Draft review: Matt bounds out like a Kangaroo, while Jack’s star Power was a slow burn

Throughout the year, the twin brothers had been consistently spoken about in the same breath.

If one performed well, the other was always mentioned.

The media interviews leading up to the two draft nights had the towering brothers often sitting next to each other, answering countless twin-related questions.

However, neither Jack nor Matt — from the outside at least — ever seemed bothered.

Instead, they attacked each interview with smiles sprawled across their faces as their football dreams were set to become a reality.

Heading down together to Marvel Stadium on Wednesday — where the first night of the AFL National Draft was held — with 20 family and friends in tow, neither brother knew which club’s doors they would be walking through come Monday.

Given that both of them were regarded as two of the best junior key position prospects in the country — Jack as a forward-ruck and Matt as a forward-defender — the Whitlock family home had hosted countless clubs throughout the year, often for hours at a time.

Sometimes having multiple clubs sat around their dining table in a night.

The 2024 draft crop's talent depth had been well documented, so recruiters were determined to make the most of their time when they drove up the Goulburn Valley Hwy.

Jack and Matt had done all the hard yards.

The countless trainings for Shepparton, Murray Bushrangers and Vic Country, the nightly sessions at Aquamoves, the focus on nutrition and recovery — everything asked of a future AFL player.

Thanks to talent, effort, natural ability and football smarts, Jack and Matt had been predicted to go in the first round of the draft.

They were part of a shortlist of draftees invited to attend Marvel Stadium on Wednesday night.

Now it was time for them to sit back, relax and enjoy this time with those they hold dearest.

However, the football gods had a few tricks up their sleeve that they were yet to play.

Wednesday night

The red carpet was rolled out on the draft's opening night as a flock of journalists and media arrived at Marvel Stadium, eager to interview the next generation of stars.

The night, in appearance, seemed almost like a training run for future Brownlow Medals for the draftees.

Jack was expected to go roughly between picks 12-22, while Matt was in the 20-30 range.

Either way, most draft experts expected both Shepparton boys to be selected in the first round.

As the night wore on and the picks were announced, confusion began to emerge at the Whitlock table, on the broadcast and at the Shepparton clubrooms where a watch party was taking place.

Why hadn’t Jack or Matt been selected yet?

With one pick remaining in the first round (Richmond’s pick 27), North Melbourne made a last-minute trade with the Tigers.

The Kangaroos were desperate to secure someone left on the board and traded their future first-round pick to the Tigers for pick 27 and a future second-rounder.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon then promptly read out that North Melbourne had selected Matt and jubilation broke out at Marvel and Deakin Reserve.

Speaking on Thursday, Matt reflected on those dramatic final moments.

“That was a roller-coaster, but an unreal night, I was so happy,” he said.

“Plenty of emotions, but it is all settling in now and I am just so happy.”

With the first round officially complete, Jack now had to wait until the following night to see where he would be playing football in 2025.

It was a bitter-sweet feeling for Jack as he hugged his brother and watched him walk up to the podium to receive his guernsey.

Also speaking on Thursday, Jack said there wasn’t much communication with clubs as to why he had slipped through the first round.

“I went to the North rooms and was mixing with all the North recruiters last night,” Jack said.

“They were a bit confused as well as to how I was still on the board.”

Thursday night

After a hectic finish to Wednesday, the drama didn’t stop for the Whitlock family as the draft rolled into night two.

Richmond also held pick 28 — the first selection of the second round — and was willing to trade it for the right price.

AFL.com.au’s Cal Twomey reported that North Melbourne had offered its two future second-round picks for the selection in an effort to draft Jack and keep the brothers together.

While that storyline was playing out behind the scenes, Matt said he was busy juggling media commitments and the end of his schooling journey with his graduation being held on Thursday.

“It has been a pretty big day,” Matt said.

“I had about three hours of media in the morning, then I came (to Shepparton).

“I tried to have a nap, went to grad for about five minutes and now I am here, so it has been pretty full on.”

After a strong turnout for night one, the Shepparton clubrooms were heaving on Thursday evening as the Bears, the Whitlocks’ family, friends and classmates turned out to support Jack as he prepared himself for another night of watching and waiting.

Although Jack being drafted was a case of when not if, the young gun was still visibly anxious as he watched the draft restart.

“(I was) extremely nervous,” Jack said.

“Each club (with selections at the start of the second round), I had good chats with them.

“The pool was so open I thought I could have gone to any of those picks.

