This season's draft by Jason Gent

For a number of teenagers, rising to the heights of their endeavours in local and representative AFL football, there is a chance that they will be selected in the AFL draft. This impending and momentous change in their life trajectory is highlighted for us as we see inside the four seasons of the buildup to Draft Week. There is a competitive edge, a nervous excitement, constant training, games and readiness, the possibility of heartache and a perpetual build-up like an impending thunderstorm, but with the possibility of the lightning flash of National exposure in an AFL club. One girlfriend is also followed through this tumultuous year, and all the families are part of the journey. If you have ever wondered what it must be like to go from anonymity and ‘just enjoying your football’ to the big stage of AFL, then this is a real window to this world of sport. 

Written as a verse novel with each character revealing their stories separately across each season of the year, there is an easiness to the writing that would enable even reluctant readers to engage. For sports lovers the insights into elite sports demands are also revelatory. I imagine this will be a book recommended amongst peers of AFL-interested readers, but even those who only have a cursory interest will be able to connect with characters dealing with anxiety, personal expectations, family issues (even grief), relationships, the media, and all in the final season of school life. I really enjoyed this book, it is a comfortable reading journey, and it was good to have a sporting story that could be recommended to both genders in the teen years. (Note: AFLW draft is not mentioned … perhaps there should be a Book 2?)

Themes: AFL Draft, family, training, elite sport, relationships, expectations, prose poetry/verse novels.

Carolyn Hull