This is what Francis was doing at under18s
Meeting Francis using numbers, which shows how exceptional he has been.
Francis vs Vic Metro took 12 marks (11 intercept mark) his courage & great hands backing back into packs was a real feature.
Vs WA Francis had 22 possessions, 4 goals, 5 behinds, total 9 shots & laid 6 tackles, 2 which resulted in shots for goal.
Champion data rated Francis the 6th best player in the championships behind 1. Hooper, 2. Mills, 3. Schache 4. Weitering, 5. Parish.
In a Round 2 victory over Vic Metro, the 190cm youngster took 11 intercept marks playing across half back.
Just a week later and he went forward, kicking 4.5 from 22 disposals in a convincing win over Western Australia.
Given Francis has spent the majority of his year on half back, comparing the South Australian with fellow highly rated defender Weitering makes for interesting reading.
Francis took 14 contested marks across the championships, 27 intercept marks and recorded a tally of eight spoils. Weitering had 16 contested marks, 19 intercepts and 12 spoils.
While the numbers are relatively even, that’s without factoring in the time Francis spent forward.
Remarkably, he also recorded 13 shots on goal in addition to his superb defensive numbers. Only Schache and Ben Ainsworth had more shots in division one.
THERE was a training session at St Kilda's Seaford headquarters late last year when the NAB AFL Academy players were pitted against each other in one-on-one marking battles.
In front of a group of recruiters, the group of taller prospects eligible for this year's draft went head-to-head. Aaron Francis won every contest he was in. "He's going to go very high," said one recruiter who was there watching.
His first four games in the SANFL resulted in 11 contested marks in defence, ranking him fourth in the competition across that period, playing Full Back. His fifth match saw him move forward, where he booted two goals in a narrow win over Central Districts.
Francis may be the first South Australian drafted this year. The jumping and marking tall defender had an excellent game for the NAB AFL Academy last month, when he took nine marks in the back half against Werribee. Francis was awarded the medal for best afield against the older more mature opponents.
BEST
NAB AFL Academy: Francis, Parish, O'Kearney, Weitering, Hopper, Keays
Werribee: Sharp, Wood, Tarrant, Norris, Conway, Daw