The Gold Coast SUNS have added four new players to the clubs list at Tuesday night's National Draft, acquiring highly rated West Australian midfielder/forward Callum Ah Chee, Victorian ball magnet Brayden Fiorini, West Australian endurance animal Josh Schoenfeld and Tasmanian mature-aged midfielder Mackenzie Willis.
“I think it’s a really good mix of players. When you take into consideration who we traded in and just this whole process during this period’s been really exciting. Clearly we made some big changes and we’re proud of that - we’ve stuck together. This is the last bit of that with four really quality selections that we’re very pleased with." GC SUNS List Manager - Scott Clayton
Pick No. 8 - Callum Ah Chee (South Fremantle)
The Gold Coast SUNS have selected prodigious talent Callum Ah Chee with selection No. 8 in Tuesday night's National Draft at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
The highly rated midfielder/forward represented Western Australia in the under/18 national carnival and has been the standout prospect in the west for quite some time.
Ah Chee becomes the second player from his family to be drafted by an AFL club, following in the footsteps of his brother Brendon who was drafted by Port Adelaide in 2011 and debuted for the Power this season.
The 18-year-old joins fellow South Fremantle products Jarrod Garlett and Brandon Matera at Metricon Stadium. He played six of the final seven league games in the WAFL across half forward, demonstrating his ability at senior level against bigger bodies.
Despite standing only 182cm, Ah Chee is renowned for his overhead marking, with his aerial exploits a clear strength of his game. He made headlines early in the season after taking a breathtaking grab on the MCG whilst representing the NAB AFL Academy against the Northern Blues.
Poised under pressure and polished with execution, Ah Chee is also one of the quickest players in this years draft class, having run a 2.88 second 20m sprint at October’s NAB AFL Draft Combine.
Gold Coast bid for Greater Western Sydney academy product Jacob Hopper with selection No. 7, before the Giants matched the SUNS bid, shuffling Gold Coast's first selection from No. 6 to No. 8, following Sydney's acadmey selection of Callum Mills at No. 3.
Pick No. 20 - Brayden Fiorini (Northern Knights)
Gold Coast has chosen Victorian midfielder Brayden Fiorini with the clubs second selection – No. 20 – in Tuesday nights NAB AFL National Draft.
A ball magnet at TAC Cup level with the Northern Knights, Fiorini is a balanced onballer having moved from a wing to an inside midfield role during the second half of 2015.
Fiorini played every game of his bottom-aged year, but really emerged this season after adding more strings to his bow with his inside grunt work around the stoppages.
The 18-year-old represented Vic Metro in three matches at the under 18 national championships and played 11 matches in the TAC Cup, averaging 30 possessions at a disposal efficiency rate of 76 per cent.
Gold Coast's second pick shuffled down the order from No. 16 to No. 20 following a handful of academy bids.
Pick No. 34 - Joshua Schoenfeld (Peel Thunder)
The Gold Coast SUNS have recruited endurance beast Josh Schoenfeld with selection No. 34 in the NAB AFL National Draft.
Schoenfeld played four games for Western Australian in the under 18 national championships and is an outside midfield with clean skills.
The Peel Thunder product broke the 3km time trial record at the Draft Combine with a 9:15 effort at Etihad Stadium, as well as recording a stunning 16.1 beep test.
The 18-year-old’s development has blossomed in the last 12 months, with his decision making under pressure and aerobic capacity seeing him leap up the draft charts in 2015.
Pick No. 52 - Mackenzie Willis (Kingborough)
Gold Coast has selected mature-aged recruit Mackenzie Willis at pick No. 52 with the SUNS final selection in the 2015 National Draft.
Willis enjoyed a stunning season in Tasmania, winning team of the year honours on the wing, as well as selection for the state team that played against the NEAFL and the Kingborough best and fairest.
The versatile utility debuted at senior level in the apple isle at just 15 and was this year named vice-captain of the Tigers in the TSL, highlighting his leadership capabilities.
Willis can play a variety of roles, having been used as an inside midfielder and as a quarterback defender throught the 2015 campaign.