Game Day 2022 AFL National Draft Thread (North's current picks - Sheezel, Wardlaw, #23, #63)

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2022 REPLAYS

Metro v Young Guns: Colgate Young Guns v Victoria Metro - Round 1
Country v Young Guns: Colgate Young Guns v Vic Country - Round 2
Fitzroy Cubs v Carlton VFL: AFL Diversity Talent Programs
Match Replay: NAB AFL Academy v Collingwood
Match Replay: 2022 SA v Allies: 2022 NAB AFL National Championships - U18

AFL DRAFT COMBINE RESULTS 2022

Vertical Jump

75cm – Darcy Jones (WA)
75cm – James Van Es (VIC C)
72cm – Jack O’Sullivan (VIC M)
70cm – Olli Hotton (VIC M)
70cm – Reuben Ginbey (WA)
70cm – Elijah Hewett (WA)
69cm – Jacob Konstanty (VIC C)
68cm – Blake Drury (VIC M)
68cm – Tyrell Dewar (WA)
68cm – Josh Weddle (VIC M)
68cm – Edward Allan (WA)

Running Vertical Jump

98cm – James Van Es (VIC C)
90cm – Josh Weddle (VIC M)
90cm – Will Verrall (SA)
89cm – Jack O’Sullivan (VIC M)
87cm – Darcy Jones (WA)
87cm – Mattaes Phillipou (SA)
84cm – Toby McMullin (VIC M)
83cm – Mitch Szybkowski (VIC C)
83cm – Reuben Ginbey (WA)
83cm – Anthony Munkara (ALLIES)
83cm – Lachlan Cowan (ALLIES)

Agility

7.072sec – Darcy Jones (WA)
8.182sec – Jaxon Binns (VIC C)
8.217sec – Elijah Hewett (WA)
8.247sec – Steely Green (WA)
8.255sec – Edward Allan (WA)
8.267sec – Luke Teal (VIC M)
8.285sec – Toby McMullin (VIC M)
8.292sec – Jacob Konstanty (VIC C)
8.325sec – Harry Rowston (ALLIES)
8.343sec – Noah Long (VIC C)

20m Sprint

2.814sec – Edward Allan (WA)
2.880sec – Toby McMullin (VIC M)
2.883sec – Coby Burgiel (VIC C)
2.910sec – James Van Es (VIC C)
2.912sec – Darcy Jones (WA)
2.924sec – Olli Hotton (VIC M)
2.928sec – Reuben Ginbey (WA)
2.929sec – Cooper Vickery (VIC C)
2.937sec – Josh Weddle (VIC M)
2.951sec – Lloyd Johnston (ALLIES)

2km Time Trial

5min 54sec – Ollie Hollands (VIC C)
5min 54sec – Jason Gillbee (ALLIES)
6min 00sec – Jaxon Binns (VIC C)
6min 03sec – Josh Weddle (VIC M)
6min 15sec – Reuben Ginbey (WA)
6min 16sec – Jakob Ryan (SA)
6min 17sec – Steely Green (WA)
6min 21sec – Will Dowling (SA)
6min 25sec – Blake Drury (VIC M)
6min 25sec – Seth Campbell (ALLIES)
6min 25sec – Mattaes Phillipou (SA)
Player Profiles and Updated Top 50 - Post Championships & Combine.

Comment -
Not much changed in the top 5,but a fair bit has changed beyond that. Also added in half a dozen more profiles which mostly feature at the end.

1. Will Ashcroft 06/05/04 - Sandringham Dragons - 183cm Midfielder - Professional and balanced midfielder who accumulates the footy at will. Consistency at all levels has been seriously impressive. Has nominated Brisbane to be a F/S selection. Will no doubt be taken inside the top 2 picks. Unfortunately didn't test at the combine.

2. George Wardlaw 18/07/04 - Oakleigh Chargers - 182cm Midfielder - Tough, fast and explosive inside midfielder. Has the ability to take first possession and explode from the contest making him very damaging. Had a tough run over the past 3 months with re-occurring hamstring injuries. Has excellent defensive intent and pressure. Didn't test at the combine as a precaution.

3. Harry Sheezel 13/10/04 - Sandringham Dragons - 183cm Forward/Mid - Classy half forward/mid who can find space in a phone booth. Sums up situations quickly and can hit the hardest of kicks. Duel sided, smart, and excellent over head. Composure and overhead marking a real feature in his game. Question marks on his speed and ability to transition to the midfield at AFL level, but I think he has the footy IQ to overcome those deficiencies.

4. Aaron Cadman 03/03/04 – GWV Rebels – 194cm Forward - High work rate and elite leading CHF. Works up and down the ground and get involved in possession chains. Has dynamic movement for a big man and is a decent grab, particularly on the lead. Needs to improve his set shot goal kicking. Cadman is no doubt the premier key forward in this years draft class, but I still have concerns about his height and game style and whether that will translate to being a 50+ goal key forward at AFL level.

5. Elijah Tsatas 18/10/04 - Oakleigh Chargers - 184cm Midfielder - Powerful running midfielder who can play inside and outside. He is a true line breaker, with a combination of long running gait and long kicking. High footy IQ with positioning around the ground allowing him to always stay involved. Kicking can sometimes be a little bit hit and miss. Missed a big portion of the year due to a foot fracture.

6. Oliver Hollands 16/01/04Murray Bushrangers – 182cm Midfielder/Defender - Versatile midfielder who can play inside/outside, wing or across half back. Has an elite tank, and is arguable one of the best disposer in the draft. A long kick who can also provide some run and carry. Won the 2km time trial at the combine to highlight his elite running capacity. Have him ranked far higher than others mainly due to his kicking.

7. Bailey Humphrey 11/09/04 – Gippsland Power – 184cm Forward - A tough and a powerful athlete who loves the physical side of the game. A real game breaker with his overhead contested marking, goal kicking, physicality and ability to step up in pressure situations. Large scope of development due to his power and general footy IQ.

8. Mattaes Phillipou 27/12/04 – Woodville-West Torrens – 192cm Midfielder/Forward - Powerful left footer who can break the game open either in the midfield or across half forward. Strong overhead and has goal kicking ability when playing forward. Huge amount of upside, but no obvious best position at AFL level at this stage.

9. Jedd Busslinger 11/03/04 - East Perth - 195cm – Defender - Elite intercept defender who is good overhead but also has an excellent kick for a big man. Isn't afraid to take the game on, but also can lock down on the big tall forwards. Equally at home to playing that third tall interceptor role. Has a slight frame at this stage so will take some time to mature before playing AFL footy. While I think he is an elite intercept defender I do have concerns as to whether he will be big enough (physically) to play as a genuine KP at AFL level.

10. Cam Mackenzie 21/01/04 – Sandringham Dragons – 187cm Forward/Mid - Rarely plays a bad game and has benefitted from playing alongside Ashcroft. Can win the footy at the coal face but can also provide some run on the outside. Is crafty around goal when resting forward.

11. Jhye Clark 23/07/04 - Geelong Falcons - 180cm Midfielder - Consummate professional who rarely has a bad game. Fantastic balance between inside and outside game. Balanced, clean and always stays involved. Lacks an athletic point of difference to those rated above him, but in my opinion he is a sure bet to be a 200 gamer. Slips down the rankings due to a poor combine.

12. Elijah Hewett 27/05/04 - Swan Districts – 27/05/04 - 186cm Midfielder - Powerful, tough and physical goal kicking midfielder. Has a good turn of speed and is explosive off his first 3-4 steps allowing him to get separation from the contest.

13. Reuben Ginbey 10/10/04 – East Perth - 189cm Midfielder/Defender - A shift from half back to inside mid seen him thrive at the championships. Has a mature body, and is at home in the contest. Ball use by hand is really solid, but decision making and execution by foot is a big area of his game that needs to improve. Showed a lot of form in the WAFL playing as an intercept half back with his marking a real feature. Tested really well at the draft combine.

14. Lachlan Cowan 01/12/04 - Tasmania Devils - 187cm Defender - Arguably the best half back in the draft, Cowan provides a tonne of drive with his ability to intercept and kick long. Provides good run and carry but also has good balance between his offensive and defensive game. Sees the game well and has a damaging footskills that make him a serious weapon across half back. Rarely has a bad game.

15. Lewis Hayes 17/12/04 – Eastern Ranges – 195cm Key Defender - Rangy intercepting key defender who I rate a lot higher than most. Has all the attributes you could want in a defender; closing speed, long limbs, positioning and ability to intercept. Can accumulate the footy as well if allowed to play a loose role. Impressive decision making and has the foot skills to be damaging when exiting D50. Will take some time to mature physically.

16. Isaac Keeler 23/04/04 - North Adelaide - 197cm Ruck/Forward - Freakishly gifted tall forward, who has impressive movement below his knees and goal kicking ability. A special athlete, who has a good leap and speed. Bucket loads of potential but still very raw.

17. Oli Hotton 06/09/04 – Sandringham Dragons – 181cm Midfielder - Skillful midfielder who is at home both on the inside and out on a wing. Works hard both ways and is an attacking threat inside forward 50. Has a touch of class and his decision making is excellent.

18. Matthew Jefferson 08/03/04 – Oakleigh Chargers – 194cm Forward - Strong marking athletic key forward who kicked 7 goals against WA in the champs. Is slight, and will take some time. Doesn't seem to accumulate much footy around the ground at this stage and does his best work closer to goal.

19. Alwyn Davey Jr 26/02/04 – Oakleigh Chargers – 180cm Forward - Slick & quick is the best way to describe Davey. Slices through traffic with speed and agility. Has beautiful finishing skills and loves getting forward of centre to impact the scoreboard. F/S to Essendon.

20. Henry Hustwaite 20/07/04 – Dandenong Stingrays – 193cm Midfielder/Defender - Tall mid/key defender who has been consistent in the NAB League. Equally at home across half back or as an inside mid, he shows composure where ever he plays. When playing midfield he is a clearance machine who takes first posession and always manages to get his hands free. Across half back he sets up play with his good decision making and skill. Hard to see where his best position is at AFL level, too small to be a key back, and probably doesn't have much point of difference to be a mid. I think he ends up being a 3rd tall defender who can setup behind the play.

22. Billy Dowling 01/07/04 – North Adelaide – 187cm Midfielder - Putting up stupid numbers in the SANFL U 18's, averaging nearly 32 disposals and 1.5 goals per game. Also had a consistent champs where he was arguably SA's most consistent mid. Hard worker who impacts the contest with physicality. Has a mature body and isn't afraid to put it on the line. Works hard both ways and is often seen in D50 while playing in the midfield. His ability to accumulate is up there with the best in the draft and I feel he is underrated because he lacks a point of difference athletically. His ability to find the footy highlights his high footy IQ.

22. Charlie Clark 04/01/04 – Sandringham Dragons – 182cm Forward - Had him ranked far lower in previous rankings, but after watching a few of his previous games he has surged up my rankings. He is crafty, has a mean streak and has an appetite for the goals. Has an impressive side step and loves to carry the ball with aggression. He is the type of player that doesn't need a lot of the footy to generate scoring opportunities. Has kicked 23.15 in 12 games this year including a bag of 7.

23. Mitch Szybkowski 09/01/04 – Dandenong Stingrays – 186cm Midfielder - Big bodied inside mid who thrives at the coal face. He is strong, and uses his big frame to advantage when extracting the footy. Displays excellent hands and vision to release players on the outside. Most have him inside the top 15 but he is a little bit one paced and doesn't have much versatility, which is why I rank him lower than others.

24. Jaspa Fletcher 24/02/04 – Brisbane Academy – 184cm Midfielder - Hard running winger who has shown he can also play inside. Has a bit of pace that he likes to use to break the lines. Has good skills and already has a good tank. Brisbane will do all they can to ensure he is a F/S.

25. Harry Barnett 22/01/04 – West Adelaide – 202cm Ruck - Best tap ruckman in the draft. Not to dissimilar to our very own Todd Goldstein, with his ruck craft and follow up work. Good below his knees and a good kick for a big man. Decent mark, and already covers the ground well.

26. Jed Hagan 15/10/04 – East Fremantle – 175cm Midfielder/Defender - Tenacious, physical and well rounded footballer. Arguably one of my favourite players in the draft, simple because he always shows up to play. Despite his height, he can play as an inside mid, winger, lock down defender or as a small forward. Has recently kicked multiple goals in the seniors for East Freo in the WAFL. Has very neat skills, a bit of toe and absolutely thrives in the contest. I think whoever picks him up will get a gem.

