Mackay product Harry Arnold is bound for Sydney after being picked up by the Swans with pick #5 in the AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
The 24-year-old started playing Aussie Rules as part of his primary school’s Auskick program in Mackay and by 16 he was playing in the seniors for the Eastern Swans before moving to the Gold Coast after high school.
There he plied his craft in the QAFL at Broadbeach where he helped them to a premiership in 2021. He was also on Southport’s NEAFL list before being picked up by the Brisbane Lions VFL side in 2021.
He has since become one of the top defenders in their backline, shutting down the opposition’s best forward each week. He is described as a mobile defender with the ability to intercept mark and leap above packs.
The former Gold Coast SUNS Academy player has had an unlucky run with injuries towards the end of last year’s VFL season but has returned at full strength this year, earning him the chance to play at AFL level.
