The GIANTS have added two exciting talents on night two of the NAB AFL Draft.
After selecting key forward Aaron Cadman at pick one, local Academy product Harry Rowston at pick 16 and small forward Darcy Jones at pick 21 on night one, the GIANTS continued to add to their young list with versatile tall Max Gruzewski and forward Toby McMullin.
With the first pick on night two, the GIANTS selected Gruzewski at pick 22. The Oakleigh Charger can play as a defender and forward, where his major asset is his overhead marking.
GIANTS National Recruiting Manager Adrian Caruso said the club is excited to bolster their tall stocks.
“Max is a player we watched closely this year in roles at both ends of the ground,” he said.
“We see some real scope for him given the limited exposure to high level football, having only really come on to the radar this year.
“He is competitive and plays in a physical manner, something we place high value on.”
With their second pick of the night, the GIANTS selected forward Toby McMullin at pick 34.
McMullin is a medium forward and midfielder who has footy smarts and is a powerful and penetrating kick, which makes him dangerous around goals.
He tested very impressively at the Draft Combine, with 2.88 seconds for the 20m sprint and 8.28 seconds for the AFL agility run, which were both exceptional results. The 18-year-old is the son of former Collingwood and Essendon player Ian McMullin.
“Toby is really strong fundamentally and showed at the Combine that he has an athletic profile to match,” Caruso said.
“We see him as adding a different dimension to our forward-line and he is a strong character, which is important for our club.”
Having brought in five players across a range of positions, the club made a trade with their final pick – sending pick 51 to Hawthorn in exchange for a future fourth-round pick (tied to Brisbane).
“Across the trade period we focused on building an incredibly strong draft hand to bring in some of the top young talent in the country,” Caruso said.
“Aaron Cadman is an outstanding young player that we were thrilled to take at pick one. We were then able to add one of our own in Academy product Harry Rowston and bolster our small forward stocks with Darcy Jones.
“To then be able to bring in a tall prospect with Max Gruzewski and then another forward in Toby McMullin was a really pleasing result for us on night two.
“We’re thrilled to bring in five talented young players to add to our established stars under new coach Adam Kingsley. We’ll add some further talent tomorrow at the rookie draft and are looking ahead to 2023 with excitement.”
The NAB AFL Rookie Draft will be held from 3pm on Wednesday.
2022 NAB AFL Draft – GIANTS' Selections
Pick 1: Aaron Cadman
Drafted from: GWV Rebels/Vic Country
Position: Key forward
State: Vic
Height: 194cm
Weight: 88kg
Date of Birth: 03/03/2004
Pick 16: Harry Rowston
Drafted from: GIANTS Academy/Calder Cannons
Position: Midfielder
State: NSW
Height: 182cm
Weight: 81kg
Date of Birth: 12/08/2004
Pick 21: Darcy Jones
Drafted from: Swan Districts/Western Australia
Position: Midfielder
State: WA
Height: 175cm
Weight: 63kg
Date of Birth: 03/04/2004
Pick 22: Max Gruzewski
Drafted from: Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro
Position: Defender/forward
State: Vic
Height: 193cm
Weight: 84kg
Date of Birth: 21/07/2004
Pick 34: Toby McMullin
Drafted from: Sandringham Dragons/Vic Country
Position: Forward/midfielder
State: Vic
Height: 182cm
Weight: 83kg
Date of Birth: 06/08/2004