27. Harry Lemmey 30/01/04 - West Adelaide - 199cm Forward - Was a sure bet to be a top 5 pick after his impressive under age year. Hasn't quite come in as well as many expected this year. At his best, he is a strong contested mark and smart footballer who has really good skills for a guy his size. His inconsistency and failure to really dominant any games this year is concerning.

28. Tom Scully 02/11/04 – West Adelaide – 204cm Forward - Tall forward who burst on to the scene earlier this year with bag after bag of goals in the SANFL under 18's. Tall, long and mobile for a guy his size, Scully has good lead up play and positioning. He has good agility and ground level game for a kid his size. Form has dropped away a bit over the last couple of months and he failed to have an impact in his one champs game.

29. Darcy Jones 03/04/04 Swan Districts – 173cm Wing - Small, zippy midfielder who has a number of attributes well suited to AFL. Quick, agile, evasive and courageous. Jones loves taking the game on using his speed and creativity. Has neat skills and composure in space. Had an excellent draft combine by breaking the agility record.

30. Brayden George 13/01/04 – Murray Bushrangers – 185cm Forward - Medium powerful forward who has a real dynamic presence when inside 50. The type of player who just makes things happen either at ground level or in the air. One of the better contested marks in this years draft class. Recently done his ACL, which is why he has fallen down my draft rankings. In all reality, due to his talent he will most likely go far earlier than this pick.

31. Jacob Konstanty 09/11/04 - Gippsland Power - 176cm Forward - Clever goal sneak who has a real evasiveness in his game. Is arguably the most consistent small forward in this years draft class, he plays the game with a real physical edge. Run down tackles and defensive intent are a real feature of his game. Can push up into the midfield and get involved too. Has a good centre of balance, and rarely goes to ground in the contest. In order to be a real premium small he just needs to sharpen up his goal kicking and skill level around the ground.

32. Adam D'Aloia 09/04/04 - Woodville-West Torrens - 184cm Midfielder - SA skipper, who is a grunt midfielder who loves the physical stuff. High footy IQ who runs to the right areas to be damaging. Loves a goal, but is also very accountable. One of the best tacklers and two way runners in this draft pool.

33. Jakob Ryan 20/09/2004 – Glenelg – 188cm Defender - Athletic defender who sees the game well. Long kicking half back who likes to take the game on, he has a nice leap and solid contested mark. Can play up the ground on a wing or even across half forward.

34. Jaxon Binns 29/10/04 - Dandenong Stingrays - 182cm Wing - Hard running wingman who has the ability to accumulate the footy at will. Doesn't have much of an inside game, but uses his elite tank to find space and break the game open. Despite his ability to find the football, his disposal is sometimes questionable. Due to his athleticism and ability to play as an outside runner, there is still plenty of scope for development. Tested really well at the draft combine for most athletic traits, which is why he has moved up my draft order.

35. Max Gruzewski 21/07/2004 - Oakleigh Chargers - 193cm Forward/Defender - Athletic key position player who is happy playing at either end of the ground. Has strong hands and good lateral movement for his size. Some draft watchers believe he is now shaping as a top 30 pick, while I like him as a prospect I'm still unsure as to his best position at AFL level.

36. Anthony Munkara 3/10/04 - West Adelaide – 190cm – Forward - Mercurial and freakishly talented, Munkara has an eye for goals and has the ability to win games off his own boot. Has beautiful vision in traffic and the skills to match. Was touted as potential top 10 pick at the start of the year but has only played one championship game and a couple of games at SANFL. Unsure if he is injured or simply not playing footy. On talent alone he deserves to be placed much higher.

37. Sam Gilbey 14/05/04 - Claremont - 185cm Defender - Another classy half back, who has strong rebounding ability. Reads the play well and uses his elite vision and kicking to setup across half back. Reads the play well and is solid in the air. He has slipped down my rankings due to a broken leg a few weeks ago.

38. James Van Es 07/08/04 – GWV Rebels – 196cm Defender - Dour and tough key defender who locks down on the oppositions best key forwards. Has decent closing speed and is an aerial threat with his intercept marking. The type of footballer you can just rely on to do the basics right all of the time. Surprised a fair few at the combine with the way he tested.

39. Kobe Ryan 17/02/04 – West Adelaide – 183cm Midfielder - Quick midfielder who is at home either inside or outside the contest. Has a long kick and clean hands inside the contest. Works hard both ways, but also likes to impact the scoreboard. Has played some league footy at SANFL level which highlights his potential, average 30+ disposals per game at under 18's level.

40. Josh Weddle 25/05/04 – Oakleigh Chargers – 191cm Defender - Intercepting defender who often made to play as genuine key position player. Has strong hands and is excellent one v one. He provides good skill off half back but also has a bit of run in his game. Has excellent closing speed. He is now a couple of cm's taller, but still not quite tall enough to be a genuine key defender, which is why I have him lower than most.

41. Cooper Harvey 12/07/04 – Northern Knights – 180cm Midfielder - Nuggety and tough midfielder who has come back two consecutive fractured arms to play a big role in the Knights resurgence. Has a real defensive edge in his game which results in him providing multiple efforts in the contest. His tank and foot skills need some work, but there is plenty to work with. F/S to North this year, it is a bit of an unknown as to where a bid will come.

42. Jonti Schuback 18/03/04 - Gippsland Power - 183cm Wing - Dashing half back/wingman who isn't afraid to take the game on. Has a bit of toe and good evasiveness. One of my favourites from this years draft, has he has good footy IQ and rarely plays a bad game. Has good balance between his offensive and defensive game.

43. Coby Burgiel 09/09/04 - Gippsland Power - 183cm Midfielder - Hard running, consistent midfielder who can play on every line. Has really neat skills and is very capable around goals. At home either inside or outside the contest. Has an excellent agility which allows him to find space in and around the contest.

44. Callum Verrell 22/04/04 – Eastern Rangers – 187cm Defender - Reliable defender who rarely gets beaten. Verrell has good balance between his offensive and defensive game. Can lock down on opponents, but also provide some run and carry. His composure and balance in the contest really stands out. Is capable of going with both talls and smalls.

45. Nick Sadler 08/01/04 – Sturt – 180cm Midfielder/Defender - Capable of playing on every line, Sadler is a reliable footballer who does all the team things. Tackling and defensive effort are features of his game. Has very neat skills and decision making and is capable both inside and outside the contest. Biggest question mark is to what role best suits him at AFL level.

46. Max Michalanney 26/02/04 – Norwood – 191cm Defender - Half back who can play a variety of roles and is suited to playing on both talls and smalls. Offers some rebound but can also lock down on his direct opposition. F/S to Adelaide.

47. Luke Teal 20/05/04 – Oakleigh Chargers – 188cm Wing - Attacking half back/wing who can win the footy in the air and on the ground. He is smart, balanced and composed. Was looking as a likely top 25 pick before the start of the season but has played less than 10 games due to a number of niggly injuries.

48. Blake Drury 11/01/04 – Oakleigh Chargers – 177cm Wing - Zippy half forward/mid who loves kicking a goal. Drury has leadership qualities, effort and competitiveness in spades. Works up and down the ground and can get involved in the inside and on the outside as a link up player. Probably ends up being a half forward at AFL level, but there are concerns as to whether he has enough tools to overcome his stature.

49. Lloyd Johnston 10/08/04 – NT Thunder - 184cm Defender - Dashing and evasive half back who loves the take the game on either by foot or by using his speed. Has excellent intercept marking for his size due to his athleticism and leap.

50. Jaiden Magor 16/02/04 - South Adelaide - 185cm Forward/midfielder - Talented midfielder forward who has some serious assets. Has natural forward craft, and can kick goals from anywhere. Is both an aerial threat and a threat at ground level. Very capable in the midfield as well where he uses his ball use and evasiveness to good affect.


Next 10 in no particular order:

Jason Gillbee
15/04/04 – Bendigo Pioneers – 190cm Midfielder - Tall, lean and hard running midfielder who can also play as a running half back. Likes to take the game on with his run. Has no worries finding the footy, but his disposal often lets him down.

Kane Bevan 25/4/2004 - West Perth - 192cm Midfielder - Big bodied, strong inside mid who can get forward and provide a marking target. Bevan is a clearance/contested machine who uses his clean hands around the contest. Loves the physical side of the game, but lacks in the outside game department.

Noah Long 23/08/04 – Bendigo Pioneers – 178cm Forward/Midfielder - Creative small mid/forward who uses his zip in and around the contest to create separation. Played more forward in the championships and had an impact on the scoreboard. Has natural goal sense and the skills/creativity to finish. Has had an injury interrupted year.

Harry Rowston 12/08/04 – GWS Academy – 181cm Midfielder - The Allies MVP, a hard two way midfielder who thrives in the contest. Covers the ground well and uses the ball well particularly by hands. He is really good overhead and isn't afraid to go back with the flight of the ball when pushing back into defence. Lacks a little of a point of difference which is why he is down my order. GWS will no doubt match a bid for him which could come as early as the top 30.

Tom McCallum 15/05/2004 - Tasmania Devils - 192cm Defender - Undersized key defender who uses his body and positioning to beat bigger opponents. Is slight, but has good core strength that allows him to compete. Has some speed that allows him to break the lines. He is let down by an awkward kicking style that sometimes results in poor kicks particularly when he is on the move. His intercept game is really impressive which will translate well to AFL level. However, he will take some time to get a mature body.

Finn Emile-Brennan 07/05/04 – Dandenong Stingrays – 181cm Defender - Skinny, slight but classy half back who has composure and a nice turn of foot. Uses his speed and agility to break the lines, and despite his smaller stature he is a long, powerful kick of the football. Linked to the Demons academy, but I wouldn't imagine he will receive a bid inside the top 40. Looks a long term prospect and will take time considering his weight.

Hugh Bond 25/09/04 – GWV Rebels – 184cm Midfielder - Physical and tough inside mid that likes to heap the pressure on his opponents when they don't have the footy. Tackling and defensive intent, along with his inside work are real features of his game. Has an elite tank which allows him to get from contest to contest. His hands in close are excellent, but can sometimes seem rushed when using the ball by foot. Lacks a bit of composure and can sometimes be slow to dispose of the ball.

Rye Penny 03/01/04 – Calder Cannons – 185cm Defender - Elite athlete who has a good leap, some speed and agility. Suited to playing across half back or on a wing where he can put his running capacity and speed to good use. Can break the lines with run and carry but is equally at home flying for marks and intercepting. His decision making particularly when under pressure is what lets him down, but there are plenty of athletic traits to work with.

Edward Allen 26/05/2004 - Claremont - 194cm Midfielder - Rangy outside midfielder who has come onto the scene late in the piece, after avg close to 25 disposals per game late in the season at WAFL colts level. Despite testing incredibly well for both speed and agility, he is one of those players that doesn't seem to use it during the game. Clubs would see a huge scope for potential considering his athleticism and height.

Harvey Gallagher 26/09/2003 - Bendigo Pioneers - 179cm Defender - Overage defender, who was incredible consistent this year for the pioneers. Provides run and carry off half back, but is equally at home defending one on one.

Late Draft or Rookie List Options:

Paul Pascu
20/08/2004 - Calder Cannons - 183cm Midfielder - Balanced midfielder who can also play across half back. Has a beautiful kicking action and can kick well on both sides of his body. Is equally at home inside or outside the contest. Attacks the contest with vigour, but has finishing skills outside the contest as well. Has had an injury interrupted which has impacted his consistency and draft standing. Earlier this year he was considered a top 30 prospect. Players like him don't lose their talent so it wouldn't surprise me if he was taken in the top 40.

Toby McMullin 06/0/2004 - Sandringham Dragons - 182cm Forward/Mid - Solid midfielder/forward who has some AFL capable qualities. Tested well for the 20m sprint with a 2.88, but also has good game sense and finishing. Some clubs may see some potential in him, despite only avergaing 11 disposals per game at NAB league level.

Jack O'Sullivan 22/10/2004 - Oakleigh Chargers - 177cm Midfielder - Physical small midfielder who has good balance between his inside and outside game. Has excellent vision and kicking to match often opening up the play with neat kicking. Has had some injury concerns this year. Question marks has to whether he has enough tools to overcome his height at AFL level.

Shadeau Brain 13/02/2004 - Brisbane Academy - 185cm Forward - Physical half forward who has some impressive athletic tools. Has a defensive edge to his game, often applying high amounts of pressure inside forward 50. Not only is he defensive, but he has some flair with his speed, leap and agility. Needs to work on his production and finishing skill, but does have some AFL qualities.

