An extraordinarily versatile prospect who projects as a matchwinner will be the No.1 pick in next week’s AFL draft.
Dougie Cochrane has mostly been unsighted this year, because of a knee injury that required surgery and dashed his hopes of playing at the national under-18 championships, but no one who matters has forgotten the 195-centimetre swingman’s promise.
Essendon are expected to bid on Cochrane at the top of the draft, but Port Adelaide will match without hesitation to select a player, perhaps, unlike any since the Power’s super-utility Chad Cornes, who retired 14 years ago.
But Cochrane refuses to believe the hype surrounding him is anywhere near that of the No.1 pick two years ago, West Coast’s budding superstar Harley Reid .
“No way. He was crazy in his draft year,” Cochrane said of Reid.
“[Being the No.1 pick] comes with a bit of pressure, but I don’t mind. Obviously, it would be a good achievement, and I’d love to go No.1. But there are that many players in the draft, so it’s rare that the No.1 pick is the best player. I’ve still got to work hard to be the best player I can be.
“Robbie Gray, who’s the best Port player of all-time, was pick 55, so just because you’re the No.1 pick, it doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to be good.”
The AFL approved the teenage star’s inclusion in Port’s next-generation academy in November last year after his family received confirmation of his Aboriginality, granting the club the ability to match any rival bid on him.
Cochrane’s Indigenous heritage comes from his father, and ex-Power and Kangaroos footballer, Stuart’s side. He played at least 50 games for both clubs, but not enough for any of his sons to be eligible as a father-son selection.
However, the league’s new draft rules, announced in April, made it significantly harder for clubs to match bids on high-end father-son and academy prospects, including not being able to use more than two picks.
Cochrane and Carlton’s father-son jet Cody Walker instantly became the faces of the new rule, with Walker’s dad, ex-Blue Andrew Walker, slamming the changes as “ridiculous” in May .
Power list boss Jason Cripps similarly described them as “brutal and unprecedented”.
Zak Butters’ decision to leave Port Adelaide for the Western Bulldogs – as much as the Power wanted to keep him – meant it was easier for them to gather the required assets.
“I was a bit shocked when that came out midway through the year because I didn’t think they could change the rules midway through the years because it stuffs up every club, to be honest,” Cochrane said.
2021: Jason Horne-Francis (North Melbourne)
2020: Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (Western Bulldogs)
“I was a bit worried for a week or so [that I would not get to Port Adelaide] because I didn’t really understand the rules until my manager had a chat to me about it.”
Cochrane made a brilliant SANFL league debut in August last year as a 17-year-old, kicking four first-half goals for Central District against North Adelaide, after shooting to prominence when he won the MVP award at the AFL under-16 championships in 2024.
That performance earmarked him as a future No.1 selection, showcasing how he can impact the game at both ends and even through the midfield.
That positional flexibility is what every scout first brings up about Cochrane’s appeal.
Throw in his athleticism and first-class kicking and marking prowess, and you have a prospect who arguably stacks up with any No.1 pick across the past decade.
Cochrane’s qualification for Port Adelaide’s academy not only means he will follow in his father’s footsteps at the club, but will also again call his brother Tom a teammate. Tom joined the Power in much more humble fashion as a rookie-draft selection in 2024 and has played six matches so far.
“Tom was a bit of a dark horse in his draft year ... he’s played a few games and still needs to prove himself, but I’ve loved watching him the last couple of years,” Cochrane said.
“I’ve played only a couple of games with him in the juniors [at Central District], so that was definitely a surreal moment. But it would be even more special to play for the club that we supported growing up – it would be unreal.”
Cochrane made it back for four SANFL appearances late in the year after recovering from surgery to address a lingering patella tendonitis issue in his left knee.
He originally wanted to return for the mid-year national championships , but was still relieved to resume playing.
“There was a chance I wasn’t going to play this year, so I was very grateful to be able to play,” he said. “I love footy, and you don’t realise how much you will miss it until you’re out of it.”
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