Monday night's AFL Draft could prove life-changing for a handful of Greater Western Victoria Rebels, who will be eagerly watching the two-night event in the hopes of achieving their AFL dreams. A total of five Rebels products are a strong chance to be drafted, with key forward Aaron Cadman set to be the first name called on Monday night. A proud Rebels coach in David Loader was looking forward to a big week ahead for the NAB League program. "It has been a terrific year across the board and to have a number of players in the draft range is really pleasing," Loader said. "With Aaron (Cadman) up at the top of the tree it's great for our program. It has been a really long time since we've had a high pick so we're really looking forward to what next week might bring." Cadman sky-rocketed into number one pick contention after a break-out season up forward for the Rebels. "Aaron has always been a really talented player but his ability to learn and strive to be better every week is elite," Loader said. "The way he has adapted to the external pressures and what comes with the game has been even more impressive than his football. He's a wonderful story and one we're going to follow with great anticipation over the next 15 years." North Ballarat duo James Van Es and Hugh Bond will be hoping to follow in Cadman's footsteps when Tuesday night of the draft kicks off. Van Es grabbed the attention of club recruiters at the Draft Combine with a 98cm running vertical jump and 75cm standing jump to go to top of the combine leaderboards. "James' ability to run and jump at his height is so rare to find. He probably sits himself in the top three or four big key defenders across the country which makes him a pretty valuable commodity," Loader said. "Hugh is a superstar. He's one of the best kids I've ever had the pleasure of working with. He's just so impressive both on and off-field." The Rebels boasted four selections at the 2021 AFL Draft, but Felix Fogaty and Beau Tedcastle will be hoping to go one better this year and make it five Rebels drafted. The East Point juniors were crucial pieces in a dominant Rebels forward-line this NAB League season. "Beau is one of those guys that can change a game in two minutes. He just has that X-factor that could make him a very good player," Loader said. "If Felix played every week the way he played against Sydney then we'd be talking about him being drafted on Monday night," Loader said. The 200cm ruck-forward notched 23 disposals and eight marks in the Rebels round four win over Sydney. Round one of the AFL Draft begins on Monday night, with the following rounds to be completed on Tuesday night. The AFL Rookie Draft is on Wednesday, November 30 at 3pm. Saturday's edition of The Courier will feature player profiles of all five draftee hopefuls.