Darcy Edmends 28/04/2004 - Northern Knights - 183cm Midfielder - Classy ball user who doesn't need a heap of possessions to have an impact. Makes good decisions with ball in hand, and is particularly damaging when kicking inside forward 50. Avg'd 18.6 disposals and close 7 marks per game at NAB league level which highlights his work rate.

Oscar Murdoch 24/09/2004 - Geelong Falcons - 190cm Defender - No fuss defender who toils away doing his job. Only avg'd 11 disposals across 11 games for the Falcons, but will come under consideration to be drafted after he featured in the final championship game where he was one of VC's best players. Provided excellent intercepting marking and disposal while playing on the dangerous Harry Sheezel.

Archie Lovelock 19/12/2001 - Glenelg - 178cm Midfielder - Classy midfielder who seems to be somewhat underrated. Has played good footy at every level he has played at this year. Featured in the bests for SA for 2 out of his 3 games. Was also best afield in the SANFL u 18's grand final where he outshone much more fancied draftees in Will Dowling and Jakob Ryan. Avg'd 26.3 disposals per game in under 18's as well as 6 tackles and 3 clearances. Is a strong runner with good defensive application.

Angus Anderson 31/12/2003 - Sydney Academy - 189cm Midfielder - Overage midfielder from Northern NSW. Anderson had 2 covid impacted years during his development as a 17 and 18 year old. Tough inside mid, who thrives at the coal face. Wins the ball and distributes well by hand. Has a good tank so gets from contest to contest well. Has a mature body which he loves to throw around. Has played AFL most of his life, but has played some rubgy as well which results in him having an exceptional tackling technique. Biggest knock on him is that he struggles to have an impact when not playing as a clearance midfielder.

Seth Campbell 29/12/04 – Tasmania Devils – 182cm Forward - Zippy half forward/wing who loves getting on the scoreboard. Pushes up the ground to provide an option through the midfield, and then works back hard into inside 50. Plays with real flair and creativity. This is matched with good vision and a skillset that allows him to hit some lower % kicks. Defensive intent is solid too. Still very raw but plenty to work with.

Oliver Northam 28/07/2004 - Geelong Falcons - 195cm Forward/Ruck - Athletic player who has been playing as a genuine ruckman for the Falcons. Has a solid leap that allows him to ruck against opposition far taller than him. Has good follow up work and is solid below his knees. Can go forward and kick a goal. Will be more suited to playing as a key forward at AFL level. Still very raw.

Jack Cleaver 22/05/04 – East Fremantle – 188cm Defender - Tough and courageous half back who can also push into the midfield. Has good balance between his defensive and offensive work. Can lock down on an opponent, but can also provide some run and carry when playing a more loose role. Kicking can be a little bit hit and miss. Has played a couple of senior games in the WAFL.

Noah Bradshaw 01/01/2003 - Murray Bushrangers - 183cm Midfielder - Son of Brisbane champion Daniel Bradshaw, he is a uncompromising and tough overage inside midfielder who thrives in the contest. Likes to release teammates by hand but also works well around the ground to provide an option. Has good defensive application, averaging nearly 6 tackles per game. Lacks a bit of speed, but makes up for it with Footy IQ. Potential F/S to Brisbane.

Jackson Broadbent 2/12/2004 - Peel - 201cm Ruck - Excellent tap ruckman who provides some follow up at ground level. Was rated as an early first round choice prior to this year but he hasn't had much of a consistent impact at WAFL level or in the championships. He covers the ground well and has neat skills for a ruckman, but he isn't much of a threat aerially at this stage.

Phoenix Foster 12/9/2004 - Norwood - 196cm Forward - Key Forward who has kicked 26 goals from 11 games in the SANFL under 18's. He is an aerial threat with strong contested marking and a good leap. He attacks the footy with vigour and can provide an option up the ground. Also can pinch hit in the ruck. Plenty to work with if taken later in the draft or as a rookie.

Nick Madden 17/5/2004 - GWS Academy - 204cm Ruck - Monster lumbering ruckman in the Braydon Pruess mould. Physical type who isn't afraid to throw his weight around. Because of his huge frame he has solid contested marking and can be a threat up forward. Endurance and overall athleticism is below average which means he is a rookie at best. In the GWS academy.

Will Verrall 11/03/2004 – South Adelaide – 200cm Ruck - Mobile ruckman who works hard once the footy hits the deck. Wins clearances and finds the footy around the ground. Has good skills for a ruck and can be a threat in the forward line. Biggest question mark is is he tall enough to be a genuine ruck at AFL level?

Max Knobel 27/06/2004 - Gippsland Power - 204cm Ruck - Son of Trent Knobel. Raw, but has plenty of upside. Looks to have a good tank and has a nice deft touch when palming the ball. Has improved out of sight in the last two months, getting more involved around the ground and with clearances. Will be a slow burn as it will take him a fair while to fill out.

Tyrell Dewar 27/03/2004 - Subiaco - 185cm Forward - General forward who is a threat both aerially and at ground level. Has excellent lateral movement which allows him to get separation. When in range he has excellent goal sense. Lacks a bit of consistency and is still quite raw.

Taj Campbell-Farrell 29/06/04 – Dandenong Stingrays – 185cm Midfielder - Morrish Medal winner, who is the epitome of consistency. Tough inside mid, who uses his physicality on the inside to win the footy, Has clean hands around the contest, and he knows his limits with his kicking. At this stage he lacks a bit of versatility in his game and there are questions marks as to how much upside he has.

Cooper Vickery 16/12/04 - Gippsland Power - 180cm Defender - Neat small defender who does all the team things, while also providing some run and carry. His skills combined with his good decision making means he is always makes the most of is possessions. Lacks a little bit of a point of difference compared to other defenders in the draft pool.

Ted Clohesy 09/06/04 – Geelong Falcons – 184cm Midfielder - Prolific inside mid who does his best work at the coal face. Avg 24 disposals and 7 tackles per game for the Falcons this year, which highlights the balance between his ball winning and defensive application. Releases the ball well by hands, but is also a good option when kicking the ball inside 50. Has a neat short field (30m) particularly to leading targets. At this stage lacks some versatility in his game.

Steely Green 09/01/2004 - East Fremantle - 178cm Midfielder/Defender - No fuss footballer who does all the basics right. A real footballer's footballer who can play a variety of roles inside and outside the contest or in the back pocket. he has defensive intent, neat skills and composure with ball in hand. Has played WAFL seniors this year in a strong side, which highlights his footy IQ and ability to step up to any level.

Kelsey Rypstra 02/05/2004 - North Adelaide -172cm Forward - Zippy small forward who has a real energy about his game. Provides excellent pressure and defensive intent, but is also crafty around goals. He is tough, and has a low centre of gravity which makes him hard to tackle. Played more midfield at U 18's level but will be suited to a small forward role at AFL level. Unfortunately done his ACL just after mid year, which may impact his draft chances.

Jovan Petric 17/4/2004 - Western Jets - 196cm forward - Athletic key forward who works hard around the ground. Has good speed off the mark which allows him to get separation on his opponents. Decent at ground level and can also rotate through the ruck. Was consistent at Nab League level but didn't have much of an impact at championship level.

Will Splann 25/10/2003 - Tasmania Devils - 195cm Forward - Overage key forward who has a mature body. Very much a lead, mark and kick Full Forward. Doesn't offer a heap around the ground, but does the basics well. Leading patterns and multiple efforts repeat leads highlight his forward craft. Lacks a bit at ground level and overall athleticism which is why he is a rookie option.

Casey Voss 14/9/2000 - Sturt - 182cm Defender - Mature age intercepting half back who's game has gone from strength to strength over the last 2 years. He was looked at as a mature age option for the MSD but was overlooked. His pure weight of numbers in the SANFL is hard to ignore. Averaging 24 disposals, 9 marks, 6 rebound 50's. Voss is strong in the air, composed and very neat by foot. His overall athleticism is probably the only thing holding him back.

Mutaz El Nour 14/8/2001 - Northern Bullants - 192cm Defender - Athletic defender who has impressive skills, overhead marking and closing speed. After a solid first half of the year, El Nour was unlucky not to be drafted in the MSD. Unfortunately didn't play much in the 2nd half of this year due to a number of niggling injuries. In a draft that is lacking a bit of depth after the top 40. Development players like El Nour who have high potential may appeal in the rookie draft.

Ethan Phillips 17/7/1999 - Port Melbourne - 196cm Defender - The premier key defender in the VFL won the Fothergill medal for most talented player under 24 years old. Phillips has strong hands, and has elite positioning that allows him to cut off attacks. He has excellent one on one but lacks a little bit of top end speed which means he can be exposed on the lead against quicker opponents. With a lack of key position players in this draft he will appeal as a ready made option.

Another extended write up for a lesser known prospect who I really like:

Jaiden Magor 16/02/04 - South Adelaide - 185cm Forward/midfielder - Talented midfielder forward who has some serious AFL qualities. Prior to this year it was looking as though he could be a first round prospect, but he probably didn't come on as much as expected, especially as a genuine mid. He also didn't have as much impact as he would've been hoping for at the championships. Nonetheless, he still has stacks of natural potential. He has natural forward craft, and can kick goals from anywhere. It doesn't matter if they are snaps, on the run or from a set shot. Magor, is also both an aerial threat and a threat at ground level. Outside of Sheezel, he is probably the cleanest and most balanced ground level player in this draft. He has also shown that he is very capable in the midfield as well where he uses his ball use and evasiveness to good affect. For a 185cm player, his marking is impressive. The reason why his marking is so impressive is his ability to time the ball while also protecting the ball drop. He has natural footy IQ and goal sense but also has defensive tenacity, with solid tackling and pressure. He has performed consistently in the SANFL under 18's over the past two years and represented SA at both under 17 and under 18 level.

At championship level he played 2 of 4 games. He got squeezed out of the midfield due to the likes of Ryan, D'Aloia and Dowling dominating the centre square. Played mainly across half forward and showed small flashes of brilliance and vision. Featured in the bests against the Allies where he had 20+ disposals and kicked 2 goals.

At SANFL U18's level he played 10 games, avg'd 22.4 disposals, 6 marks and 3 tackles, 4 clearances and 2.3 goals per game. He only went goalless once, splitting his time between deep forward and the midfield. His best game came in round 8 against Glenelg where he was a level above the opposition. He stuffed the stat sheet with 41 disposals, 9 marks, kicked 2.1 and 4 tackles. Also kicked a bag of 6 and another bag of 5 in the last two games on the season. Was surprising he didn't get a chance in the reserves or seniors considering his consistent form.

 
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AFL Draft 2022: Get to know this year’s top draft prospects

With the 2022 AFL National Draft just around the corner, we asked some of the top prospects all the important questions.

From who they model their games on to who should be the No. 1 draft pick and what is the toughest question an AFL club has asked them this year, here’s what they had to say.

GEORGE WARDLAW

Which AFL team do you support?

Essendon

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
A mix between Clayton Oliver and Tom Liberatore.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
My junior years playing with all my primary school mates. Footy wasn’t so serious back then, it was just a bit of fun.

Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘George’ or ‘Ward’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
A club asked me if my house was on fire and I had to grab three items, what items would I grab. I think I just went with the classic ones like family photos.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Elijah Tsatas.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m looking into psychology careers at the moment.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Paddington Bear is the best movie. It’s a classic.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Oasis.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I ran into Patrick Cripps at Carlton when I went for an interview just after he won the Brownlow Medal, so that was awesome.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d like to go to the UK.

Elijah Tsatas (right) wants to study law. Picture: Getty Images

Elijah Tsatas (right) wants to study law. Picture: Getty Images

ELIJAH TSATAS

Which AFL team do you support?

Richmond.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Chad Warner from Sydney.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning a flag in under-15s with my local club, Surrey Park.

Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘Lije’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I was asked what type of car I’d be by one club. I said a Ferrari.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
If not me, then I’d say George Wardlaw.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m hoping to get into law.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Suits. It’s a very good series.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Kendrick Lamar.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably Scott Pendlebury when I was training at Collingwood.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Greece.

HARRY SHEEZEL

Which AFL team do you support?

Hawthorn.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Toby Greene from GWS.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning the NAB League Grand Final this year with Sandringham.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Sheez’

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One club said, ‘What is something that you wouldn’t want us asking you?’ That was pretty hard to come up with on the spot.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw has the capacity to become as good as Will and if he did have full season this year he may have contended for that No. 1 spot. I’ve played against him since under-9s in the SMJFL and he’s a freak.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m really interested in the business of sports management, which is something I’m probably going to study next year regardless of what happens.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Fox Footy.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Post Malone.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Kobe Bryant. I was in LA and I was just walking on the street and I actually met him. I didn’t get a photo, though. Everyone says, ‘No evidence so no you didn’t’. But that was pretty cool.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Scandinavia.

