A quarter of state league level draft prospects were picked up by AFL clubs on night two of this year's talent intake, with Collingwood, Brisbane, Fremantle and Sydney each adding a more experienced name to their ranks.
The Magpies swooped on Sturt midfielder Angus Anderson with Pick 57 following his starring role in the Double Blues' run to this year's SANFL premiership.
Anderson claimed best-afield honours in Sturt's win over Glenelg, capping off a breakout year in his third campaign in South Australia, having originally developed as a member of Sydney's Academy.
The 22-year-old also represented the Allies at the 2022 U18s National Championships, featuring alongside the likes of Ryley Sanders, Jed Walter, Jaspa Fletcher, Seth Campbell and Lachie Cowan, and would also appear for Sydney's VFL outfit on seven occasions that year.
Since his draft season, Anderson has managed to add versatility to his game, featuring as a viable outside or forward option after proving to be a strong inside ball winner.
That change, as well as the growth in his fitness at the state league level, caught the eye of Collingwood's recruiters, who made their move for the Sturt star this week.
"He's done it the hard way," Magpies national recruitment manager Shane O'Bree said of Anderson.
"When you go back and watch his footy as an under-18 kid in the Sydney Academy, he's a big boy and tough, but what he's done over the journey he's got a lot fitter.
Best on Ground in a SANFL Premiership, 190cm tall, 22-years-old and a big bodied midfielder! 😤
Enjoy watching the best of our newest Magpie, Angus Anderson: pic.twitter.com/i4nME1s6uu
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) November 20, 2025
"Watching him play at this year's grand final for Sturt, he was clearly the best on ground. He's got a lot of attributes we feel that, when we get him into a full-time program, he's only going to improve.
"He's adapted to different positions too. As a junior he was just purely an inside mid, but over the last two years he's been able to play on the wing, half-forward and deep forward as well.
"He's going to be a midfielder for us, but we can see him playing different roles as well."
Following the selection of Latrelle Pickett by Melbourne at Pick 12 on night one, Geelong VFL midfield-forward Tobyn Murray was the next earliest mature-ager picked in this year's draft, joining Fremantle as the 40th overall selection.
The lively prospect has been on the radar of AFL clubs for 18 months, emerging as a potential Mid-Season Draft option last year.
Murray returned to the Cats' VFL program this year after stints with the Geelong Falcons, the Young Guns and local club Colac, even appearing in a reserves game in May that year.
His form throughout this year piqued the interest of the Dockers, who "really took notice and tracked him pretty closely" after a five-goal display against GWS.
"We've followed him for a couple of years back in his Falcons days," Dockers list manager David Walls said. "He was probably more of a midfielder when he was playing at the Falcons.
"He had a solid year last year in the VFL and really took his game to another level his year playing more of that mid-forward role.
"He had a couple of breakout games, one against GWS where he kicked five. That's when we really took notice and tracked him pretty closely.
"He's improved year on year, and we feel threre's a role there at AFL level with his running capacity and ability to get up and down the ground.
"With a good pre-season, he'll give himself a chance (for Round 1). He's powerfully built. Physically, he'll be capable, and if he can have a good summer, then there's a role there for him."
Tai Hayes pounces on the footy and goals it!
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— VFL / VFLW (@VFL) April 19, 2025
Murray wasn't the only VFL talent to be taken in the AFL Draft, with tall Southport wingman Tai Hayes - nephew of St Kilda champion Lenny - recruited to Brisbane with Pick 44.
This year saw Hayes play his first season at the state league level, and impressed with his work rate and damage as a flanker.
His rise with the Sharks was what impressed the Lions most, with the reigning premiers opting for the 21-year-old with their fourth and final pick in the AFL Draft.
"How quickly he developed in one year in the VFL (caught our attention)," Lions recruiter Stephen Conole said of Hayes.
"A local Queensland boy, he plays a role on the wing, which we don't have a super amount of depth on.
"He gets up and down the wing so naturally. He works full-time, so getting him into a full-time AFL environment, we see some real potential in that role for us."
Known for their interest in adding mature-aged talent through the National Draft, Sydney moved on Norwood midfielder Billy Cootee with Pick 42, adding to their 2024 picks of Werribee's Riley Bice and Melbourne NGA talent Riak Andrew last year.
Cootee was a leading piece in the Redlegs' strong 2025 SANFL season, averaging 22.8 disposals, 5.2 tackles and 4.9 clearances, and kicked 24 goals from his 21 outings this year.
Billy Cootee with the Redlegs first 💪 pic.twitter.com/HiXEqd5cdv
— SANFL (@SANFL) September 14, 2025
He ended his campaign in stellar form, with a 22-disposal, two-goal effort coming in a preliminary final loss to Glenelg to see him average 25.4 disposals and 1.8 goals per game in his final eight matches of the year.
"It's a good story. He had a crack in the VFL a couple of years ago with Essendon and then went over to South Australia to pursue some SANFL footy," Swans list lead Chris Keane said of Cootee.
"He finally gets to live out his dream and get drafted. He's played some really good footy for Norwood this year as a mid. We like his fast feet getting out of traffic, neat ball use. We think he can play around the square, high half-forward, but maybe pinch hit inside.
"He's a great character, a ripping person, and we're chuffed to bring him into the footy club.
"We feel like at that part of the draft, it's good to balance your list out with a more mature-aged option if you can, given that we're bringing five or six 18-year-old kids through the draft."
Friday's Rookie Draft looms as another mechanism for clubs to add mature talent to their lists, while the Supplemental Selection Period will open on Monday, giving sides the ability to list train-on players for the pre-season programs.
