AFL Draft: Jye Amiss heading to Fremantle Dockers with highest South West pick in 12 years

Busselton’s Jye Amiss is a Fremantle Dockers player — becoming the highest draft pick from the South West region in more than a decade. The Dockers used their first pick in the draft, the eighth pick overall, on the 18-year-old East Perth forward. The imposing key position player kicked a competition-high 51.15 in the WAFL colts competition and was described by Dockers coach Justin Longmuir on Tuesday as a “smart forward” who can play “a lot of footy” for the rebuilding club. It makes him the highest ever Busselton player selected and just the second, after former Dockers ruckman Scott Jones to be taken in the National Draft. He said landing at an AFL club was a dream come true. “It’s such a surreal feeling, I don’t have words at the moment,” Amiss said. “I am just so excited. Thanks to Freo for the opportunity, any opportunity at this level to train and play has always been a dream. The 195cm target spent most of the season training in the South West and travelling up to play for the Royals. “It has been a massive year for travel,” Amiss said. “At the start of the year you get yourself through it and by the end of the year it was just something you had to do each weekend.” The Magpies product is the latest recruit in the club’s mission to find a genuine marking target to partner Matt Taberner inside forward 50. South Australian midfield star was the first player selected, heading to North Melbourne. No other South West products were taken in the first round of the draft, but Amiss’ Magpies and Royals teammate James Tunstill, Margaret River’s Kade Dittmar, Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault product Brady Hough and Bunbury-born Sandover medalist Bailey Rogers are all a chance to be selected when the remainder of the draft. Anthony Morabito was the last South West player to be taken inside the top 10 — heading to the Dockers with pick number four in 2009.