CAMERON MACKENZIE

Which AFL team do you support?

Hawthorn.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
I like Luke Parker and Callum Mills from Sydney, but I also like Christian Petracca from Melbourne.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Two premierships this year – with Sandringham in the NAB League and Brighton Grammar in school footy.

Do you have a nickname?
Nothing other than ‘Cam’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked, ‘What’s your favourite app on your phone?’. I said YouTube and TikTok.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Elijah Tsatas.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m still not sure. Something to do with sport. Maybe management or sport psychology.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I enjoy watching Friends.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Eminem.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Jarryd Roughead.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I want to go to America.

AARON CADMAN

Which AFL team do you support?

Richmond.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Jeremy Cameron from Geelong.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
This year playing for the GWV Rebels when we beat Gippsland Power in the NAB League. That was a big game coming in and big underdogs and I felt like it brought us a lot closer as a team.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Caddy’ or ‘Cads’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked, ‘What makes you laugh?’ It was a bit weird. I said, ‘My mates and jokes, I guess’. It was a bit weird.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths, by a mile.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d be an electrician. I’ve been doing that for two years already.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Bullet Train. I went to the cinemas and saw that and thought it was pretty good.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Jeremy Cameron. I have to say him.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Greece.

MAX GRUZEWSKI

Which AFL team do you support?

North Melbourne.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Mainly Tom Stewart, sort of that intercepting halfback who uses the ball pretty well out of the backline.

Do you have a nickname?
I get ‘Grooze’ a bit.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
Probably the riskiest thing I’ve ever done, it’s a pretty tough question. I think I said snow skiing at the time, it’s a bit of a dangerous sport.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
I think it’s down to George Wardlaw or Elijah Tsatas, a couple of Oakleigh boys. They’re pretty good players and I think both are pretty deserving to go No.1.


Do you prefer English or maths?
I think maths. It’s more of a set answer rather than English where you sort of make it up and see what happens.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I think sparky, become an electrician.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’ve been watching a bit of Friends recently, don’t mind it.

Who is your favourite music artist?
I’m more of a genre man and I like the classic radio hits. Blake (Drury) and I sort of work on that together and we’re always telling us the good ones … I’ve been listening to Trainwreck by James Arthur, good tune.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably one of the tennis players when I was growing up, Sam Groth. He does a bit of TV now so he’d be up there. I actually saw him at courtside basketball seats at a Melbourne United game.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’ve always wanted to go to America to see what it’s like over there.
ALWYN DAVEY JNR

Which AFL team do you support?

Essendon.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
It would be a tie between Tyson Stengle and Izak Rankine.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning the under-18 national championships with Vic Metro this year.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Tadpole’. Dad’s nickname was ‘Frog’ and since I’m the junior, I get that.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One asked ‘What’s your favourite food?’ I said a well-done steak.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
I can’t really split Elijah Tsatas and Aaron Cadman. They’ve both shown that they are ready for the AFL.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d like to work for an indigenous service which helps indigenous kids succeed at school and helps to get them a job after school.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Night at the Museum.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Chris Brown.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I met Guy Sebastian when I was really young, so he is probably it.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Maldives.

BAILEY HUMPHREY

Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Patrick Cripps and a little bit of Christian Petracca.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Definitely playing at Marvel Stadium in the last Vic Country game of the under 18 national championships.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Humper’, which sort of just goes from Humphrey.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked what traits I would look for in a girlfriend. I just said, ‘Someone who is a good person and matches my energy’.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Harry Sheezel or Aaron Cadman.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d want to work in the mental health field.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’m watching Animal Kingdom on Netflix at the moment.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Ziggy Alberts.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I haven’t really met anyone famous. I’d probably say Sam Mitchell, who I just met before.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Ibiza.

BRAYDEN GEORGE

Which AFL team do you support?

Richmond.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
I like to watch Jamie Elliott from Collingwood and Isaac Heeney from Sydney.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Playing a game with my brother for the first time in the under 18s when I was 14, at Gigarre Football Club.

Do you have a nickname?
When I moved to Wangaratta I was getting called ‘Sausage’ a fair bit, just because of the goals.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I had one ask me, ‘If you could write your life as a book, what would it be chapter by chapter?’. It was something a bit different. I gave them about eight chapters and by the end of it they said, ‘This is a long book’.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Jhye Clark. His inside game is probably on par with Ashcroft and his competitiveness is through the roof. He’s someone I look up to.


Do you prefer English or maths?
I’m a math man.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I want to do sports coaching or personal training or something like that.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I watched Outer Banks recently and it’s pretty good.

Who is your favourite music artist?
INXS.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Barry Sullivan from Wangaratta is a local legend. He’s pretty famous.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’ve always wanted to go to Bali and New Zealand.

WILL ASHCROFT

Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Sam Walsh.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably this year winning the premiership with the Sandringham Dragons in the NAB League.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Ashy’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I haven’t had too many weird ones.

Do you prefer English or maths?
I’d say maths. English is pretty tough.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Potentially business. Something to do with that.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I like Rick and Morty. That’s pretty fun to watch.

Who is your favourite music artist?
J. Cole.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably an AFL player. Gary Ablett.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Los Angeles.

OLLIE HOLLANDS
Which AFL team do you support?

Carlton.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Sam Walsh.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
The game Vic Country played against South Australia at Thebarton Oval this year when Harley Reid took a mark with about 45 seconds to go and pretty much got us over the line.
Do you have a nickname?
I’ve got two. I’ve grown up with the nickname ‘Turtle’ from my local town in Albury-Wodonga and at school I get called ‘Dutchy’.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I haven’t been asked this question but I’ve heard a few boys have been asked how to spell ‘Fujitsu’ backwards. I’m glad I haven’t had that but I think that’s pretty wacky.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Aaron Cadman.


Do you prefer English or maths?
I think English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m looking into studying psychology at uni, so potentially looking into sports psychology.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
TV show, it’s got to be The Simpsons.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I think Joel Selwood.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d love to go to South Africa.

JHYE CLARK

Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Joel Selwood.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Playing my first senior footy game with my brother, with dad coaching at Queenscliff.

Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘Clarky’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I was asked to tell something that I haven’t told anyone else and I didn’t really have anything to say.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Aaron Cadman.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Probably neither, but I’d go English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Maybe strength and conditioning coaching or sports management.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Sons of Anarchy.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I saw Justin Bieber across the street when I was driving in Malibu once.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
The Maldives.

JASPA FLETCHER
Which AFL team do you support?

Brisbane Lions. That’s the one dad finished at so that’s the one that stuck with me.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Up at the Lions, Hugh McCluggage. But I also watched a lot of Sam Walsh all through his draft year so I like to take a lot from his game.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
That Australian day this year, playing for the AFL Academy against Collingwood’s VFL side. It was a crazy experience playing with some of the best kids in Australia who were ranked really highly in this draft.
Do you have a nickname?
They just call me ‘Fletch’. Pretty simple.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked to facilitate a conversation with someone that was sitting in the meeting for 90 seconds because they just wanted to understand my listening and my conversation skills. To start it all was quite awkward, but once I got into it was all right. My first question was how old he was and then I realised it was Daniel Wells so then we just started talking footy about when he took the ball out of the ruck and kicked that goal.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
There’s two that come to mind. Aaron Cadman’s had a good year but I think it’s hard to go past Jhye Clark. I’ve played on him and he’s tough to play against and a really great kid off the field.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths for sure.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m looking into the human movement side of things. I’m studying at uni. It’s something I’ve always been interested in. I’m at UQ at the moment and I’m studying exercise and nutrition science.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I watched Creed recently, the boxing one. That’s always a good one.
Who is your favourite music artist?
At the moment it’s The Weekend. I enjoy his songs.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I did meet a Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach one time at a basketball tournament. He shook Le Bron’s hand one time so I shook his hand and didn’t wash my hand for a week.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d love to go to America, but I think somewhere in Europe like Italy would be a dream.

LEWIS HAYES
Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Watching a lot of the Pies, I watch Darcy Moore and how athletic he is as a defender and how he can intercept and run and create play but also defend.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
In my Lysterfield junior days I played in six Grand Finals in a row and won three and lost three. That streak of Grand Finals was a pretty special period to remember.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One club early on in the year asked ‘Who’s your favourite superhero character?’ I think I said Iron Man.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw has heaps of talent and Aaron Cadman as well. They’re both two pretty good prospects and can tear games apart.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Definitely English. I try and stay away from maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Down another sporting pathway, whether that’s playing another professional sport of doing sports management or recruiting or something like that.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
The Simpsons are always up there. I’ve been watching a lot of Stranger Things, too.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I like a lot of rappers – Polo G, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Sam Mitchell.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I definitely want to travel through Europe. Ibiza would be pretty cool.
MATTHEW JEFFERSON
Which AFL team do you support?

Carlton.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Charlie Curnow and Aaron Naughton.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning the under-15 premiership at the Ashburton Redbacks.
Do you have a nickname?
‘MJ’ or ‘Jeffo’.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
They have asked me to rank the top-five in this year’s draft or who would you take with the first draft pick if you were a club.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw or Elijah Tsatas.
Do you prefer English or maths?
I’ll go maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d probably go to university and do something to do with business.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I like the new Lord of the Rings show. That’s a pretty good show.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I don’t really have one. I just listen to a bit of everything.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
New York.

OLLI HOTTON
Which AFL team do you support?

I’m a Collingwood man, but I’m pretty much 50-50 at this point. I find myself going for Carlton half the time because my dad and Taj are both Carlton, so there’s a bit of a rivalry in the household.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Coming into this year, I don’t really think I had a player I modelled myself on. I just play to my strengths. Dad compares me a little bit to Luke Parker though, so we watch him a little bit sometimes. But I’ve also got a little bit of Connor Rozee with his burst speed and his blend between kicking goals and going through the midfield.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
The premierships this year were nice. But if I’m taking this year out, we were playing for Haileybury against Brighton Grammar in a school game last year and we were up by 30 points with 10 minutes to go and we ended up down by four points and one of my mates Jakob Anderson had a shot from 40m out on a pretty big angle and slotted it to win the game.
Do you have a nickname?
I just get ‘Hotts’, short for the last name.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
The most left-field question was, ‘What do you do Christmas morning?’ That was pretty random, I thought. I think it’s just to catch you off-guard a little bit, but I said we just get up, open the presents and have a bit of a sport round-robin with darts, ping pong, bocce.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Harry Sheezel. His ability one-on-one and his goals per possession is pretty ridiculous. He’s just dangerous wherever he is on the ground.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths, 100 per cent. I dislike English.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Hopefully similar footsteps to dad, in the Leading Teams area. I really enjoy the idea of being around sport.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
My favourite TV show of all-time is Prison Break. I’ve re-watched the whole series countless times.
Who is your favourite music artist?
My favourite right now would be Sleepy Hollow, an American rapper.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Joe Ingles, through my dad when he was working with the Boomers.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
California. I want to go for a surf somewhere in America and go watch some American sport.


CHARLIE CLARKE
Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Toby Greene. I like to play like him. He’s very exciting, a lot of energy, good goal sense and I like to base my game off him.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably this year when I played in two grand finals in a week with Sandy Dragons, that was unreal and then we were playing at Marvel Stadium with Vic Metro.
Do you have a nickname?
‘Clarkey’.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
There hasn’t been too many weird ones.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
I think Harry Sheezel should be and then a close second Aaron Cadman. Sheezel is unbelievable, so I’ve got to back him in.
Do you prefer English or maths?
I’m not at school, I haven’t been for a while but I’d probably prefer maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Probably stick with the carpentry, being a builder.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’m currently watching the Jeff Dahmer series. That’s a bit full on, pretty intense but I’m liking that so far.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I like Aussie drill rap. I like Hooks from Sydney, he’s not the most popular but I like him, he’s my favourite.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d like to go to Greece. It seems like a nice place to go. One of the islands, the Greek Islands – I don’t know what they’re called but they look good on Instagram.

