1. Another chapter in the Swans-Giants rivalry

As if there's not enough tension between the Swans and Giants to begin with, Sydney just stoked the embers a little more on night one. With pick No.16 in their mitts, the Swans decided to place a bid on Giants' Academy prospect Harry Rowston, who GWS was hoping to slide a lot later. Instead, it matched the bid on the under-18 All-Australian midfielder with its very next selection, No.17. The annoyed faces among the Giants' brains trust said it all – they got their man, but had to pay a much higher price than most expected, all thanks to their crosstown rivals.

WHO DID YOU PICK? The full rundown on every club's 2022 draft haul

2. … and the Swans-Hawks rivalry

Almost as if it was trolling opponents throughout the draft, Sydney also pulled a swift move on night two after forcing the Giants and Crows to match bids on night one. This time around it was Hawthorn which was on the receiving end. After orchestrating a trade that allowed the Hawks to take Josh Weddle with their pick No.18, the Swans used the pick (No.27) coming back the other way to pounce on Hawthorn's Next Generation Academy product Cooper Vickery. Clubs no longer have the right to match bids on NGA players unless they fall outside the top 40, meaning the Swans had no trouble swooping on the quick running defender.

NIGHT TWO RECAP GWS nabs versatile tall, Roos take a punt

3. Is pick one on night two losing its shine?

When the draft was restructured to be a two-night event in 2018, the first pick of the second night – the start of the second round – quickly became a coveted selection. In 2018, Gold Coast moved up to get South Australian Jez McLennan, while in 2019 it was Brisbane trading with Port Adelaide to snare West Australian slider Deven Robertson. But for the second straight year, the team with the first pick on night two chose to select a player rather than trade the selection for more assets. Last year it was Fremantle taking local Matthew Johnson, and this time around Greater Western Sydney opted for swingman Max Gruzewski. Has the pick lost its shine from a trading purpose?

DRAFT TRACKER Every pick as it happened

4. School teacher makes the grade

If you weren't a teenager it was hard to get a gig, but one of the great news stories was Collingwood's pick No.48 Joe Richards, one of two players born in the 1990s to be taken in the 2022 draft. After going through the NAB League pathway in his younger years, 23-year-old Richards, a school teacher by trade, continued his playing career with Wangaratta in the Ovens and Murray League before zooming back into draft calculations this season. The speedy midfielder, who has a high workrate, went to the Draft Combine and did enough to impress the Magpies and get his way onto an AFL list.

RAPID RISE Country footy gun lands at Collingwood

5. Third time's a charm for Wagner?

It took until the third last pick of the draft, No.57, but we finally got a recycled player when Fremantle selected Corey Wagner. It's not just a second opportunity for the Queenslander, but a third after previous stops at North Melbourne and Melbourne. Originally a Brisbane Academy graduate, Wagner played eight games for the Kangaroos and 11 for the Demons before he was delisted at the end of 2020, but strong form in the VFL for Port Melbourne was enough for the Dockers to give him another opportunity.

LISTEN Huge draft for 'smart' Roos, why Freo went for older picks

6. The ups and downs of father-sons

Fathers-sons were always going to play a big role in this year's draft and that's exactly how it played out. Will Ashcroft, son of triple premiership player Marcus, went to Brisbane at No.2, matching Sam Darcy's selection from last year as the highest pick ever for a father-son. The Lions had to match the Bulldogs' bid on Jaspa Fletcher at No.12 to snap up the son of Adrian, while Adelaide also used a first-round selection (No.17) to snare Max Michalanney after he was bid on by Sydney. Essendon's path to getting the Davey twins – Alwyn jnr and Jayden – was a little less stressful. Alwyn, to the surprise of many, dropped to No.45, while Jayden was simply selected by the Bombers with their final pick at 54. North grabbed Cooper Harvey, son of AFL games record holder Brent, at No.56.

DONS DOUBLE Davey delight a plan nine years in the making

7. Trades not playing such a big role

There was the prospect of some trading, and the rumours circled on both nights, but ultimately swapping between clubs played a relatively small role. Hawthorn moved up to grab the No.18 pick from Sydney, which they used on Josh Weddle, while Carlton and Adelaide were the night two movers. The Blues traded a future second-rounder to Collingwood to grab Tasmanian defender Lachlan Cowan at No.30, while the Crows also traded a future second- and third-rounder to get Gold Coast's pick No.43, which they used on local ball-magnet Billy Dowling. There was also some pick swapping in the 50s, but all in all, trading was a small part of the draft this year.

DRAFT HUB Click here for the latest draft news

8. The wait for the first ruckman

Continuing a trend that goes back around a decade now, clubs were prepared to wait before taking the first ruckman in the draft. It was West Coast which blinked first, opting for highly touted South Australian Harry Barnett with pick No.23. The Eagles have been keen to land a younger ruckman as ageing star Nic Naitanui enters the latter stages of his career. In Barnett they have a 202cm 18-year-old that has been likened to Melbourne recruit Brodie Grundy with his athleticism and ability to impact all over the ground.

PLAYER PROFILES Get to know the top talent in this year's draft

9. Another Phoenix Rising

It wasn't that long ago the Christian name Phoenix might have been seen as an anomaly on an AFL list – not anymore. Following North Melbourne's acquisition of Phoenix Spicer with pick No.42 in 2020, the floodgates have now opened. Spicer, who has played six games in his two seasons, has been joined by South Australian Phoenix Foster in the system, after the 197cm ruck-forward was snapped up by Geelong at No.52. 

10. The lucky last pick is …

South Australian defender Kyle Marshall. The 18-year-old was taken by Port Adelaide with the 59th and final pick of the night, adding to its previous selections of Tasmanian defender Tom McCallum (No.36) and West Adelaide tall forward Thomas Scully (No.53). In Marshall, Port grabbed an athletic 201cm prospect with a good leap. He hails from South Adelaide and also turned out for South Australia at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.