Liam Stocker is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League. He was recruited with the 19th overall selection in the 2018 National Draft and was the first player to be drafted via a ‘live trade’.
Liam Stocker: Trade| Fanfooty| Discord| Injury
Trade:
Carlton has called time on the Liam Stocker era after only four seasons, delisting him alongside journeyman wingman Will Hayes on Monday.
The Blues famously swapped future first-round picks with Adelaide during the 2018 AFL draft while acquiring pick 19 to use on Stocker, who then-list boss Stephen Silvagni rated the sixth-best player in the pool.
Stocker won the NAB League’s Morrish Medal that season as a midfielder but was predominantly used as a defender in his 28 games at senior level for Carlton, including only six in 2022.
Fanfooty:
Having already drafted Sam Walsh with pick No.1 that same year, the club’s list manager at the time Stephen Silvagni later said they rated Stocker as the sixth best player in that season’s draft pool.
Discord:
However, Stocker failed to break into Carlton’s midfield rotation and has been used for the majority of his career as a small defender. He played just 28 senior games across four seasons with the club.
Hayes, who had previously represented the Western Bulldogs, was the club’s second pick at the most recent mid-season draft, but managed just two appearances for the Blues including one as a medical substitute.
Injury:
The 21-year-old suffered the injury after his ankle was caught in a tackle at training, with scans confirming surgery will be the most effective approach for recovery.
Carlton’s football boss Brad Lloyd said the club would continue to monitor Stocker’s rehabilitation over the coming months.
It’s a body blow for Stocker who is coming off his most productive season with the Blues since he was controversially drafted in 2018 with pick No.19.