“You never know with the draft, even my manager, no-one was telling him what was going on.”

Jack, with Matt, his mum Angela, dad Paul and younger brother Alex sat close to him, watched the draft unfold on a laptop in front of him — the broadcast on the club’s television screens was delayed by 30 seconds.

His friends, dressed in suits and ball gowns, cloaked the family.

Breaths were held and released with a sigh as each pick passed.

Would Richmond take him? Nup.

West Coast? No dice.

St Kilda? Not today.

The 70 or 80 people in attendance were riding Jack’s emotions with him as the torturous wait to find out his future continued from Wednesday night.

With pick 33, Port Adelaide was on the clock.

Once again, breaths were drawn, fingers and toes crossed.

With hands over his mouth and pleading eyes, Jack finally got his wish as his name was read out to the raptures of the room.

Jack and his family were quickly swallowed in a sea of friends as excited yelps, hollers and whoops filled the air.

At the bottom of the pack was Jack, with a grin from ear to ear.

The young gun was thrilled to be playing his football at Alberton Oval for next season and beyond.

Even though Jack didn’t need any reason to work harder throughout pre-season, he said being passed over by so many clubs had added fire to his belly.

“Definitely a lot of receipts to add to the bag,” he said.

“I just want to prove everyone wrong.”

Meanwhile, Matt — with his Kangaroos guernsey underneath his shirt for graduation — was ecstatic after his brother was selected by Port.

“The build-up (to Thursday night) was pretty intense,” Matt said.

“It’s crazy to think (Jack) slipped that much, someone of his abilities.

“Port’s a good club and especially with Joe Berry going there too, they are two best mates, so it’s pretty good to see them both go together.”

With the twins’ new homes for 2025 decided, eyes quickly scanned to next season’s fixture.

April 26, round seven at Adelaide Oval, is the first opportunity for Jack and Matt to face each other.

Although the brothers are seen as long-term investments and unlikely to play too many games in their first season, Matt said he looked forward to playing Jack at either end of the ground in the future.

“I’ll look to probably work him under the ball and kick a bag of five, or shut him down, depends where I am playing,” he said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Jack said he couldn’t wait for the opportunity to use what he had learned playing “markers-up” against Matt at the family home.

“I’m pretty sure there will be some competitive banter, but nah we both love it,” Jack said.

“All of those backyard battles have led to that day, so extremely excited.

“He is more into the cheap ones and I’ll just show him out on the field.”

One week later

Life moves quickly in the football world.

A few days after the draft, Matt was already completing 2km time trials in the pouring rain at Arden Street, while Jack was in the Port Adelaide gym, shifting tin with some of the Power’s stars.

As the embers settled on the Whitlock clan’s draft experience, mum Angela reflected on what had been an emotionally draining week.

“Paul and I are just so proud of the two boys,” Angela said.

“I think my heart is full now.

“Now that we aren’t exhausted any more, we just feel really good.

“Very happy with the outcome, in the end, both are at great clubs."

Angela was full of praise for the boys’ junior football side, as she said the family appreciated the Bears’ support by hosting watch parties on Wednesday and Thursday night.

“It was great to share it with the Shepp Bears, they have been so supportive of us,” she said.

“That late notice to get (the watch party) up two nights in a row and to fill the clubrooms.

“We had lots of cousins and aunties and uncles and extended family that were able to join in on it.

“I just got absolutely smashed by all those kids (when Jack got drafted), they all just jumped on top of us, I think I was at the bottom of the pile trying to get out.”

Sending your child off to another state, days after their graduation, is an understandably daunting proposition for most parents.

Angela said the Power had been consistent and generous in terms of the support it had provided to the athletes and their families.

“(Club officials) have been in touch most days — they rang again today,” she said.

“Straight away most of the parents have reached out to us and we are straight into group chats, updating us with videos of Jack on the day.

“Just little things like reaching out and saying, ‘The weather is beautiful today he has been training well’, all that kind of stuff.

“They are looking out for him with accommodation and letting us know he is having dinners with coaches, just lots of updates constantly — they are very aware of how far away we are.”

Meanwhile, Matt remains closer to home, with the younger of the twins set to move in with fellow Kangaroos draftee Finn O’Sullivan in the coming weeks.

Angela said Matt was bounding as a Roo at the moment.

“I don’t think (the North Melbourne guernsey) came off until probably the Saturday,” she said.

“He wore it under the grad shirt that night and then all the next day, so he is pretty happy.”