THE Carlton Football Club has tonight welcomed three new draftees into the fold, with Lachlan Cowan, Jaxon Binns and Harry Lemmey now calling IKON Park home.

Cowan was selected with Carlton’s first pick of the night at pick No.30, after a live trade with Collingwood in exchange for the Blues’ future second-round selection.

Cowan was the 2022 Morrish Medallist (the NAB League’s best-and-fairest player) and an under-18 All Australian, putting together a superb season for Tasmania - where he was co-captain - as well as the Allies.

A classy rebounder out of the back half, Cowan has a prodigious right boot who is just as adept at providing dash from defence as he is thwarting opposition attacks via intercepts — he ranked equal eighth at the draft combine in the running vertical jump.

Previously a midfielder, Cowan starred in his first season in the back half, ranking elite for disposals, intercept possessions and score involvements for Tasmania in the NAB League before doing the same for disposals and metres gained for the Allies.

Having played against senior bodies already in the Tasmanian State League, Cowan joins a unique group of Blues from the Apple Isle, including Hall of Fame members Peter ‘Percy’ Jones and Brent Crosswell.

Binns was selected with pick No.32 after impressing at the draft combine with a second place finish in the agility test and third in the two-kilometre time trial.

It is no surprise that his main weapon is his running capacity and ability to provide an option for teammates on the outside.

Locking down a role on the wing for both the Dandenong Stingrays and Vic Country, Binns arguably saved his best football for the representative side. He had 39 disposals in a best-on-ground opening performance against the Allies, going on to average 26 disposals for the entirety of the 2022 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.

It was a four-game stretch which saw Binns duly rewarded with under-18 All-Australian selection, named on the wing which he well and truly made his own. 

He was similarly consistent for the Stingrays in their campaign which led to a NAB League Grand Final, averaging over 21 disposals, just shy of six inside 50s and a goal a game across his eight matches for the season.

Binns joins a contingent of Blues who have come out of the Dandenong Stingrays, including Jacob Weitering, Tom De Koning, Nic Newman and Matthew Cottrell.

Lemmey was selected with Carlton’s final pick of the evening at pick No.47 after being touted as one of the standout talls in his underage campaign.

Lemmey has played at all three levels of the SANFL - under-18s, reserves and also seniors - in the last two years, plying his trade in attack while also spending time in the ruck as well as stints in defence.

Standing at 200 centimetres, Lemmey joins a Carlton list where he can learn from two of the premier key forwards in the competition – the last two Coleman Medallists, Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow.

A member of the AFL Academy, Lemmey combines his sheer size with impressive mobility at ground level. He kicked two goals in a losing reserves Grand Final in 2022, while he was at his dominant best in the under-18s competition back in Round 13 of this season: on that day, he had 18 disposals, 10 marks and six goals in a resounding win.

Lemmey represented his state in the 2022 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, and possesses AFL-quality attributes with his athleticism and usage of the ball by foot.

Carlton Head of List Management Nick Austin said each draftee has their individual strengths which will come to the forefront during their time at IKON Park.

“We are delighted to welcome Lachlan, Jaxon, and Harry to the Club, alongside Ollie Hollands who was selected yesterday evening,” Austin said.

“Lachlan is an impressive young athlete who has demonstrated his football nous for both Tasmania and at NAB AFL Under-18 Championships level: ending the NAB League season as the Morrish Medallist is a great personal achievement.

“He showed his adaptability this year and we think he’s going to get better and better in our program: it’s great to have him in the Navy Blue.

“Jaxon is a quality player and person that we’re delighted to welcome to our football club via the draft.

“His running capacity is seriously impressive, which he demonstrated to full effect for Vic Country on the way to a carnival where he went on and was named as an All-Australian for his efforts: we’re excited to see him put his best foot forward at IKON Park.

“Harry is a promising young talent who has shown what he is capable of throughout his football journey to date.

“We really like his athleticism and the way he threw himself at any task that was in front of him this season, whether that was playing up forward, pinch-hitting in the ruck or even spending time down back.

“We see Harry as a tall forward as well as a key back, we see that versatility as a strength of his. He’s really clever as a young key position player and his disposals generally end in scores, whether it’s him kicking the goal himself or finding a teammate.

“We’re looking forward to getting all our draftees into the Club in the coming days and officially welcoming them into the football program.”