Several Goulburn Valley talents have bought a ticket to the lottery, hoping to realise their dream and have their name read out by one of the 18 AFL clubs over three days of footy furore.
The AFL Draft will be held over November 20-21, while the rookie and pre-season drafts will take place on Friday.
Of the 1044 players who put their names forward for the 2024 AFL Draft, 30 hailed from the Goulburn Valley region.
Goulburn Valley products who miss out will still have a potential route into the professional game through the mid-season draft, but there are a handful of nominees who could call themselves AFL players by next weekend.
Benalla product Joe Berry is projected to go at about the pick 10-15 range with the likes of GWS, West Coast, Fremantle and Richmond interested in the sparky small forward.
Shepparton tall Jack Whitlock may also go inside the top 20, with Port Adelaide, Richmond and Sydney shaping as future homes for the key forward.
Moama’s Jobe Shanahan — who fits a similar profile to Whitlock — could be picked up in a similar range, while Matt Whitlock seems likely to fit into the 15-30 market of the draft.
Meanwhile, Shepparton 2018 premiership star Harry Boyd, now at Norwood in the SANFL, is an outside shout to be picked up by St Kilda as a second choice ruck option behind Rowan Marshall.
Boyd, who stands at 198cm, has been a star in the SANFL during his 78 matches for Norwood after leaving the Goulburn Valley for South Australia ahead of the 2021 season.
The 26-year-old claimed the league best-and-fairest — the Magarey Medal — this season, adding to his other grails which include his amazing 2022 haul of the SANFL premiership, Michael Taylor Medal (Norwood best-and-fairest) and Jack Oatey Medal.
It is believed Boyd has already met with the Saints, according to the Herald Sun.
Goulburn Valley AFL draft nominees
Joe Berry (Benalla), Tom Evans, Logan Prout (Echuca), Cohen Paul, Darby Wilson (Euroa), Tom Clurey (Katamatite) Tom Barnett, Nic Jephson, Archie Watt (Kyabram), Max Mahoney, Harry Mahoney (Mansfield), Jobe Shanahan (Moama), Coby James (Mooroopna), Cooper Holdsworth-Rose, Oliver Munro, Nic Quigg (Seymour), Harry Boyd, Ned Byrne, Boston Dowling, Jensen Dowling, Jack Whitlock, Matt Whitlock (Shepparton), Kade Anderson, Sam Bicknell, Mitch Grumley, Caiden Phillips, Oliver Warburton (Shepparton Swans), Charlie Di Stefano, Zavier Maher (Shepparton United) and Angus Scoble (Tongala).