AFL great to play one-off game for Beaufort

BEAUFORT is buzzing ahead of the Central Highlands Football Netball League season as the Crows prepare to welcome an AFL legend for a one-off game during 2025.

The Crows have been selected as one of five clubs from across Australia to be given the chance to draft a former AFL icon during the season.

They will choose one player from a star-studded draft pool, comprising 1437 games of AFL experience.

That means one of three-time premiership Cat Tom Hawkins, one-time Richmond No.1 draft pick Brett Deledio, former Dockers six-time All-Australian Mathew Pavlich, 2010 Collingwood premiership forward Travis Cloke, or Eagles 2018 premiership defender Will Schofield will don the Crows blue, red and yellow in a one-off appearance this season.

The five players will be allocated to teams during The Carlton Draft night, to be held on April 30, at The Sporting Globe in Richmond.

An elated Beaufort Football Netball Club president Nick Franc labelled the Crows’ participation in the Carlton Draft as a major spark for not only the club, but the whole town.

“It brings a bit of positivity to the club and gives us something to look forward to and build towards,” he said.

“It’s fair to say we’ve battled a bit over the last two years – we’ve won one game in the last two years.

“We won the premiership in 2018, but there has been a big turnover in players since. We’ve found it a little hard to recruit players.

“In such A big competitive league, it can be hard to get back up there. It is a 17-team league and all the clubs are recruiting well, so it’s been a tough grind for a few years.”

Given a choice, Mr Franc – an avid North Melbourne supporter – declared Geelong’s five-time All-Australian Hawkins as the ideal choice for the Crows in the draft.

“He’s a big key forward and lives not too far away and is working for Nutrien, so he was at the Ballarat sale the other day, so there’s a bit of a connection there,” he said.

“But we wouldn’t knock any of those blokes back.”

“There’s a fair bit of promotion involved – Carlton Draught throw a fair bit at you, so it will be a big day. I’m sure.”

Mr Franc said Beaufort had previously been on the receiving end, when former Fremantle Dockers star David Mundy lined up for Carngham Linton in a 79-point win over the Crows in 2023 as part of the initiative.

“He kicked six goals, so that didn’t work out so well for us,” he said.

While the only way is up for the Crows following only one win last season, Mr Franc is adamant improvement will come under second-year playing coach Daniel Jones.

“We think we have improved. We’ve recruited 12 players, including a few out of the Amateurs in Melbourne who go to uni with a few of our own local kids,” he said.

“So, we have tried something different by going into Melbourne to look for players.

“We’ve got a connection there and a group of players we think can definitely improve us.

“That said, there are other sides who have improved also. But from where we are sitting, we just want to be more competitive and win a few more games.”

The more permanent availability of solid on-baller Jack Wotherspoon, combined with the return of assistant coach Lachie Murray after 18 months off with a knee injury and the arrival of Harrison Newitt (Spotswood), Miles Picken (Carngham Linton) and Hamish Francis (Old Scotch) are all cause for optimism at Beaufort.

The four other clubs with picks in the Carlton Draft are Heathmere (South West FNL), Hill End and Grove Rovers (Gippsland FNL), Coleambally (Farrer FL, NSW) and Beverley Redbacks (Avon FNA, WA).