Two local products joined the GIANTS at the rookie draft on Wednesday as the GIANTS added seven new players to their list across the three days of the NAB AFL Draft.

The GIANTS pre-listed local NSW products Nick Madden and Jason Gillbee as Category B rookies ahead of the rookie draft on Wednesday.

Madden hails from Osborne in the Riverina and is a ruckman who is a giant already at 204cm and 112kg. He is an ultra-competitive player who is mobile, kicks the ball well and has impressive ruck craft for a player of his age.

The 18-year-old has shown he can be an imposing marking target when he pushes forward and has a neat set shot on goal.

“We feel he was one of the better ruckmen available and given he is an Academy product we’ve invested a lot of time into over the past four to five years, he’s a great project for us,” said National Recruiting Manager Adrian Caruso.

“Shane Mumford is looking forward to working with him further and helping him to get his body ready for the rigors of AFL football.”

Gillbee is a rangy and versatile player who can play on the wing or off half-back. He was a prolific ball winner for the Bendigo Pioneers in the NAB League this season after relocating from NSW, averaging 22 disposals and five marks.

The 18-year-old from Balranald is a strong player in one-on-one contests and is prepared to take the game on with his dash with the ball.

“He’s an elite runner and adds some versatility in that he can play at half-back, wing and forward,” Caruso said.

“He already has connections with a lot of the guys we’ve drafted and is a great character who will slot into our group seamlessly.”

The GIANTS also added former co-captain Phil Davis to the rookie list with pick three in the rookie draft.

Davis signed a new one-year contract to continue his career in September. He has played 192 games across 14 seasons at the elite level including co-captaining the club from 2012-2019.

He was delisted as part of the initial list lodgment before being added back to the rookie list today.

With the selection of Madden, Gillbee and Davis as rookies, the GIANTS have now finalised their 2023 list. The GIANTS will farewell Will Shaw, who will depart the club after two years on the rookie list.

Across the first two nights of the NAB AFL Draft, the GIANTS selected five players in the first 34 picks.

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 on night two with versatile tall Max Gruzewski and forward Toby McMullin.

Caruso said he is thrilled with the calibre of players the club has brought in, adding five highly-ranked talents across a range of positions as well as two local talents.

“We’re really happy,” he said.

“We knew with a couple of guys leaving that we’d have a pretty strong draft hand, so we headed into night one of the draft knowing we’ve got five picks and we were going to bring in a whole range of players.

“If you told us two or three weeks ago these were the five players we’d end up with in the national draft, we would have been rapt.

“The order might have been a bit different in the end to how we might have thought it was going to play out but in terms of the five players that we brought in - the different types, the overall character and confidence that we’ve got in them - we feel like we’ve brought in players that can really add to the young group we’ve got coming through under Adam Kingsley.”

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

Rookie: Nick Madden
Drafted from: GIANTS Academy/NSW-ACT

Position: Forward/ruck
State: NSW
Height: 204cm
Weight: 112kg
Date of Birth: 17/05/2004

Rookie: Jason Gillbee

Drafted from: Bendigo Pioneers/NSW-ACT

Position: Midfielder
State: NSW
Height: 191cm
Weight: 76kg
Date of Birth: 15/05/2004