WHO WOULD you pick if you could choose any AFL player for your team?

It's a question that Nat Fyfe, Patrick Dangerfield, Jack Riewoldt and Eddie Betts will answer next week when, as captains of the four AFLX sides in this year's revamped format, they will get to handpick their line-ups in a special draft event.    

At AFL.com.au we thought we'd give them a hand. So this week, we took on the roles of the four captains and chose the teams in a draft. Reporters Mitch Cleary (Riewoldt), Ben Guthrie (Dangerfield), Dinny Navaratnam (Fyfe) and Callum Twomey (Betts) picked on behalf of their respective captains. 

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We worked under the rule that every player in the competition (bar those with long-term injuries) was available for selection but that, due to a smaller group of players to choose from, only Betts was able to pick indigenous players for his all-indigenous side. 

Four vice-captains – Patrick Cripps, Luke Hodge, Marcus Bontempelli and Shaun Burgoyne – were pre-selected by the AFL last weekend, so we automatically included them as each team's first selection.  

There is also a cap of just four players from every AFL club being able to be selected across the four sides, a rule which was followed for this mock draft.

The draft order was picked out of a hat, with Cleary winning the prized first selection (which was No.5 after the pre-selected vice-captains).

AFLX will be held at Marvel Stadium on Friday, February 22. 

AFLX MOCK DRAFT ORDER

1 Riewoldt (MC) – Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
2 Dangerfield (BG) – Luke Hodge (Brisbane)
3 Fyfe (DN) – Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
4 Betts (CT) – Shaun Burgoyne (Hawthorn)
5 Riewoldt (MC) – Dustin Martin (Richmond)
6 Dangerfield (BG) – Elliot Yeo (West Coast)
7 Fyfe (DN) – Jordan De Goey (Collingwood)
8 Betts (CT) – Lance Franklin (Sydney)
9 Riewoldt (MC) – Josh Kelly (GWS Giants)
10 Dangerfield (BG) – Steele Sidebottom (Collingwood)
11 Fyfe (DN) – Isaac Smith (Hawthorn)
12 Betts (CT) – Chad Wingard (Hawthorn)
13 Riewoldt (MC) – Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)
14 Dangerfield (BG) – Jack Gunston (Hawthorn)
15 Fyfe (DN) – Jeremy Cameron (GWS Giants)
16 Betts (CT) – Paddy Ryder (Port Adelaide)
17 Riewoldt (MC) – Isaac Heeney (Sydney)
18 Dangerfield (BG) – Charlie Curnow (Carlton)
19 Fyfe (DN) – Jeremy McGovern (West Coast)
20 Betts (CT) – Steven May (Melbourne)
21 Riewoldt (MC) – Lachie Whitfield (GWS Giants)
22 Dangerfield (BG) – Jason Johannisen (Western Bulldogs)
23 Fyfe (DN) – Orazio Fantasia (Essendon)
24 Betts (CT) – Michael Walters (Fremantle)
25 Riewoldt (MC) – Toby Greene (GWS Giants)
26 Dangerfield (BG) – Dylan Shiel (Essendon)
27 Fyfe (DN) – Adam Saad (Essendon)
28 Betts (CT) – Tim Kelly (Geelong)
29 Riewoldt (MC) – Jack Darling (West Coast)
30 Dangerfield (BG) – Mark Blicavs (Geelong)
31 Fyfe (DN) – Dayne Zorko (Brisbane)
32 Betts (CT) – Sam Powell-Pepper (Port Adelaide)
33 Riewoldt (MC) – Alex Rance (Richmond)
34 Dangerfield (BG) – Tom Stewart (Geelong)
35 Fyfe (DN) – Dayne Beams (Collingwood)
36 Betts (CT) – Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (Essendon)
37 Riewoldt (MC) – Luke Shuey (West Coast)
38 Dangerfield (BG) – Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs)
39 Fyfe (DN) – Shaun Higgins (North Melbourne)
40 Betts (CT) – Bradley Hill (Fremantle)
41 Riewoldt (MC) – Rory Laird (Adelaide)
42 Dangerfield (BG) – Brodie Smith (Adelaide)
43 Fyfe (DN) – Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
44 Betts (CT) – Jade Gresham (St Kilda)
45 Riewoldt (MC) – Easton Wood (Western Bulldogs)
46 Dangerfield (BG) – Rory Sloane (Adelaide)
47 Fyfe (DN) – Lachie Neale (Brisbane)
48 Betts (CT) – Neville Jetta (Melbourne)
49 Riewoldt (MC) – Christian Petracca (Melbourne)
50 Dangerfield (BG) – Luke Parker (Sydney)
51 Fyfe (DN) – Jake Lloyd (Sydney)
52 Betts (CT) – Izak Rankine (Gold Coast)

