- Sep 19, 2018
- 423
- 1,218
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
Back for 2023! As I've done in the past, I thought I'd just share some early thoughts on a few specific players from this draft crop.
***More coming
Harley Reid
Consensus best kid in the draft to start the season. He couldn't have done too much more in his bottom-age year. I can't think of too many players who can impact the game in all three parts of the ground the way Reid can. Has an enviable mix of size, speed, power and class that is rare in a midfielder. He reads the game exceptionally well and his aerial prowess allows him to be a weapon across halfback. He can also be a matchwinner up forward where he's fantastic 1 on 1, dangerous when the ball hits the deck and clinical in front of goal. A genuine can't-miss prospect.
Daniel Curtin
Curtin showed enough in the Futures game to suggest he's the only player capable of challenging Reid for that number 1 selection. He's such a nice mover for a key position prospect. He's a great intercept marker and likes to get the ball in his hands across halfback where he's a tidy user coming out of defence. Considering lessons learned from previous years, I'm cautiously aware that a key position prospect's draft year can throw up almost anything (see Harry Lemmey in 2022), but there's enough evidence for me to call Curtin a top 2 prospect going into the 2023 season.
Colby McKercher
I'm a big fan of McKercher. I don't think I'd be shocking anyone by projecting him as a first round talent going into the 2023 season. I rate his inside/outside balance and love how smoothly he moves in and around the contest. His agility and ability to change lanes under pressure allows him to get separation from his opponent. He can rack up the footy around the ground and is typically effective by hand and foot. I think he has the forward craft and finishing ability to hit the scoreboard more in his draft year and I think that will be an important string to add to his bow.
Ashton Moir
I remember the first time I saw Ashton Moir play. He finished a beautiful set shot on his left from about 40m out. 5 minutes later he did the same on his right foot. I actually had to go home and re-watch the game to make sure that I wasn't just imagining it. He's just so pure off both feet. He's a pretty special vertical athlete and is equally as dangerous when the ball hits the deck. I've been told he's an absolute weapon when he goes into the midfield but I just haven't seen that part of his game yet. At this stage, I view him as forward but would love to see if he can work his way into the midfield for Glenelg and South Australia this year. His capacity to go through the midfield will ultimately dictate his ceiling for me. I suspect this will be a common theme for a few prospects this year.
Nick Watson
Potentially controversial, but I don't think I'd have Nick Watson in my top 10 going into the season. For Watson it's not really a question of talent but how his size impacts his ceiling at AFL level. He really is very small, though admittedly I think he does play taller than he stands. He's so classy inside forward 50. He's got great patience with the ball in hand and knows exactly where the goals (and his teammates) are at all times. Despite his size, he still applies plenty of pressure inside 50 and I think he'll have the strength to finish tackles at the next level.
Zane Duursma
A really nice athlete and another super dangerous talent in front of goal. Duursma has the size, speed and athleticism to be a pretty special player. Like Moir, I'm looking forward to seeing Duursma spend some time in the midfield this season, as that will tell us a lot about what his ceiling is like at AFL level. He covers the ground really well and has all the attributes to be really dynamic around the contest. His work in the forward half is exceptional. He's so good on the lead and really strong overhead. I'd be expecting him to be a top 10 pick at the end of the season.
Jack Delean
Delean has been on the scene as an underager for a while now in South Australia and has shown pretty much everything you'd want to see from a small forward. He's strong on the lead and incredibly good overhead for a player his size. He's dynamic on the ground too, showing the strength to evade opponents and a the craftiness to finish in front of goals. He's a capable pressure forward too, who sticks and finishes tackles. He's super talented and should be on an AFL list by the end of the year.
Sam Frangalas
I really like Frangalas but I'll need some testing data before I fully commit to him as a prospect. He has enviable size and power as a midfielder and can also go forward and hit the scoreboard. He's a long, penetrating kick, though at times can be caught blazing away. He's going to separate at the contest with power more than speed, but I think that translates fine at the next level. His running will be an interesting element to track throughout the year and without knowing how he currently tests, I'm guessing that's probably an area of improvement for him.
Ben Ridgway
Ridgway isn't flashy but he plays tough, hard footy. He's an absolute bull on the inside, where his defensive work is equally as good as his ability to win the football. I wouldn't describe him as classy, but he's certainly more effective by foot than I probably gave him credit. He's a really mature kid and comes across as quite self-aware. I haven't spent a lot of time with him, but he just seems like a really good kid. Ridgway is another who's running and athletic testing is something that I see significantly impacting my evaluation.
Cooper Simpson
I'm a really big Cooper Simpson fan. He's got a nice turn of speed, is super shifty and I love the way he works through traffic. He can hit the scoreboard and has the defensive ability to find a role inside 50 at AFL level. I actually think he has more scope than that though and think a pinch-hit role in the midfield, perhaps similar to Jade Gresham, is something that is achievable for him.
Will Lorenz
Lorenz just looks like such a natural accumulator of the footy. He does such a good job of finding space and he's a really capable user by foot. I'm intrigued to see how his inside game develops this year as that will likely give some insight into his ceiling as a footballer. His athletic testing will be another key indicator of that too.
