports","tag-steed","tag-sydney","tag-talent","tag-tasmania","tag-tasmania-access","tag-tasmanian-star-jake-beams","tag-team-mitchell","tag-tevita-rodan","tag-that-match","tag-the-2km-time-trial","tag-the-46","tag-the-46-players","tag-the-academy","tag-the-afl-trade-period","tag-the-agility-test","tag-the-best-on-ground-medal","tag-the-board","tag-the-club","tag-the-devils","tag-the-draft","tag-the-draft-combine","tag-the-dust","tag-the-farm","tag-the-field","tag-the-first-13-picks","tag-the-first-46-picks","tag-the-giants","tag-the-gippsland-power-interceptor","tag-the-ground","tag-the-latest-draft-intel","tag-the-latest-intel","tag-the-lead","tag-the-magpies","tag-the-match","tag-the-mix","tag-the-morning","tag-the-nephew","tag-the-next-wave","tag-the-night","tag-the-pies","tag-the-power","tag-the-roos","tag-the-surface","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