JUST two months after captaining his country in cricket, Patrick McKenna has found his way on to an AFL list after being snapped up by Greater Western Sydney on Thursday night.

 

McKenna, the left-handed batting Australian under-19 skipper, was taken by the Giants during the second round at No.23 overall.

 

The 18-year-old led his country on a tour to Sri Lanka in September, but it was there he decided on a career in football after excelling for Gisborne in the Bendigo Football League.

 

McKenna is 186cm and 76kg, is good overhead and with his good foot skills, can play a variety of positions.

 

Giants list manager Stephen Silvagni said he could see enormous upside in McKenna, once he got some pre-seasons into him.

 

"We know he runs very well and he's an elite ball user," Silvagni said.

 

"We rated him and we had pick 23 and we picked him. We were happy to get him there."

 

The Giants addressed a number of needs with their high-end selections, taking Jarrod Pickett (No.4), Caleb Marchbank (No.6) and Paul Ahern (No.7) in the first round.

 

In Pickett and Ahern they have some genuine speed and class, while Marchbank is a competitive tall defender who has excellent mobility.

Stephen Silvagni says: "Jarrod's really silky, has speed, can kick a goal, can play in defence and take a good grab – he's a really classy player."

 

Stephen Silvagni says: "Caleb is a defender who can play forward and go through the midfield. He reads the ball really well, can play tall and small and has good speed. He's got a bit of versatility which we like."

 

Stephen Silvagni says: "He's got some speed. He's a real quality player, good ball user, can kick goals and he's another one that can run-and-carry. The speed was a need for our list."

 

Stephen Silvagni says: "He played in the Bendigo League against men and played really well. He hasn't really done a pre-season with anyone because he plays cricket, (but) we know he runs very well and he's an elite ball user."

 

Stephen Silvagni says: "Jack works really hard, has a good tank and has fitted in really well in his training so far. He can play half-forward and midfield, so it's great to have another one of those types."

 

Stephen Silvagni says: "He's a bit of a developing tall who is known as a forward but will play back at times. Will probably take a little while but he's a nice kick. To get the two academy boys was fantastic."