AFL Draft: West is best! WA kids fly off the shelf on second night

Hugh Boxshall is about to cut his ‘leavers’ celebrations short as he prepares for life under Ross Lyon at St Kilda, with the midfielder among eight West Aussies snapped up at the draft. The silky Claremont midfielder was selected by the Saints with pick No.45 in the National Draft on Thursday afternoon. Boxshall left his leavers celebrations down south to watch with his family at their holiday home and will only have one more night of celebration before he returns to Perth as he prepares to start his football career in Melbourne. “They’re going to be ecstatic, my mates are St Kilda supporters as well,” he said. “I didn’t know (the Saints would be pick me) to be honest but I am relieved they did and super excited to go over there and see Ross and all the players.” The 188cm Tigers midfielder was one of the bolters of this year’s draft, having missed out on the national draft combine despite a strong season which he capped off with 30 touches in the WAFL colts grand final. Boxshall didn’t take the snub lying down, impressing at the state combine with a strong showing in the 2km time trial (6min. 8 secs) and the agility test (7.98 seconds) to show recruiters he could overcome adversity. “I like to think this is off the back of hard work and working hard from the setbacks to put me in the position I did,” he said. Boxshall will head to Melbourne this weekend and prepare for his first pre-season where he is looking to learn from skipper and star midfielder Jack Steele. And from there he is looking to break into the AFL side in 2025. “Jack Steele, the skipper of the club and plays in the midfield, I will get to learn a lot off him,” he said. “I am super excited to learn and get even better and see if I can take it to another level.” Boxshall was followed by Claremont teammate Will Hayes, who went to Collingwood to bolster the Magpies’ forward stocks at Pick 56. The wingman said it was an “unbelievable” feeling hearing his name read out. “It was quite a shock. I was getting a bit nervous at the end but when it happened, sat there in disbelief,” Hayes told The West Australian. Despite early concerns over his light frame, Hayes defied concerns over his size to impress for both the premiership-winning Claremont colts side and for WA in the national championships. Now standing at 180cm, he’s confident it won’t prevent him from having an impact at AFL level. “I’ve always been told I’m too small, my whole life,” he said. “That made me get in the gym and put on weight. This year it didn’t happen as much but it was still a bit of a factor. “I’ve stuck at it my whole life. I’ve wanted to be an AFL player since I was six, I’ve never gone away from that and it’s all worked out.” Hayes is excited to play alongside the likes of the Daicos brothers, Nick and Josh, as well as club great Scott Pendlebury and Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill. “Collingwood is one of my favourite clubs,” Hayes, who grew up a Fremantle supporter, said. “The atmosphere and the games they play at the MCG, it’s great to watch and I love the culture, the coach. I love all the players. I’m so excited to get there.” One selection later, East Fremantle midfielder Luke Urquhart was taken by North Melbourne. Urquhart’s rise to a draftee has been incredible, having been sidelined for most of last year needed a full hip reconstruction, having been diagnosed with hip dysplasia with acetabular retroversion as well as a labrum tear and cam impingement. The former talented junior water polo player didn’t let the setback stop him from driving towards his AFL dream. Urquhart worked hard and finished the under-18 championships as one of WA’s best, averaging 21 disposals (11 contested) and 5.5 clearances while he was sensational for the Sharks in the colts with 23.3 disposals, five clearances, 9.5 tackles and two goals in three games. “I was hoping for the best but preparing for the worst,” he said after being drafted. “I had chats with my manager (Luke Morabito) and had somewhat of an idea what was going to happen. “From my first interview with North Melbourne I always thought it was going to be them ... they made me feel at home straight away. “I’ve had a long journey to get here, lots of hardship but I put my best foot forward this year, played a lot of good footy and it paid off for me tonight.” One of the first people to congratulate Urquhart was Sydney star and family friend Chad Warner. But it’s a North Melbourne superstar who Urquhart is looking to learn off when he lands at Arden Street. “I am super keen to get over there. There is a lot of young talent coming through like Harry Sheezel but it’s probably LDU (Luke Davies-Uniacke),” he said. “I styled my game off him a lot this year. I am super excited to get over there and meet all the boys.” West Perth’s Kayle Gerreyn was the first WA product taken on night two, heading to Essendon with pick No.37, to join Bo Allan (West Coast, Pick 16) and Cody Angove (GWS, Pick 24) as West Aussies selected. Fremantle then added a seventh WA name by taking father-son selection Jaren Carr at Pick 63. Carr is the son of former Dockers midfielder Matthew. “It’s amazing. It’s an unreal opportunity and I cannot wait to get started,” he said. “It has always been a dream and obviously to play for the team I grew up going for, it’s a dream come true. “I’m familiar with a few of the boys, but it will be different. It’s only the beginning now. I’ve got to start putting the work in, it’s a fresh start.” Hamish Davis rounded out the night as an eighth WA pick, with West Coast taking the Claremont midfielder after he surprisingly slipped to No.65. More to come