JASON GILLBEE
Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong. Dad’s always been a Geelong fan. I chopped and changed when I was younger, a bit of a bandwagon sort of boy. They’ve missed finals once during that time so I’ve been pretty lucky.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Those hard-running players who can run all day. I know Ed Langdon is a really talked about winger these days and Nik Cox’s ability to run and use the ball so I think sort of people like that who can run for long periods of time.
Do you have a nickname?
Just sort of ‘Jase’ or ‘Gillbs’ depending who it is.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
What would your Wikipedia page be, or something like that, and I was stunned. I don’t think I had an answer which is not really that weird to be honest but it stumped me. I dunno, hopefully a long career, I’d like to be a player who played at one club, I suppose I’d like to be known as someone like that, a pretty loyal person. Hopefully a long career and some success along the way.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Probably a bit of bias but I’m going to say Aaron Cadman, a pretty good mate of mine. I reckon he is awesome to watch and he can sort of do it all so a very good chance.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Definitely maths. I can read but I forget what I read a couple of pages later.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
We’ve got a few family farms so maybe something like that. We’ve got sheep and cropping so we’ve got a fair bit of lamb back there — about 60,000 acres so run a few sheep and grow a few crops.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’m watching Jeffrey Dahmer, it’s pretty weird to be honest but I don’t watch many shows. I just finished watching Farmer Wants a Wife which is just a reality TV show that I don’t mind but that’s about it. One day, who knows, I might go on it and get on the camera there.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I’m not a real big follower of music, I don’t really listen to any music at all. We’ll go country.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
There was someone from Home And Away once, she was one of the coppers off Home And Away. Not that many people being from back home (in Balranald).
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
One of my friends has just been over to Paris and all that so it was nice looking at all the photos so that would be pretty cool. We’ve been lucky enough to go over there before — because Mum’s Irish — so we used to go over to Ireland a fair bit. (She’s from) an hour south of Dublin in a little town Avoca.

COOPER VICKERY
Which AFL team do you support?

North Melbourne.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Hayden Young. A nice left foot and a rebounding defender so I like the way he goes about it.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning an under-14s junior flag with all my boys from my hometown was pretty good, in the East Gippsland League.
Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘Coops’ or Cooper.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
They’ve been pretty stock standard actually.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths. I’ve got a maths brain. I’m just better at it, can grasp the concepts better, English is just boring.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Either a physio or teaching, still tossing up between the two.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Modern Family has been on Disney + so I’ve been watching that. I love the show, one of my favourites.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I like country music. Morgan Wallen, I like his songs.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably Sam Mitchell when I did some Hawthorn stuff. I shook his hand so didn’t wash it for a couple of days and let the germs sink in.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Somewhere tropical, I like the tropical water. The Maldives or somewhere like that.
HUGH BOND
Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Tim Taranto. I try to base some of my things off that and take key parts out of his game.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably V-Line Cup four years ago, it was on my birthday and I got to captain it as well so I was pretty happy.
Do you have a nickname?
‘Bondy’. Pretty simple.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
Maybe Port Adelaide actually, they asked me what makes me laugh. I was kind of just shocked by it I dunno, (I said) a bit of banter and just being around my mates.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Not just because he’s on my team but I’d probably say Aaron Cadman. He’s had a breakout year, a pretty stellar year and he certainly brings a lot to the table.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Probably maths. I just feel like I’m better at maths than English, never been massive on spelling.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Probably architecture or physio/sports science, but then also maybe even go back to rowing.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I love my Fast and Furious. I watched the other one the other day as I hadn’t seen it
Who is your favourite music artist?
That’s a hard one, I know every song but I can’t name one (artist). One Kiss by Dua Lipa — because in the boarding house the boys are loving it.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I went to Buddy’s game when he kicked (the 1000th goal). I think I was like the fifth one to him — I was pretty lucky. Before he kicked it I was out on the oval. We didn’t think he was going to kick it but he did so that was special. Maybe Buddy then but I also met his sister after it so that was pretty cool.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I reckon Greece would be pretty cool to go to. I’ve seen pictures and stuff and mum and dad have been there and they talk pretty highly of it.

HARRY ROWSTON
Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Isaac Heeney, someone who can win the ball who on the inside and also go forward and kick goals and take marks.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably at school this year (Assumption College) we’ve won back-to-back grand finals so that was pretty fun.
Do you have a nickname?
I get ‘Row’, or ‘Cow’. I got (Cow) when I went to school because my brother got it.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One club asked me what kind of coach I would be and how I would coach, it was a bit of a tough one and I didn’t really know how to answer it, but I said I’d try be caring and coach different players how they need to be coached.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths, hate English but I’m not too bad at maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Probably building because I’ve already started a building apprenticeship, or back on the farm. We have a cropping farm – all your wheat, barley, those kind of things.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I reckon the one that has just come out on Netflix about old mate who was killing everyone … Jeff Dahmer, that’s the one. That’s pretty intense but it was a good watch.
Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake, I like Drake. Can’t really pick (a favourite song) but most of his music is pretty good.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Dion Prestia. My cousin is best mates with him so I’ve met him a few times which is pretty cool.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’ve always liked Greece, it looks pretty cool. But obviously it will be a few years before I’m doing a bit of travel — I need a bit of money first.

 
AFL Draft 2022: Get to know this year’s top draft prospects

With the 2022 AFL National Draft just around the corner, we asked some of the top prospects all the important questions.

From who they model their games on to who should be the No. 1 draft pick and what is the toughest question an AFL club has asked them this year, here’s what they had to say.

GEORGE WARDLAW

Which AFL team do you support?

Essendon

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
A mix between Clayton Oliver and Tom Liberatore.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
My junior years playing with all my primary school mates. Footy wasn’t so serious back then, it was just a bit of fun.

Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘George’ or ‘Ward’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
A club asked me if my house was on fire and I had to grab three items, what items would I grab. I think I just went with the classic ones like family photos.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Elijah Tsatas.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m looking into psychology careers at the moment.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Paddington Bear is the best movie. It’s a classic.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Oasis.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I ran into Patrick Cripps at Carlton when I went for an interview just after he won the Brownlow Medal, so that was awesome.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d like to go to the UK.

Elijah Tsatas (right) wants to study law. Picture: Getty Images

Elijah Tsatas (right) wants to study law. Picture: Getty Images

ELIJAH TSATAS

Which AFL team do you support?

Richmond.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Chad Warner from Sydney.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning a flag in under-15s with my local club, Surrey Park.

Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘Lije’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I was asked what type of car I’d be by one club. I said a Ferrari.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
If not me, then I’d say George Wardlaw.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m hoping to get into law.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Suits. It’s a very good series.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Kendrick Lamar.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably Scott Pendlebury when I was training at Collingwood.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Greece.

HARRY SHEEZEL

Which AFL team do you support?

Hawthorn.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Toby Greene from GWS.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning the NAB League Grand Final this year with Sandringham.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Sheez’

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One club said, ‘What is something that you wouldn’t want us asking you?’ That was pretty hard to come up with on the spot.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw has the capacity to become as good as Will and if he did have full season this year he may have contended for that No. 1 spot. I’ve played against him since under-9s in the SMJFL and he’s a freak.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m really interested in the business of sports management, which is something I’m probably going to study next year regardless of what happens.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Fox Footy.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Post Malone.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Kobe Bryant. I was in LA and I was just walking on the street and I actually met him. I didn’t get a photo, though. Everyone says, ‘No evidence so no you didn’t’. But that was pretty cool.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Scandinavia.

CAMERON MACKENZIE

Which AFL team do you support?

Hawthorn.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
I like Luke Parker and Callum Mills from Sydney, but I also like Christian Petracca from Melbourne.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Two premierships this year – with Sandringham in the NAB League and Brighton Grammar in school footy.

Do you have a nickname?
Nothing other than ‘Cam’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked, ‘What’s your favourite app on your phone?’. I said YouTube and TikTok.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Elijah Tsatas.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m still not sure. Something to do with sport. Maybe management or sport psychology.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I enjoy watching Friends.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Eminem.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Jarryd Roughead.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I want to go to America.

AARON CADMAN

Which AFL team do you support?

Richmond.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Jeremy Cameron from Geelong.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
This year playing for the GWV Rebels when we beat Gippsland Power in the NAB League. That was a big game coming in and big underdogs and I felt like it brought us a lot closer as a team.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Caddy’ or ‘Cads’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked, ‘What makes you laugh?’ It was a bit weird. I said, ‘My mates and jokes, I guess’. It was a bit weird.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths, by a mile.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d be an electrician. I’ve been doing that for two years already.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Bullet Train. I went to the cinemas and saw that and thought it was pretty good.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Jeremy Cameron. I have to say him.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Greece.

MAX GRUZEWSKI

Which AFL team do you support?

North Melbourne.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Mainly Tom Stewart, sort of that intercepting halfback who uses the ball pretty well out of the backline.

Do you have a nickname?
I get ‘Grooze’ a bit.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
Probably the riskiest thing I’ve ever done, it’s a pretty tough question. I think I said snow skiing at the time, it’s a bit of a dangerous sport.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
I think it’s down to George Wardlaw or Elijah Tsatas, a couple of Oakleigh boys. They’re pretty good players and I think both are pretty deserving to go No.1.


Do you prefer English or maths?
I think maths. It’s more of a set answer rather than English where you sort of make it up and see what happens.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I think sparky, become an electrician.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’ve been watching a bit of Friends recently, don’t mind it.

Who is your favourite music artist?
I’m more of a genre man and I like the classic radio hits. Blake (Drury) and I sort of work on that together and we’re always telling us the good ones … I’ve been listening to Trainwreck by James Arthur, good tune.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably one of the tennis players when I was growing up, Sam Groth. He does a bit of TV now so he’d be up there. I actually saw him at courtside basketball seats at a Melbourne United game.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’ve always wanted to go to America to see what it’s like over there.
ALWYN DAVEY JNR

Which AFL team do you support?

Essendon.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
It would be a tie between Tyson Stengle and Izak Rankine.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning the under-18 national championships with Vic Metro this year.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Tadpole’. Dad’s nickname was ‘Frog’ and since I’m the junior, I get that.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One asked ‘What’s your favourite food?’ I said a well-done steak.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
I can’t really split Elijah Tsatas and Aaron Cadman. They’ve both shown that they are ready for the AFL.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d like to work for an indigenous service which helps indigenous kids succeed at school and helps to get them a job after school.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Night at the Museum.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Chris Brown.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I met Guy Sebastian when I was really young, so he is probably it.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Maldives.

BAILEY HUMPHREY

Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Patrick Cripps and a little bit of Christian Petracca.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Definitely playing at Marvel Stadium in the last Vic Country game of the under 18 national championships.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Humper’, which sort of just goes from Humphrey.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked what traits I would look for in a girlfriend. I just said, ‘Someone who is a good person and matches my energy’.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Harry Sheezel or Aaron Cadman.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d want to work in the mental health field.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’m watching Animal Kingdom on Netflix at the moment.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Ziggy Alberts.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I haven’t really met anyone famous. I’d probably say Sam Mitchell, who I just met before.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Ibiza.

BRAYDEN GEORGE

Which AFL team do you support?

Richmond.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
I like to watch Jamie Elliott from Collingwood and Isaac Heeney from Sydney.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Playing a game with my brother for the first time in the under 18s when I was 14, at Gigarre Football Club.

Do you have a nickname?
When I moved to Wangaratta I was getting called ‘Sausage’ a fair bit, just because of the goals.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I had one ask me, ‘If you could write your life as a book, what would it be chapter by chapter?’. It was something a bit different. I gave them about eight chapters and by the end of it they said, ‘This is a long book’.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Jhye Clark. His inside game is probably on par with Ashcroft and his competitiveness is through the roof. He’s someone I look up to.


Do you prefer English or maths?
I’m a math man.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I want to do sports coaching or personal training or something like that.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I watched Outer Banks recently and it’s pretty good.

Who is your favourite music artist?
INXS.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Barry Sullivan from Wangaratta is a local legend. He’s pretty famous.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’ve always wanted to go to Bali and New Zealand.

WILL ASHCROFT

Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Sam Walsh.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably this year winning the premiership with the Sandringham Dragons in the NAB League.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Ashy’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I haven’t had too many weird ones.

Do you prefer English or maths?
I’d say maths. English is pretty tough.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Potentially business. Something to do with that.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I like Rick and Morty. That’s pretty fun to watch.

Who is your favourite music artist?
J. Cole.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably an AFL player. Gary Ablett.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Los Angeles.

OLLIE HOLLANDS
Which AFL team do you support?

Carlton.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Sam Walsh.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
The game Vic Country played against South Australia at Thebarton Oval this year when Harley Reid took a mark with about 45 seconds to go and pretty much got us over the line.
Do you have a nickname?
I’ve got two. I’ve grown up with the nickname ‘Turtle’ from my local town in Albury-Wodonga and at school I get called ‘Dutchy’.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I haven’t been asked this question but I’ve heard a few boys have been asked how to spell ‘Fujitsu’ backwards. I’m glad I haven’t had that but I think that’s pretty wacky.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Aaron Cadman.


