North Melbourne has selected West Australian small forward Robert Hansen jnr with pick No.2 in the AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
Originally from Kalgoorlie almost 600km east of Perth, Hansen jnr arrives at Arden Street via Subiaco in the WAFL.
The 19-year-old finished his top-age season in 2022 strongly, including a five-goal haul in Subiaco’s Colts side’s semi-final win over South Fremantle.
He has since progressed to play senior football with Subiaco this year, where he has averaged 10.6 disposals, 4.4 score involvements and kicked three goals in his first five games.
Hansen jnr’s opportunity at North Melbourne comes after the club moved small forward Jack Mahony to its inactive list.
Mahony suffered a shoulder injury against Port Adelaide in Round 9 which required season-ending surgery.
National recruiting manager Will Thursfield said Hansen jnr will add some spark to the forward half.
"He missed out on the draft last year and worked hard on his fitness over the summer and has been able to establish himself in their League team (Subiaco) so far this year," he said.
"He's a half-forward who's got some real speed and agility, gets up the ground, gets back to goal ... good things happen when he wins possession.
"We're excited to see what he can become."
Hansen jnr is expected to arrive at Arden Street later this week for testing and should be available to play from next weekend.