TEAM RAMPAGE

Jack Riewoldt (captain)
Patrick Cripps (vice-captain)
Dustin Martin
Josh Kelly
Robbie Gray
Isaac Heeney
Lachie Whitfield
Toby Greene
Jack Darling
Alex Rance
Luke Shuey
Rory Laird
Easton Wood
Christian Petracca

Star power and elite ball users will lead Team Rampage to AFLX glory. It was incredible to see Kelly available with my second live pick, and his combination with Cripps and Whitfield will service two of the most dynamic key forwards in the competition. Riewoldt has already identified Whitfield as an AFLX prospect and it's an embarrassment of riches across half-back alongside Laird. Throw in Norm Smith medallists Martin and Shuey, plus premierships stars Wood and Rance, and it’s a proven line-up on the big stage with six players from flags. Isaac Heeney, a steal at pick 17, will be our side's swingman while Greene, Gray and Petracca have some of the best goal sense in the league. – Mitch Cleary

'Cleary has taken Dusty with the No.1 live pick!' Picture: AFL Photos

TEAM BOLTS 

Patrick Dangerfield (captain)
Luke Hodge (vice-captain)
Elliot Yeo 
Steele Sidebottom
Jack Gunston 
Charlie Curnow
Jason Johannisen
Dylan Shiel 
Mark Blicavs 
Tom Stewart 
Jack Macrae 
Brodie Smith 
Rory Sloane 
Luke Parker 

Yeo might be a slightly left-field pick with my first 'live' selection, but it's his versatility to play in all three areas of the ground that stood out for me. In Dangerfield, Sidebottom, Sloane, Macrae, Shiel, Parker and Yeo I have a rock-solid midfield who can contribute in a number of different ways. Johannisen and Smith add important 'Bolt-like' speed to my line-up from half-back, while Gunston and up-and-coming superstar Curnow are my spearheads in attack. Stewart is as solid as they come in defence and Hodge adds important leadership across half-back. I consider Blicavs to be the most versatile player in the AFL, so I think he is an astute selection as well, and will most likely play as my starting ruckman. – Ben Guthrie

Eagle Elliot Yeo may be a left-field selection but can play on every line. Picture: AFL Photos

TEAM FLYERS

Nat Fyfe (captain)
Marcus Bontempelli (vice-captain)
Jordan De Goey
Isaac Smith
Jeremy Cameron
Jeremy McGovern
Orazio Fantasia
Adam Saad
Dayne Zorko
Dayne Beams
Shaun Higgins
Scott Pendlebury
Lachie Neale
Jake Lloyd

Goalkicking midfielders, and especially those who can score from long-range, were the target here. AFLX is an open game, so having plenty of firepower was a priority. For anyone thinking De Goey was an early selection with the Flyers' first live pick, watch last year's Grand Final again. All three of his goals were outstanding. There's no specialist ruckman but Fyfe and Bontempelli are tall enough to contest the hit-outs. The perfect key forward for this game though is Cameron. He's mobile at ground level but also flies for marks and hit bodies hard. McGovern reads the play extremely well and could easily push forward if needed, while Saad and Lloyd offer drive out of the backline. - Dinny Navaratnam

Jordan De Goey is perfect for this format of footy. Picture: AFL Photos

TEAM DEADLYS

Eddie Betts (captain)
Shaun Burgoyne (vice-captain)
Lance Franklin
Chad Wingard
Paddy Ryder
Steven May
Michael Walters
Tim Kelly
Sam Powell-Pepper
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti
Bradley Hill
Jade Gresham
Neville Jetta
Izak Rankine

We had a smaller pool of players to select from, but it meant I got who I wanted and have still assembled an extremely exciting line-up for Team Deadlys. There wasn't too many full-time midfielders available so Kelly, Powell-Pepper and Hill will need to do the majority of work in there. They should get first use, too, given Ryder shapes as the perfect AFLX ruckman: someone who can win the tap, roam around the ground and also be a marking option in attack. When the ball is swept forward, good luck stopping us. Betts, Wingard, McDonald-Tipungwuti and Walters are as dangerous a quartet as you'll find, plus Rankine has all the skills to be a quality performer. Just watch him go. - Callum Twomey 

Swans superstar Lance Franklin was Twomey's first live choice. Picture: AFL Photos