Do you prefer English or maths?
I think English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m looking into studying psychology at uni, so potentially looking into sports psychology.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
TV show, it’s got to be The Simpsons.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I think Joel Selwood.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d love to go to South Africa.

JHYE CLARK

Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Joel Selwood.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Playing my first senior footy game with my brother, with dad coaching at Queenscliff.

Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘Clarky’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I was asked to tell something that I haven’t told anyone else and I didn’t really have anything to say.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Aaron Cadman.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Probably neither, but I’d go English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Maybe strength and conditioning coaching or sports management.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Sons of Anarchy.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I saw Justin Bieber across the street when I was driving in Malibu once.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
The Maldives.

JASPA FLETCHER
Which AFL team do you support?

Brisbane Lions. That’s the one dad finished at so that’s the one that stuck with me.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Up at the Lions, Hugh McCluggage. But I also watched a lot of Sam Walsh all through his draft year so I like to take a lot from his game.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
That Australian day this year, playing for the AFL Academy against Collingwood’s VFL side. It was a crazy experience playing with some of the best kids in Australia who were ranked really highly in this draft.
Do you have a nickname?
They just call me ‘Fletch’. Pretty simple.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked to facilitate a conversation with someone that was sitting in the meeting for 90 seconds because they just wanted to understand my listening and my conversation skills. To start it all was quite awkward, but once I got into it was all right. My first question was how old he was and then I realised it was Daniel Wells so then we just started talking footy about when he took the ball out of the ruck and kicked that goal.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
There’s two that come to mind. Aaron Cadman’s had a good year but I think it’s hard to go past Jhye Clark. I’ve played on him and he’s tough to play against and a really great kid off the field.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths for sure.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m looking into the human movement side of things. I’m studying at uni. It’s something I’ve always been interested in. I’m at UQ at the moment and I’m studying exercise and nutrition science.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I watched Creed recently, the boxing one. That’s always a good one.
Who is your favourite music artist?
At the moment it’s The Weekend. I enjoy his songs.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I did meet a Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach one time at a basketball tournament. He shook Le Bron’s hand one time so I shook his hand and didn’t wash my hand for a week.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d love to go to America, but I think somewhere in Europe like Italy would be a dream.

LEWIS HAYES
Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Watching a lot of the Pies, I watch Darcy Moore and how athletic he is as a defender and how he can intercept and run and create play but also defend.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
In my Lysterfield junior days I played in six Grand Finals in a row and won three and lost three. That streak of Grand Finals was a pretty special period to remember.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One club early on in the year asked ‘Who’s your favourite superhero character?’ I think I said Iron Man.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw has heaps of talent and Aaron Cadman as well. They’re both two pretty good prospects and can tear games apart.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Definitely English. I try and stay away from maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Down another sporting pathway, whether that’s playing another professional sport of doing sports management or recruiting or something like that.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
The Simpsons are always up there. I’ve been watching a lot of Stranger Things, too.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I like a lot of rappers – Polo G, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Sam Mitchell.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I definitely want to travel through Europe. Ibiza would be pretty cool.
MATTHEW JEFFERSON
Which AFL team do you support?

Carlton.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Charlie Curnow and Aaron Naughton.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning the under-15 premiership at the Ashburton Redbacks.
Do you have a nickname?
‘MJ’ or ‘Jeffo’.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
They have asked me to rank the top-five in this year’s draft or who would you take with the first draft pick if you were a club.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw or Elijah Tsatas.
Do you prefer English or maths?
I’ll go maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d probably go to university and do something to do with business.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I like the new Lord of the Rings show. That’s a pretty good show.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I don’t really have one. I just listen to a bit of everything.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
New York.

OLLI HOTTON
Which AFL team do you support?

I’m a Collingwood man, but I’m pretty much 50-50 at this point. I find myself going for Carlton half the time because my dad and Taj are both Carlton, so there’s a bit of a rivalry in the household.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Coming into this year, I don’t really think I had a player I modelled myself on. I just play to my strengths. Dad compares me a little bit to Luke Parker though, so we watch him a little bit sometimes. But I’ve also got a little bit of Connor Rozee with his burst speed and his blend between kicking goals and going through the midfield.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
The premierships this year were nice. But if I’m taking this year out, we were playing for Haileybury against Brighton Grammar in a school game last year and we were up by 30 points with 10 minutes to go and we ended up down by four points and one of my mates Jakob Anderson had a shot from 40m out on a pretty big angle and slotted it to win the game.
Do you have a nickname?
I just get ‘Hotts’, short for the last name.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
The most left-field question was, ‘What do you do Christmas morning?’ That was pretty random, I thought. I think it’s just to catch you off-guard a little bit, but I said we just get up, open the presents and have a bit of a sport round-robin with darts, ping pong, bocce.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Harry Sheezel. His ability one-on-one and his goals per possession is pretty ridiculous. He’s just dangerous wherever he is on the ground.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths, 100 per cent. I dislike English.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Hopefully similar footsteps to dad, in the Leading Teams area. I really enjoy the idea of being around sport.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
My favourite TV show of all-time is Prison Break. I’ve re-watched the whole series countless times.
Who is your favourite music artist?
My favourite right now would be Sleepy Hollow, an American rapper.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Joe Ingles, through my dad when he was working with the Boomers.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
California. I want to go for a surf somewhere in America and go watch some American sport.


CHARLIE CLARKE
Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Toby Greene. I like to play like him. He’s very exciting, a lot of energy, good goal sense and I like to base my game off him.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably this year when I played in two grand finals in a week with Sandy Dragons, that was unreal and then we were playing at Marvel Stadium with Vic Metro.
Do you have a nickname?
‘Clarkey’.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
There hasn’t been too many weird ones.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
I think Harry Sheezel should be and then a close second Aaron Cadman. Sheezel is unbelievable, so I’ve got to back him in.
Do you prefer English or maths?
I’m not at school, I haven’t been for a while but I’d probably prefer maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Probably stick with the carpentry, being a builder.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’m currently watching the Jeff Dahmer series. That’s a bit full on, pretty intense but I’m liking that so far.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I like Aussie drill rap. I like Hooks from Sydney, he’s not the most popular but I like him, he’s my favourite.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d like to go to Greece. It seems like a nice place to go. One of the islands, the Greek Islands – I don’t know what they’re called but they look good on Instagram.

JASON GILLBEE
Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong. Dad’s always been a Geelong fan. I chopped and changed when I was younger, a bit of a bandwagon sort of boy. They’ve missed finals once during that time so I’ve been pretty lucky.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Those hard-running players who can run all day. I know Ed Langdon is a really talked about winger these days and Nik Cox’s ability to run and use the ball so I think sort of people like that who can run for long periods of time.
Do you have a nickname?
Just sort of ‘Jase’ or ‘Gillbs’ depending who it is.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
What would your Wikipedia page be, or something like that, and I was stunned. I don’t think I had an answer which is not really that weird to be honest but it stumped me. I dunno, hopefully a long career, I’d like to be a player who played at one club, I suppose I’d like to be known as someone like that, a pretty loyal person. Hopefully a long career and some success along the way.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Probably a bit of bias but I’m going to say Aaron Cadman, a pretty good mate of mine. I reckon he is awesome to watch and he can sort of do it all so a very good chance.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Definitely maths. I can read but I forget what I read a couple of pages later.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
We’ve got a few family farms so maybe something like that. We’ve got sheep and cropping so we’ve got a fair bit of lamb back there — about 60,000 acres so run a few sheep and grow a few crops.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’m watching Jeffrey Dahmer, it’s pretty weird to be honest but I don’t watch many shows. I just finished watching Farmer Wants a Wife which is just a reality TV show that I don’t mind but that’s about it. One day, who knows, I might go on it and get on the camera there.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I’m not a real big follower of music, I don’t really listen to any music at all. We’ll go country.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
There was someone from Home And Away once, she was one of the coppers off Home And Away. Not that many people being from back home (in Balranald).
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
One of my friends has just been over to Paris and all that so it was nice looking at all the photos so that would be pretty cool. We’ve been lucky enough to go over there before — because Mum’s Irish — so we used to go over to Ireland a fair bit. (She’s from) an hour south of Dublin in a little town Avoca.

COOPER VICKERY
Which AFL team do you support?

North Melbourne.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Hayden Young. A nice left foot and a rebounding defender so I like the way he goes about it.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning an under-14s junior flag with all my boys from my hometown was pretty good, in the East Gippsland League.
Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘Coops’ or Cooper.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
They’ve been pretty stock standard actually.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths. I’ve got a maths brain. I’m just better at it, can grasp the concepts better, English is just boring.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Either a physio or teaching, still tossing up between the two.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Modern Family has been on Disney + so I’ve been watching that. I love the show, one of my favourites.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I like country music. Morgan Wallen, I like his songs.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably Sam Mitchell when I did some Hawthorn stuff. I shook his hand so didn’t wash it for a couple of days and let the germs sink in.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Somewhere tropical, I like the tropical water. The Maldives or somewhere like that.
HUGH BOND
Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Tim Taranto. I try to base some of my things off that and take key parts out of his game.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably V-Line Cup four years ago, it was on my birthday and I got to captain it as well so I was pretty happy.
Do you have a nickname?
‘Bondy’. Pretty simple.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
Maybe Port Adelaide actually, they asked me what makes me laugh. I was kind of just shocked by it I dunno, (I said) a bit of banter and just being around my mates.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Not just because he’s on my team but I’d probably say Aaron Cadman. He’s had a breakout year, a pretty stellar year and he certainly brings a lot to the table.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Probably maths. I just feel like I’m better at maths than English, never been massive on spelling.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Probably architecture or physio/sports science, but then also maybe even go back to rowing.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I love my Fast and Furious. I watched the other one the other day as I hadn’t seen it
Who is your favourite music artist?
That’s a hard one, I know every song but I can’t name one (artist). One Kiss by Dua Lipa — because in the boarding house the boys are loving it.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I went to Buddy’s game when he kicked (the 1000th goal). I think I was like the fifth one to him — I was pretty lucky. Before he kicked it I was out on the oval. We didn’t think he was going to kick it but he did so that was special. Maybe Buddy then but I also met his sister after it so that was pretty cool.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I reckon Greece would be pretty cool to go to. I’ve seen pictures and stuff and mum and dad have been there and they talk pretty highly of it.

HARRY ROWSTON
Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Isaac Heeney, someone who can win the ball who on the inside and also go forward and kick goals and take marks.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably at school this year (Assumption College) we’ve won back-to-back grand finals so that was pretty fun.
Do you have a nickname?
I get ‘Row’, or ‘Cow’. I got (Cow) when I went to school because my brother got it.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One club asked me what kind of coach I would be and how I would coach, it was a bit of a tough one and I didn’t really know how to answer it, but I said I’d try be caring and coach different players how they need to be coached.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths, hate English but I’m not too bad at maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Probably building because I’ve already started a building apprenticeship, or back on the farm. We have a cropping farm – all your wheat, barley, those kind of things.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I reckon the one that has just come out on Netflix about old mate who was killing everyone … Jeff Dahmer, that’s the one. That’s pretty intense but it was a good watch.
Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake, I like Drake. Can’t really pick (a favourite song) but most of his music is pretty good.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Dion Prestia. My cousin is best mates with him so I’ve met him a few times which is pretty cool.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’ve always liked Greece, it looks pretty cool. But obviously it will be a few years before I’m doing a bit of travel — I need a bit of money first.

TLDR
 
I like this answer from Harry...

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw has the capacity to become as good as Will and if he did have full season this year he may have contended for that No. 1 spot. I’ve played against him since under-9s in the SMJFL and he’s a freak.
 
💯 agree.

He‘s way more mobile than Scully.

Tend to disagree there a bit. Scully’s movement (for a guy his height 200+cm) is one of his biggest assets.

Lemmey, looked like he bulked up a bit too quick this year and lost a bit of power making him a bit one paced and predictable on the lead.

Lemmey probably suits our list build more because he has a bit more contested game style in his game, whereas Scully is more lead-mark-kick type. Lemmey also won’t take as long to get his body up to scratch being 93kg already.
 

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JASPA FLETCHER
Which AFL team do you support?

