EDFL junior products Jordan Croft and Hugo Garcia have both found new homes in the AFL.
Croft, son of former Western Bulldogs defender Matthew, was taken with pick 15 as a father-son selection (Bulldogs matched Sydney's bid) after being a mainstay in first-round projections leading into the draft.
The 200cm athletic key forward was the first EDFL junior taken inside the top 15 picks since Cam Rayner was taken with pick 1 in 2017 – the same year Croft won the Under 13 Division 1 Grand Final with Maribyrnong Park.
He played 98 games and kicked 44 goals with the Lions from 2015 to 2022, making his senior debut as a 17-year-old where he was named in the best.
Croft split time with Marby and the Calder Cannons as a bottom-ager in 2022 before spending all of 2023 in the Coates Talent League and representing Vic Metro at the National Championships.
Draft boffins Rookie Me Central describe him as an athletic tall who moves well and attacks the aerial ball hard, offering enormous upside at 200cm.
"Croft does a lot of things well for a player his size, but the most notable of his traits is athleticism. The 200cm forward is capable of covering serious ground and runs a 2km time trial most midfielders would envy - clocking in at 6:05 during the National Draft Combine (fourth best time).
"He's also spring-heeled and attacks the aerial ball hard, while having the capacity to both carry the ball with speed or hunt the opposition down in punishing tackles.
"That kind of all-round athletic profile is hard to find, no less in a key position prospect."
Maribyrnong Park now have the most active AFL players out of all EDFL clubs with Croft joining Touk Miller, Rory Atkins, Luke Ryan, Joel Smith, and Brandon Ryan.
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Meanwhile, Garcia was selected on night two of the National Draft by St Kilda with pick 50.
Garcia started his football journey with Taylors Lakes in 2013 where he played 67 games and kicked 65 goals, winning a Grand Final in a best-on-ground performance before moving to Greenvale in 2016.
He played 52 games across a couple of stints with the Jets, most recently playing Under 18s in 2022 before graduating to the Calder Cannons in 2023.
St Kilda list manager Stephen Silvagni describes Garcia as a "versatile young talent with strong offensive and defensive traits whose biggest impact comes playing as a high half-forward and midfielder".
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Click here to see our updated list of EDFL Juniors currently on AFL & AFLW lists.
