HOW DID THE GURU GO? Callum Twomey's late mail

WHAT a night it was for South Australia.

With three of the top-five selections in the 2018 NAB AFL Draft hailing from the state, and four in the first round, this has the potential to be one of the golden generations of SA football.

Tall forward Jack Lukosius and excitement machine Izak Rankine will play together at the Gold Coast after they were taken by the Suns with back-to-back selections at No. 2 and No. 3 overall.

WALSH, LUKOSIUS OR RANKINE? Recruiters have their say

All the speculation in the lead-up to the draft was that Adelaide and Port Adelaide would attempt to do a deal with the Suns to secure the talented duo.

But the Suns held on to the picks and will now have two of the most promising players in the country to help form the foundation of their rebuild under senior coach Stuart Dew.

Meanwhile, athletic utility Connor Rozee will remain at home after Port Adelaide called out his name with the fifth overall pick.

The Power did a lot of wheeling and dealing during last month's trade period to move up in the draft.

Rozee has all the attributes to slot into the side on the wing and fill the void left by Jared Polec's departure to North Melbourne.

Midfielder Jackson Hately became the fourth South Australian to be chosen in the first round when he was taken by Greater Western Sydney with the 14th overall selection.

NAB AFL DRAFT HUB Latest news, video and more

Hately averaged more than 18 disposals per game for Central District in the SANFL, isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and is a steal for the Giants.

Under-18 SA captain Luke Valente was somewhat surprisingly overlooked in the first round, but he should quickly find a home on Friday.

Jez McLennan, Tom Sparrow and Boyd Woodcock won't be far behind.

The Crows picked the best players available with their selections regardless of where they hail from, taking Tasmanian Chayce Jones at pick nine and Ned McHenry from the Geelong Falcons at pick 16.

Along with Rozee, the Power added speedy midfield Zak Butters from the Western Jets with pick 12, and half-back flanker Xavier Duursma from Gippsland Power at pick 18.