Brisbane Lions. That’s the one dad finished at so that’s the one that stuck with me.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Up at the Lions, Hugh McCluggage. But I also watched a lot of Sam Walsh all through his draft year so I like to take a lot from his game.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
That Australian day this year, playing for the AFL Academy against Collingwood’s VFL side. It was a crazy experience playing with some of the best kids in Australia who were ranked really highly in this draft.
Do you have a nickname?
They just call me ‘Fletch’. Pretty simple.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked to facilitate a conversation with someone that was sitting in the meeting for 90 seconds because they just wanted to understand my listening and my conversation skills. To start it all was quite awkward, but once I got into it was all right. My first question was how old he was and then I realised it was Daniel Wells so then we just started talking footy about when he took the ball out of the ruck and kicked that goal.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
There’s two that come to mind. Aaron Cadman’s had a good year but I think it’s hard to go past Jhye Clark. I’ve played on him and he’s tough to play against and a really great kid off the field.
Jaspa Fletcher nominated Jhye Clark as someone he’d rate for the No.1 draft pick. Clark obviously highly rated and will probably go very early.

My question to draft experts would be, would Clark be to much of a reach at 3 and how does he compare to Wardlaw?
 
we really can't lose by keeping picks 2 and 3. Cadman, Sheezel, Wardlaw, and Tsatas would all be great pick ups.

Even though 80% of the draftees interviewed said Tsatas should go #1, I'd stick with Sheezel and 'George'.
 
George Wardlaw, your nickname isn't "George" that's your name.
"So what's your nickname?"

stares blankly for 10 seconds

"No uh, my name isn't Nick, it's George"
 
So we have Weddle, Gruzewski and Vickery that all BFNAAK in top 40 then, that's pretty cool.
Cal has Weddle at 19, Gruzewski at 25 and Vickery in 30-40 range. Hoping we can land some of them.
Clarko would love Vickery from the little vision I've seen but he's 181cm though and if past 40 Hawks have academy dibs I believe.
 
AFL Draft 2022: Get to know this year’s top draft prospects

With the 2022 AFL National Draft just around the corner, we asked some of the top prospects all the important questions.

From who they model their games on to who should be the No. 1 draft pick and what is the toughest question an AFL club has asked them this year, here’s what they had to say.

GEORGE WARDLAW

Which AFL team do you support?

Essendon

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
A mix between Clayton Oliver and Tom Liberatore.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
My junior years playing with all my primary school mates. Footy wasn’t so serious back then, it was just a bit of fun.

Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘George’ or ‘Ward’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
A club asked me if my house was on fire and I had to grab three items, what items would I grab. I think I just went with the classic ones like family photos.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Elijah Tsatas.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m looking into psychology careers at the moment.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Paddington Bear is the best movie. It’s a classic.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Oasis.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I ran into Patrick Cripps at Carlton when I went for an interview just after he won the Brownlow Medal, so that was awesome.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d like to go to the UK.

Elijah Tsatas (right) wants to study law. Picture: Getty Images

Elijah Tsatas (right) wants to study law. Picture: Getty Images

ELIJAH TSATAS

Which AFL team do you support?

Richmond.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Chad Warner from Sydney.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning a flag in under-15s with my local club, Surrey Park.

Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘Lije’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I was asked what type of car I’d be by one club. I said a Ferrari.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
If not me, then I’d say George Wardlaw.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m hoping to get into law.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Suits. It’s a very good series.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Kendrick Lamar.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably Scott Pendlebury when I was training at Collingwood.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Greece.

HARRY SHEEZEL

Which AFL team do you support?

Hawthorn.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Toby Greene from GWS.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning the NAB League Grand Final this year with Sandringham.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Sheez’

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One club said, ‘What is something that you wouldn’t want us asking you?’ That was pretty hard to come up with on the spot.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw has the capacity to become as good as Will and if he did have full season this year he may have contended for that No. 1 spot. I’ve played against him since under-9s in the SMJFL and he’s a freak.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m really interested in the business of sports management, which is something I’m probably going to study next year regardless of what happens.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Fox Footy.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Post Malone.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Kobe Bryant. I was in LA and I was just walking on the street and I actually met him. I didn’t get a photo, though. Everyone says, ‘No evidence so no you didn’t’. But that was pretty cool.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Scandinavia.

CAMERON MACKENZIE

Which AFL team do you support?

Hawthorn.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
I like Luke Parker and Callum Mills from Sydney, but I also like Christian Petracca from Melbourne.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Two premierships this year – with Sandringham in the NAB League and Brighton Grammar in school footy.

Do you have a nickname?
Nothing other than ‘Cam’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked, ‘What’s your favourite app on your phone?’. I said YouTube and TikTok.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Elijah Tsatas.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m still not sure. Something to do with sport. Maybe management or sport psychology.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I enjoy watching Friends.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Eminem.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Jarryd Roughead.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I want to go to America.

AARON CADMAN

Which AFL team do you support?

Richmond.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Jeremy Cameron from Geelong.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
This year playing for the GWV Rebels when we beat Gippsland Power in the NAB League. That was a big game coming in and big underdogs and I felt like it brought us a lot closer as a team.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Caddy’ or ‘Cads’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked, ‘What makes you laugh?’ It was a bit weird. I said, ‘My mates and jokes, I guess’. It was a bit weird.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths, by a mile.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d be an electrician. I’ve been doing that for two years already.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Bullet Train. I went to the cinemas and saw that and thought it was pretty good.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Jeremy Cameron. I have to say him.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Greece.

MAX GRUZEWSKI

Which AFL team do you support?

North Melbourne.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Mainly Tom Stewart, sort of that intercepting halfback who uses the ball pretty well out of the backline.

Do you have a nickname?
I get ‘Grooze’ a bit.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
Probably the riskiest thing I’ve ever done, it’s a pretty tough question. I think I said snow skiing at the time, it’s a bit of a dangerous sport.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
I think it’s down to George Wardlaw or Elijah Tsatas, a couple of Oakleigh boys. They’re pretty good players and I think both are pretty deserving to go No.1.


Do you prefer English or maths?
I think maths. It’s more of a set answer rather than English where you sort of make it up and see what happens.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I think sparky, become an electrician.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’ve been watching a bit of Friends recently, don’t mind it.

Who is your favourite music artist?
I’m more of a genre man and I like the classic radio hits. Blake (Drury) and I sort of work on that together and we’re always telling us the good ones … I’ve been listening to Trainwreck by James Arthur, good tune.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably one of the tennis players when I was growing up, Sam Groth. He does a bit of TV now so he’d be up there. I actually saw him at courtside basketball seats at a Melbourne United game.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’ve always wanted to go to America to see what it’s like over there.
ALWYN DAVEY JNR

Which AFL team do you support?

Essendon.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
It would be a tie between Tyson Stengle and Izak Rankine.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning the under-18 national championships with Vic Metro this year.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Tadpole’. Dad’s nickname was ‘Frog’ and since I’m the junior, I get that.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One asked ‘What’s your favourite food?’ I said a well-done steak.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
I can’t really split Elijah Tsatas and Aaron Cadman. They’ve both shown that they are ready for the AFL.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d like to work for an indigenous service which helps indigenous kids succeed at school and helps to get them a job after school.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Night at the Museum.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Chris Brown.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I met Guy Sebastian when I was really young, so he is probably it.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Maldives.

BAILEY HUMPHREY

Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Patrick Cripps and a little bit of Christian Petracca.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Definitely playing at Marvel Stadium in the last Vic Country game of the under 18 national championships.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Humper’, which sort of just goes from Humphrey.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked what traits I would look for in a girlfriend. I just said, ‘Someone who is a good person and matches my energy’.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Harry Sheezel or Aaron Cadman.


Do you prefer English or maths?
English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d want to work in the mental health field.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’m watching Animal Kingdom on Netflix at the moment.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Ziggy Alberts.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I haven’t really met anyone famous. I’d probably say Sam Mitchell, who I just met before.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Ibiza.

BRAYDEN GEORGE

Which AFL team do you support?

Richmond.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
I like to watch Jamie Elliott from Collingwood and Isaac Heeney from Sydney.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Playing a game with my brother for the first time in the under 18s when I was 14, at Gigarre Football Club.

Do you have a nickname?
When I moved to Wangaratta I was getting called ‘Sausage’ a fair bit, just because of the goals.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I had one ask me, ‘If you could write your life as a book, what would it be chapter by chapter?’. It was something a bit different. I gave them about eight chapters and by the end of it they said, ‘This is a long book’.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Jhye Clark. His inside game is probably on par with Ashcroft and his competitiveness is through the roof. He’s someone I look up to.


Do you prefer English or maths?
I’m a math man.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I want to do sports coaching or personal training or something like that.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I watched Outer Banks recently and it’s pretty good.

Who is your favourite music artist?
INXS.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Barry Sullivan from Wangaratta is a local legend. He’s pretty famous.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’ve always wanted to go to Bali and New Zealand.

WILL ASHCROFT

Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Sam Walsh.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably this year winning the premiership with the Sandringham Dragons in the NAB League.

Do you have a nickname?
‘Ashy’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I haven’t had too many weird ones.

Do you prefer English or maths?
I’d say maths. English is pretty tough.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Potentially business. Something to do with that.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I like Rick and Morty. That’s pretty fun to watch.

Who is your favourite music artist?
J. Cole.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably an AFL player. Gary Ablett.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Los Angeles.

OLLIE HOLLANDS
Which AFL team do you support?

Carlton.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Sam Walsh.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
The game Vic Country played against South Australia at Thebarton Oval this year when Harley Reid took a mark with about 45 seconds to go and pretty much got us over the line.
Do you have a nickname?
I’ve got two. I’ve grown up with the nickname ‘Turtle’ from my local town in Albury-Wodonga and at school I get called ‘Dutchy’.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I haven’t been asked this question but I’ve heard a few boys have been asked how to spell ‘Fujitsu’ backwards. I’m glad I haven’t had that but I think that’s pretty wacky.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Aaron Cadman.


Do you prefer English or maths?
I think English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m looking into studying psychology at uni, so potentially looking into sports psychology.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
TV show, it’s got to be The Simpsons.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I think Joel Selwood.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d love to go to South Africa.

JHYE CLARK

Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.

Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Joel Selwood.

What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Playing my first senior footy game with my brother, with dad coaching at Queenscliff.

Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘Clarky’.

What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I was asked to tell something that I haven’t told anyone else and I didn’t really have anything to say.

Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Aaron Cadman.


Do you prefer English or maths?
Probably neither, but I’d go English.

If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Maybe strength and conditioning coaching or sports management.

What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Sons of Anarchy.

Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake.

Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I saw Justin Bieber across the street when I was driving in Malibu once.

What is your dream overseas travel destination?
The Maldives.

JASPA FLETCHER
Which AFL team do you support?

Brisbane Lions. That’s the one dad finished at so that’s the one that stuck with me.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Up at the Lions, Hugh McCluggage. But I also watched a lot of Sam Walsh all through his draft year so I like to take a lot from his game.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
That Australian day this year, playing for the AFL Academy against Collingwood’s VFL side. It was a crazy experience playing with some of the best kids in Australia who were ranked really highly in this draft.
Do you have a nickname?
They just call me ‘Fletch’. Pretty simple.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
I got asked to facilitate a conversation with someone that was sitting in the meeting for 90 seconds because they just wanted to understand my listening and my conversation skills. To start it all was quite awkward, but once I got into it was all right. My first question was how old he was and then I realised it was Daniel Wells so then we just started talking footy about when he took the ball out of the ruck and kicked that goal.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
There’s two that come to mind. Aaron Cadman’s had a good year but I think it’s hard to go past Jhye Clark. I’ve played on him and he’s tough to play against and a really great kid off the field.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths for sure.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’m looking into the human movement side of things. I’m studying at uni. It’s something I’ve always been interested in. I’m at UQ at the moment and I’m studying exercise and nutrition science.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I watched Creed recently, the boxing one. That’s always a good one.
Who is your favourite music artist?
At the moment it’s The Weekend. I enjoy his songs.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I did meet a Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach one time at a basketball tournament. He shook Le Bron’s hand one time so I shook his hand and didn’t wash my hand for a week.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d love to go to America, but I think somewhere in Europe like Italy would be a dream.

LEWIS HAYES
Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Watching a lot of the Pies, I watch Darcy Moore and how athletic he is as a defender and how he can intercept and run and create play but also defend.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
In my Lysterfield junior days I played in six Grand Finals in a row and won three and lost three. That streak of Grand Finals was a pretty special period to remember.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One club early on in the year asked ‘Who’s your favourite superhero character?’ I think I said Iron Man.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw has heaps of talent and Aaron Cadman as well. They’re both two pretty good prospects and can tear games apart.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Definitely English. I try and stay away from maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Down another sporting pathway, whether that’s playing another professional sport of doing sports management or recruiting or something like that.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
The Simpsons are always up there. I’ve been watching a lot of Stranger Things, too.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I like a lot of rappers – Polo G, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Sam Mitchell.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I definitely want to travel through Europe. Ibiza would be pretty cool.
MATTHEW JEFFERSON
Which AFL team do you support?

