The latest batch of GIANTS have been added to the list with six players selected in the NAB AFL Draft.
Four players were selected in the top 20 including three players from the GIANTS Academy.
Midfielders Tim Taranto (pick 2) and Will Setterfield (pick 5), defenders Harry Perryman (pick 14) and Isaac Cumming (pick 20), athletic forward Lachlan Tiziani (pick 54) and mature midfielder Matt De Boer (pick 58) are now officially GIANTS players.
18-year-old Tim Taranto was the first name called out by the GIANTS with the Sandringham Dragons midfielder selected with pick two. A tall midfielder at 186cm and 82kg, Taranto can also play as a genuine forward.
Three selections later the GIANTS matched a bid from Carlton for silky midfielder Will Setterfield who hails from Albury in southern NSW.
Setterfield, who’s been part of the GIANTS Academy since the age of 13, combines a solid inside game as a midfielder with strong run-and-carry and he rarely wastes a possession.
Fellow Academy product Harry Perryman was taken with pick 14 by the GIANTS after Adelaide bid on the defender from Collingullie.
He has a background playing as a half-back, but this year has moved into the midfield where his strengths have come to the fore.
He’s equally as clever and classy on both feet, and knows where the goals are. Perryman plays in an unflustered and uncomplicated manner but always seems to make the right decision when in possession.
Draft bolter and GIANTS Academy player Isaac Cumming was the fourth teenager selected by the club when the GIANTS matched a bid from the Swans for him at pick 20.
Originally from Broken Hill in Western NSW, Cumming is a 183cm tall defender with elite disposal and exciting pace.
Fellow Broken Hill product and close friend Lachlan Tiziani joined Cumming at the GIANTS when he was selected at pick 54.
A gifted and athletic forward, Tiziani possesses an incredible vertical leap having topped the 2015 NAB AFL Draft combine rankings with a leap of 97cm.
Tiziani played his best football in the second half of the season as a mid-sized forward, kicking 32 goals in his last nine games to become one of the TAC Cup’s most dangerous forwards.
The GIANTS rounded out the draft by securing mature aged midfielder Matt de Boer with pick 58.
The 26-year-old played 138 games for the Fremantle Dockers after joining the club in the 2008 Rookie Draft.
At 186cm and 86kg, de Boer is a hard bodied midfielder renowned for his tackling pressure and ability to win contested possession.
De Boer played four games for Fremantle in 2016 and starred for their WAFL affiliate Peel Thunder leading them to their maiden premiership and finishing runner up in the Sandover Medal.
GIANTS General Manager Football Wayne Campbell welcomed the six players to the club.
“We’re delighted to have secured the players we have tonight including four players from the GIANTS Academy,” said Campbell.
“Our first two selections will complement our existing midfield and the rest of our picks are a good mix of athletic forwards, defenders and another hard, experienced body in the midfield.
“We feel that we’ve not only added some really talented players but terrific people too.”
The following players were drafted by the GIANTS (in overall selection order).
2. Tim Taranto
5. Will Setterfield
14. Harry Perryman
20. Isaac Cumming
54. Lachlan Tiziani
58. Matt De Boer
Four of the six new GIANTS - Isaac Cumming, Tim Taranto, Will Setterfield and Harry Perryman
