Carlton has strengthened its midfield and secured another possible “swingman” after picking up three new recruits in last night’s AFL National Draft.

Some months ago the Blues’ recruiting team identified West Australian Patrick Cripps as a key target, and they got their man, securing the big-bodied midfielder with selection No. 13.

Cripps received All-Australian honours after a standout performance in this year’s under-18 championships, despite coming off a low endurance base after breaking his leg in 2012.

Carlton’s National Recruiting Manager Shane Rogers says Cripps has already been nicknamed “The Extractor”.

“That’s what we’ve called him all year, he’s a ball Extractor,” Rogers said.

“He’s got a Diesel Williams-like brain, so he can see things out the side of his eyes at the tightest angle. His strength is that he can win the clearances and feed the ball out.”

Cripps will be joined at Carlton by Cameron Giles and Nick Holman, who were selected by the Blues with picks 39 and 51 respectively.

Blues’ recruiters have described Giles as a “dashing defender” who hails from Woodville-West Torrens.
 
Rogers says the young South Australian could join Lachie Henderson in Carlton’s “swingman” stocks.
 
“Cameron is 195-centimetres tall and played as a running defender this year, but played up forward for most of his junior career,” Rogers said.
 
“He plays a little bit like Brian Lake – he takes a risk, knows how to take a mark and gets a lot of the ball, averaging about 20-possessions per game.”
 
Meanwhile, Rogers says Victorian Nick Holman a hard-running midfielder from the Murray Bushrangers, who stars around the stoppages.
 
“Nick is a very competitive kid who plays on the wing and through the midfield,” Rogers said.
 
“He has fierce tackling pressure and knows how to win the contested ball.”
 
Carlton’s new recruits are set to descend on Visy Park for their first training session with the team next week.
 
Stay tuned to the Carlton website for news of their arrival!