WAFL draftees shine in the AFLThursday, March 29, 2018 - 9:43 AM - by Chris Pike

IT was an exciting Round 1 of the 2018 AFL season with six players drafted out of the WAFL making their debuts on top of several others playing their first matches at new clubs.

It was the opening round of the 2018 AFL season last weekend and that saw Bailey Banfield, Zac Langdon, Aaron Naughton, Tim Kelly, Liam Ryan and Jake Waterman all make their debuts at the top level.

Meanwhile, Jarrod Garlett, Brandon Matera and Charlie Cameron also made their first appearances at their new clubs.

Reigning Claremont fairest and best winner Banfield had impressed so much on arrival at Fremantle that he was a lock for their Round 1 clash against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.

On the back of a full season of WAFL league football, he put in an encouraging first performance in the AFL too for the Dockers ending the game with 12 possessions, three marks and three tackles.

Banfield's ex-Claremont teammate Langdon was also right to go for his AFL debut on Saturday for the GWS Giants against the Western Bulldogs in Canberra. He showed he could contribute at AFL level too with seven disposals, three marks, six tackles and a goal in the 82-point victory.

In that same game, Peel Thunder defender Naughton made his AFL debut for the Western Bulldogs as well. It was a tough game for his team and especially to be in the back-line, but he was able to show some good signs with 11 disposals and two marks.

Kelly was perhaps the most exciting story of the opening round from a WAFL perspective. 

Having banged down the door to earn an AFL chance in 93 league games at South Fremantle topped off by a blistering 2017 where he was runner up only to teammate Haiden Schloithe in the Sandover Medal and the club's fairest and best, he has thrived since joining Geelong.

That made the 23-year-old father of three a lock to play on Sunday against Melbourne at the MCG and he was instrumental in the win for the Cats playing in the midfield alongside Joel Selwood and Gary Ablett.

Kelly ended his AFL debut with 27 possessions, three marks, two tackles and a goal in a three-point victory.

After what Ryan had delivered over the past two seasons in the WAFL with Subiaco, including winning the Bernie Naylor Medal by kicking 73 goals last year and taking spectacular mark after spectacular mark, there was plenty of hype over his AFL debut.

The excitement machine played for West Coast on Sunday against Sydney in the first official AFL match at Optus Stadium.

He ended up kicking a goal from 12 possessions and three marks in the eventual 29-point loss for the Eagles against the Swans where the headline act was the eight goals from another WAFL product, Lance Franklin.

There was another debutant for the Eagles on Sunday too who was a WAFL product in the form of Jake Waterman. 

In his second season on West Coast's list, the son of dual premiership player Chris, made his debut in the Eagles forward-line against Sydney and also kicked a goal to go with eight disposals, two marks and three tackles.

Garlett might not have been making his AFL debut having previously played 17 matches at the Gold Coast Suns, but his is a heart-warming story. He left Gold Coast to return home for personal reasons and ended up playing some good WAFL football again with South Fremantle in 2017.

On the back of that, he was given a second chance in the AFL by Carlton and was there for Round 1 with the Blues last Thursday night against Richmond in front of more than 90,000 fans at the MCG.

He certainly wasn’t overwhelmed by the occasion and played well kicking two early goals and ending the night with 17 possessions and seven marks.

Cameron is another player making his debut at his second AFL club with the Swan Districts product having requested a trade to the Brisbane Lions last year after he had been a key cog in the Adelaide Crows reaching the Grand Final.

He got his wish to join the Lions and in his first game against St Kilda on Saturday at Etihad Stadium, the small forward had 17 disposals, five marks and kicked three goals in an impressive performance. 

Meanwhile, South Fremantle product Matera was also playing his first game at a new club on Saturday when he lined up for Fremantle against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.

Following 101 games at the Gold Coast Suns, he joined the Dockers at the end of 2017 and put in a good first up performance despite the loss for his team with 19 disposals, seven marks, three tackles and a goal.

ROUND 1 AFL DEBUTANTS

Bailey Banfield – for Fremantle v Port Adelaide
Zac Langdon – for GWS Giants v Western Bulldogs
Aaron Naughton – for Western Bulldogs v GWS Giants
Tim Kelly – for Geelong v Melbourne
Liam Ryan – for West Coast v Sydney
Jake Waterman – for West Coast v Sydney