Carlton.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Charlie Curnow and Aaron Naughton.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning the under-15 premiership at the Ashburton Redbacks.
Do you have a nickname?
‘MJ’ or ‘Jeffo’.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
They have asked me to rank the top-five in this year’s draft or who would you take with the first draft pick if you were a club.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
George Wardlaw or Elijah Tsatas.
Do you prefer English or maths?
I’ll go maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
I’d probably go to university and do something to do with business.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I like the new Lord of the Rings show. That’s a pretty good show.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I don’t really have one. I just listen to a bit of everything.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
New York.

OLLI HOTTON
Which AFL team do you support?

I’m a Collingwood man, but I’m pretty much 50-50 at this point. I find myself going for Carlton half the time because my dad and Taj are both Carlton, so there’s a bit of a rivalry in the household.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Coming into this year, I don’t really think I had a player I modelled myself on. I just play to my strengths. Dad compares me a little bit to Luke Parker though, so we watch him a little bit sometimes. But I’ve also got a little bit of Connor Rozee with his burst speed and his blend between kicking goals and going through the midfield.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
The premierships this year were nice. But if I’m taking this year out, we were playing for Haileybury against Brighton Grammar in a school game last year and we were up by 30 points with 10 minutes to go and we ended up down by four points and one of my mates Jakob Anderson had a shot from 40m out on a pretty big angle and slotted it to win the game.
Do you have a nickname?
I just get ‘Hotts’, short for the last name.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
The most left-field question was, ‘What do you do Christmas morning?’ That was pretty random, I thought. I think it’s just to catch you off-guard a little bit, but I said we just get up, open the presents and have a bit of a sport round-robin with darts, ping pong, bocce.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Harry Sheezel. His ability one-on-one and his goals per possession is pretty ridiculous. He’s just dangerous wherever he is on the ground.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths, 100 per cent. I dislike English.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Hopefully similar footsteps to dad, in the Leading Teams area. I really enjoy the idea of being around sport.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
My favourite TV show of all-time is Prison Break. I’ve re-watched the whole series countless times.
Who is your favourite music artist?
My favourite right now would be Sleepy Hollow, an American rapper.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Joe Ingles, through my dad when he was working with the Boomers.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
California. I want to go for a surf somewhere in America and go watch some American sport.


CHARLIE CLARKE
Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Toby Greene. I like to play like him. He’s very exciting, a lot of energy, good goal sense and I like to base my game off him.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably this year when I played in two grand finals in a week with Sandy Dragons, that was unreal and then we were playing at Marvel Stadium with Vic Metro.
Do you have a nickname?
‘Clarkey’.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
There hasn’t been too many weird ones.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
I think Harry Sheezel should be and then a close second Aaron Cadman. Sheezel is unbelievable, so I’ve got to back him in.
Do you prefer English or maths?
I’m not at school, I haven’t been for a while but I’d probably prefer maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Probably stick with the carpentry, being a builder.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’m currently watching the Jeff Dahmer series. That’s a bit full on, pretty intense but I’m liking that so far.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I like Aussie drill rap. I like Hooks from Sydney, he’s not the most popular but I like him, he’s my favourite.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’d like to go to Greece. It seems like a nice place to go. One of the islands, the Greek Islands – I don’t know what they’re called but they look good on Instagram.

JASON GILLBEE
Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong. Dad’s always been a Geelong fan. I chopped and changed when I was younger, a bit of a bandwagon sort of boy. They’ve missed finals once during that time so I’ve been pretty lucky.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Those hard-running players who can run all day. I know Ed Langdon is a really talked about winger these days and Nik Cox’s ability to run and use the ball so I think sort of people like that who can run for long periods of time.
Do you have a nickname?
Just sort of ‘Jase’ or ‘Gillbs’ depending who it is.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
What would your Wikipedia page be, or something like that, and I was stunned. I don’t think I had an answer which is not really that weird to be honest but it stumped me. I dunno, hopefully a long career, I’d like to be a player who played at one club, I suppose I’d like to be known as someone like that, a pretty loyal person. Hopefully a long career and some success along the way.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Probably a bit of bias but I’m going to say Aaron Cadman, a pretty good mate of mine. I reckon he is awesome to watch and he can sort of do it all so a very good chance.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Definitely maths. I can read but I forget what I read a couple of pages later.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
We’ve got a few family farms so maybe something like that. We’ve got sheep and cropping so we’ve got a fair bit of lamb back there — about 60,000 acres so run a few sheep and grow a few crops.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I’m watching Jeffrey Dahmer, it’s pretty weird to be honest but I don’t watch many shows. I just finished watching Farmer Wants a Wife which is just a reality TV show that I don’t mind but that’s about it. One day, who knows, I might go on it and get on the camera there.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I’m not a real big follower of music, I don’t really listen to any music at all. We’ll go country.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
There was someone from Home And Away once, she was one of the coppers off Home And Away. Not that many people being from back home (in Balranald).
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
One of my friends has just been over to Paris and all that so it was nice looking at all the photos so that would be pretty cool. We’ve been lucky enough to go over there before — because Mum’s Irish — so we used to go over to Ireland a fair bit. (She’s from) an hour south of Dublin in a little town Avoca.

COOPER VICKERY
Which AFL team do you support?

North Melbourne.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Hayden Young. A nice left foot and a rebounding defender so I like the way he goes about it.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Winning an under-14s junior flag with all my boys from my hometown was pretty good, in the East Gippsland League.
Do you have a nickname?
Just ‘Coops’ or Cooper.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
They’ve been pretty stock standard actually.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths. I’ve got a maths brain. I’m just better at it, can grasp the concepts better, English is just boring.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Either a physio or teaching, still tossing up between the two.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
Modern Family has been on Disney + so I’ve been watching that. I love the show, one of my favourites.
Who is your favourite music artist?
I like country music. Morgan Wallen, I like his songs.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Probably Sam Mitchell when I did some Hawthorn stuff. I shook his hand so didn’t wash it for a couple of days and let the germs sink in.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
Somewhere tropical, I like the tropical water. The Maldives or somewhere like that.
HUGH BOND
Which AFL team do you support?

Geelong.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Tim Taranto. I try to base some of my things off that and take key parts out of his game.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably V-Line Cup four years ago, it was on my birthday and I got to captain it as well so I was pretty happy.
Do you have a nickname?
‘Bondy’. Pretty simple.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
Maybe Port Adelaide actually, they asked me what makes me laugh. I was kind of just shocked by it I dunno, (I said) a bit of banter and just being around my mates.
Excluding Will Ashcroft, who should be the first draft pick this year?
Not just because he’s on my team but I’d probably say Aaron Cadman. He’s had a breakout year, a pretty stellar year and he certainly brings a lot to the table.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Probably maths. I just feel like I’m better at maths than English, never been massive on spelling.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Probably architecture or physio/sports science, but then also maybe even go back to rowing.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I love my Fast and Furious. I watched the other one the other day as I hadn’t seen it
Who is your favourite music artist?
That’s a hard one, I know every song but I can’t name one (artist). One Kiss by Dua Lipa — because in the boarding house the boys are loving it.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
I went to Buddy’s game when he kicked (the 1000th goal). I think I was like the fifth one to him — I was pretty lucky. Before he kicked it I was out on the oval. We didn’t think he was going to kick it but he did so that was special. Maybe Buddy then but I also met his sister after it so that was pretty cool.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I reckon Greece would be pretty cool to go to. I’ve seen pictures and stuff and mum and dad have been there and they talk pretty highly of it.

HARRY ROWSTON
Which AFL team do you support?

Collingwood.
Which AFL player do you model your game on?
Isaac Heeney, someone who can win the ball who on the inside and also go forward and kick goals and take marks.
What is your favourite football memory as a player?
Probably at school this year (Assumption College) we’ve won back-to-back grand finals so that was pretty fun.
Do you have a nickname?
I get ‘Row’, or ‘Cow’. I got (Cow) when I went to school because my brother got it.
What is the weirdest question an AFL club has asked you this year and how did you answer it?
One club asked me what kind of coach I would be and how I would coach, it was a bit of a tough one and I didn’t really know how to answer it, but I said I’d try be caring and coach different players how they need to be coached.
Do you prefer English or maths?
Maths, hate English but I’m not too bad at maths.
If football doesn’t work out, what career path would you go down?
Probably building because I’ve already started a building apprenticeship, or back on the farm. We have a cropping farm – all your wheat, barley, those kind of things.
What is the best television show or movie that you have watched recently?
I reckon the one that has just come out on Netflix about old mate who was killing everyone … Jeff Dahmer, that’s the one. That’s pretty intense but it was a good watch.
Who is your favourite music artist?
Drake, I like Drake. Can’t really pick (a favourite song) but most of his music is pretty good.
Who is the most famous person that you have met?
Dion Prestia. My cousin is best mates with him so I’ve met him a few times which is pretty cool.
What is your dream overseas travel destination?
I’ve always liked Greece, it looks pretty cool. But obviously it will be a few years before I’m doing a bit of travel — I need a bit of money first.


A few more shout outs for Tsatas than I expected
 
Wouldn’t have thought that moving a player to the rookie list to free up and potentially use a pick ~40 is all that controversial and certainly not worthy of the derision being directed at tZ in this instance.
I’m pretty sure the derision doesn’t come from the idea itself, it’s from the fact he posts the same thing over & over & over again!!!
It gets tiresome reading the same post from him on every bloody page!
Broken records have got nothing on tZ
 
I’m pretty sure the derision doesn’t come from the idea itself, it’s from the fact he posts the same thing over & over & over again!!!
It gets tiresome reading the same post from him on every bloody page!
Broken records have got nothing on tZ
That would be cos nuffies argue against that point
 
It really stands out to me how so many of these kids seem to hate English. The question does ask you to chose between the two but it is quite palpable how much these boys have grown to dislike their English lessons. It's just as sad that some think they "can't do maths".

I believe this represents a failure of the way we teach in this country. Who planted the idea in their mind that mathematics is always concrete and English is often without an answer and open to interpretation? Both can represent the infinite. You could spend all day rewriting number sentences that all come to the same conclusion just like I currently struggle to arrange thousands of possible words in any possible order to use right now to arrive at the one answer I've come to in my head. So much of mathematics is done through words and so much of English is formulaic. The two are not opposing disciplines but should be complementary.

The majority of these young men are likely receiving the best private education money can buy but at the end of thirteen years of education are still lacking fundamental understandings of the subjects they've been drilled on for years. They should be well-rounded multi-disciplinarians that understand every subject can teach you something about your primary pursuits but most still hold the black and white "English vs Maths" mindset.

This isn't any sort of a post-modern/Melbourne Model/business students need to take compulsory gamelan classes idea either. In 1645 Miyamoto Musashi inventor of protein powder and master swordfighter wrote The Book of Five Rings which was meant to be instructional to students in his dōjō. In the first chapter there were nine "grounds" that a Samurai should understand. These are three of them: "Become acquainted with every art", "Know the Way of all professions" and "Develop an intuitive judgement and understanding for everything". These are old and simple concepts that I think we've been taught to overlook.

Of course the race is really just beginning for these boys, they will continue to develop as young men and probably learn this lesson in their own time but I can't help but think this is a big part of why so many young footballers these days develop mental health issues. They're taught to pursue just the one thing with a bloody-mindedness that is not healthy and many will probably have to be taught the art of breathing and mandala colouring by overpaid sports psychologists to help relieve them of this pressure and learn there is more to life than what you like doing or what you're "good at". Not everyone is going to be a Zen monk if they're educated correctly but gee we really waste the time of students in our flat and boring education system.
 
In the event that we don’t trade down it’s pretty obvious that we are going to take 2 of Wardlaw, Sheezel or Tsatas with picks 2 & 3.

I’m however, very curious to see what comes of pick 23. We obviously have a couple of players in mind for that pick if we were willing to trade a Future pick in the twenties to get back into that area of the draft.

Are we trying to reach for a genuine tall like Lemmey or Scully?

Are we hoping someone like Jefferson, Keeler or Hayes will still be available at that pick?

Have we got an athletic 3rd tall like Weddle or Gruzewski in mind?

Will one of the distributing half backs like Cowan, Ryan or Gilbey going to be in play?

Or are we going after a small/mid forward like Konstanty, Clarke or Brayden George?

Perhaps one of the genuine utilities like Hustwaite or Hagan might appeal?

Genuinely curious as to which way we go but I’m tipping there is prospect there who we really want as we were willing to trade to get back in that zone.
 
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