Tara Murray
A dream became a reality for a couple of Northern Knights stars in the AFL draft on Wednesday.
Josh Ward and Darcy Wilmot found homes in the first round.
Ward, who is a diehard Hawthorn fan, didn’t have to wait for his name to be called out.
The Hawks selected Ward at pick seven.
Ward, a gun midfielder, starred for the Knights in 2021, averaging more than 30 possessions a game.
His Knights teammate Wilmot was swamped by friends when the Brisbane Lions picked him at pick 16.
Footage on the draft coverage, showed a pretty excited bunch of mates taking in the news their friend is now a Lions player.
Wilmot, whose birth date meant he was only hours away from having to wait another year to be drafted, has made his name in defence.
Sam Darcy will continue on his family’s name at the Western Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs had no hesitation in making Greater Western Sydney’s bid for him at pick two, to take Darcy under the father-son rule.
Darcy, a key forward, follows in the footsteps of his father Luke Darcy, who played 226 games for the Bulldogs, and his grandfather David Darcy who played 133 games.
Essendon selected Ben Hobbs with their first pick, 13.
Hobbs, who comes from the Greater Western Victoria Rebels, averaged 25 possessions a game in the NAB League.
The rest of the draft will be held tomorrow night, while the rookie and pre-season drafts will be held on Friday.
