Nick Bourke of Noorat and Lewis Taylor of Mortlake, before the recent National Championships. Both players represented the Victorian Country U18 footy side at Queensland.
TERANG Mortlake’s Lewis Taylor and Kolora-Noorat’s Nick Bourke have nominated for the Greater Western Sydney 2012 mini-draft.
The Geelong Falcons pair, 17, were among 16 players from across Australia who put their hands up for the 17-year-old mini-draft before yesterday’s 2pm deadline.
Two of the players will find homes on AFL lists at the end of trade week on October 26.
Under the Greater Western Sydney incentive trading rules, the Giants can’t claim any of the players who have nominated, but can trade with any of the other 17 AFL clubs for those teams to have selection rights from the pool of players.
Gold Coast Suns netted Western Australian talent Jaeger O’Meara via the 2011 mini-draft and Adelaide swooped on North Ballarat Rebels’ product Brad Crouch.
Players selected in the mini-draft are ineligible to play in the AFL in 2013 and will spend the season honing their skills at state league level.
If Taylor and Bourke are overlooked, they will have to wait until next year to be drafted.
Both played for Vic Country at the AFL under 18 national championships which finished in July.
Taylor made his mark in four games, putting in a best-on-ground performance against South Australia in the final game of the carnival and a 26-disposal effort against Queensland.
Bourke played one match for Vic Country, collecting 14 touches against Queensland.