Eagles boost midfield
Dumped Carlton midfielder Kane Lucas emerged as the final piece of West Coast's midfield puzzle when he was selected by the club with its solitary live pick in yesterday's rookie draft.
Fremantle also finalised their list by recruiting Swan Districts draft bolter Ethan Hughes and rookie-listing defender Tanner Smith. Hughes, 19, was one of five West Australian teenagers selected as rookies.
Lucas, 23, was widely linked to the Eagles since being cut by the Blues at the end of the season.
The selection of the former first-round draft pick takes the total number of midfielders drafted by the club this year to six, addressing a need identified by coach Adam Simpson.
Eagles football manager Craig Vozzo told the league's website: "We drafted five 18-year-olds in the national draft and we felt we needed to add a mature player to our squad as well.
"Kane is a 23-year-old who has played 42 games at the level and he also has good pace.
"Given a second opportunity in his home town, we believe he can flourish in that environment."
Baseballer Corey Adamson and Irishman Paddy Brophy were also officially added to the Eagles' rookie list yesterday, and Sean Hurley was confirmed at the Dockers. Some de-listed players joined Lucas in earning a second chance at AFL level.
Former Western Bulldog Jason Tutt went to the Blues as the only player selected in the pre-season draft.
Ahmed Saad received a second chance at St Kilda after serving a drug ban.
Nathan Krakouer was taken as a rookie by his former club Port Adelaide. He moved to Gold Coast for one season in 2011 then gave the game away.
The Mt Barker junior earned the new opportunity by playing for the Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL this year.
Former North Melbourne player Cameron Delaney was picked up by Geelong, de-listed Adelaide forward Shaun McKernan arrived at Essendon and Andrew Raines became a Sun after stints with Richmond and Brisbane.
Yesterday's draft took the total number of WA players selected this year to 14. Hughes, Claremont's Jared Hardisty (Hawthorn) and Brenden Abbott (Coll- ingwood), South Fremantle's Jermaine Miller-Lewis (Hawthorn) and Peel's Brad Walsh (Carlton) selected as rookies.
Nine WA players were selected at last week's national draft.
East Perth's Tyler Keitel and Bulldog Cameron Loersch were unlucky to be overlooked.
WA Football Commission chief executive Gary Walton said the organisation was pleased with this year's results overall.
"The thing we were pretty happy with from a draft point of view was getting three in the first round (of the national draft)," he said.
"There was a bit of noise that our guys would be late picks and that didn't prove to be the case.
"Because of our 18s results people were forecasting doom and gloom and it hasn't really ended up that way.
"What it has done is made us have a really good look at our talent programs. That is never a bad thing.
"I don't think our system is broken, which was one of the suggestions made."
"Given a second opportunity in his home town, we believe he can flourish in that environment.""Eagles football manager *Craig Vozzo * on Kane Lucas