***More coming
Harley Reid
Consensus best kid in the draft to start the season. He couldn't have done too much more in his bottom-age year. I can't think of too many players who can impact the game in all three parts of the ground the way Reid can. Has an enviable mix of size, speed, power and class that is rare in a midfielder. He reads the game exceptionally well and his aerial prowess allows him to be a weapon across halfback. He can also be a matchwinner up forward where he's fantastic 1 on 1, dangerous when the ball hits the deck and clinical in front of goal. A genuine can't-miss prospect.
Daniel Curtin
Curtin showed enough in the Futures game to suggest he's the only player capable of challenging Reid for that number 1 selection. He's such a nice mover for a key position prospect. He's a great intercept marker and likes to get the ball in his hands across halfback where he's a tidy user coming out of defence. Considering lessons learned from previous years, I'm cautiously aware that a key position prospect's draft year can throw up almost anything (see Harry Lemmey in 2022), but there's enough evidence for me to call Curtin a top 2 prospect going into the 2023 season.
Colby McKercher
I'm a big fan of McKercher. I don't think I'd be shocking anyone by projecting him as a first round talent going into the 2023 season. I rate his inside/outside balance and love how smoothly he moves in and around the contest. His agility and ability to change lanes under pressure allows him to get separation from his opponent. He can rack up the footy around the ground and is typically effective by hand and foot. I think he has the forward craft and finishing ability to hit the scoreboard more in his draft year and I think that will be an important string to add to his bow.
Ashton Moir
I remember the first time I saw Ashton Moir play. He finished a beautiful set shot on his left from about 40m out. 5 minutes later he did the same on his right foot. I actually had to go home and re-watch the game to make sure that I wasn't just imagining it. He's just so pure off both feet. He's a pretty special vertical athlete and is equally as dangerous when the ball hits the deck. I've been told he's an absolute weapon when he goes into the midfield but I just haven't seen that part of his game yet. At this stage, I view him as forward but would love to see if he can work his way into the midfield for Glenelg and South Australia this year. His capacity to go through the midfield will ultimately dictate his ceiling for me. I suspect this will be a common theme for a few prospects this year.
Nick Watson
Potentially controversial, but I don't think I'd have Nick Watson in my top 10 going into the season. For Watson it's not really a question of talent but how his size impacts his ceiling at AFL level. He really is very small, though admittedly I think he does play taller than he stands. He's so classy inside forward 50. He's got great patience with the ball in hand and knows exactly where the goals (and his teammates) are at all times. Despite his size, he still applies plenty of pressure inside 50 and I think he'll have the strength to finish tackles at the next level.
Zane Duursma
A really nice athlete and another super dangerous talent in front of goal. Duursma has the size, speed and athleticism to be a pretty special player. Like Moir, I'm looking forward to seeing Duursma spend some time in the midfield this season, as that will tell us a lot about what his ceiling is like at AFL level. He covers the ground really well and has all the attributes to be really dynamic around the contest. His work in the forward half is exceptional. He's so good on the lead and really strong overhead. I'd be expecting him to be a top 10 pick at the end of the season.
Jack Delean
Delean has been on the scene as an underager for a while now in South Australia and has shown pretty much everything you'd want to see from a small forward. He's strong on the lead and incredibly good overhead for a player his size. He's dynamic on the ground too, showing the strength to evade opponents and a the craftiness to finish in front of goals. He's a capable pressure forward too, who sticks and finishes tackles. He's super talented and should be on an AFL list by the end of the year.
Sam Frangalas
I really like Frangalas but I'll need some testing data before I fully commit to him as a prospect. He has enviable size and power as a midfielder and can also go forward and hit the scoreboard. He's a long, penetrating kick, though at times can be caught blazing away. He's going to separate at the contest with power more than speed, but I think that translates fine at the next level. His running will be an interesting element to track throughout the year and without knowing how he currently tests, I'm guessing that's probably an area of improvement for him.
Ben Ridgway
Ridgway isn't flashy but he plays tough, hard footy. He's an absolute bull on the inside, where his defensive work is equally as good as his ability to win the football. I wouldn't describe him as classy, but he's certainly more effective by foot than I probably gave him credit. He's a really mature kid and comes across as quite self-aware. I haven't spent a lot of time with him, but he just seems like a really good kid. Ridgway is another who's running and athletic testing is something that I see significantly impacting my evaluation.
Cooper Simpson
I'm a really big Cooper Simpson fan. He's got a nice turn of speed, is super shifty and I love the way he works through traffic. He can hit the scoreboard and has the defensive ability to find a role inside 50 at AFL level. I actually think he has more scope than that though and think a pinch-hit role in the midfield, perhaps similar to Jade Gresham, is something that is achievable for him.
Will Lorenz
Lorenz just looks like such a natural accumulator of the footy. He does such a good job of finding space and he's a really capable user by foot. I'm intrigued to see how his inside game develops this year as that will likely give some insight into his ceiling as a footballer. His athletic testing will be another key indicator of that too.
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