Eastern Rangers
2015 Worsfold Medalist - Rowen Powell
In what is a decent year for WA prospect i think it's high time to start another thread for them. I'll throw in a whole bunch of players now and update with additional players and revisions to existing prospects as i go.
Feel free to do the same.
Clem Smith – 177cm – 74kg - Small forward/ Midfielder – (Perth)
Strengths: Speed, agility, toughness and on field aggression.
Weaknesses: Kicking.
Physical small rebounding defender come midfielder. Gifted with great vertical leap, agility and acceleration he's been compared to Cyril Rioli and the comparison with him isn't completely invalid.
One thing your going to love about Smith is his attack on the contest, he's fearless for a small player. You'll find him bumping bigger players off the ball, putting his head over the ball when needed and attacking contests at full pace.
For me at the moment the biggest weakness is his kicking. He's just not as reliable as id like him to be, he's certainly capable of being damaging because he's reasonably creative. It's more that he's prone to shanks and miss kicks too often.
Tyler Keitel – 193cm – 80kg - Tall Forward/ Defender – (East Perth)
Strengths: Smarts, Marking and Agility.
Weaknesses: Can be a touch selfish.
Keitel is a versatile and agile big man with very strong marking and good execution in front of goals. He's dexterous below the knees, reasonably quick and has a pretty small turning circle given his height.
At first he reminded me of a shorter and more coordinated version of Eric Mackenzie (not exactly the most flattering comparison). Floated down back when in the ruck and was really useful in out marking, spoiling, clearing and rebounding.
The match that sticks in my mind is round 22 against Perth at Medibank stadium. On a boggy ground, in wet and slippery conditions he kicked five goals in the first half. His hands were so clean overhead and so clean of the deck in poor conditions.
Just a natural talent who plays with flair and arrogance.
Bradley Walsh - 180cm - 80kg - Midfielder (Peel)
Strengths: Ball winning ability, clean hands.
Weaknesses: Outside game.
Strong inside midfielder with a mature body. Brilliant at reading the taps of the palms of rucks and getting first hands to the ball. He probably knows his way around a stoppage better than any other midfielder from WA at this stage and is always repositioning himself to ensure he gets in the best position to influence a contest.
His hands are clean and he can quickly distribute to those around him efficiently. His defensive side is pretty good as well both in terms of his stoppage work and his defensive running.
Biggest knock on him has to be his lack of an uncontested game. He's not the lead up type of player who quickly gets into space to create an option. Reminds me a little of Pattrick Cripps in that regard only he lacks his height.
Alec Waterman – 183cm – 88kg - Midfielder (Claremont)
Strengths: disposal, strength, burst speed, goal kicking.
Weaknesses: speed around the ground.
Stocky inside/ outside midfielder, who is gifted with clean hands and close to elite disposal. Waterman is a burst player who thrives on small touches and working in close quarters. He's also good around the ground, strong overhead for his size. Is extremely dangerous when he gets space in and around the 50, setting up scoring shots and kicking a goal a game at Colts level in 2013.
Matthew Ah Sui – 192cm – Utility – (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Running power, marking, athleticism.
Weaknesses: Slight frame and average ground level ability
Running tall utility who seems to sit somewhere between a Cale Morton and Nick Riewoldt. Struggles a little below the knees when the ball falls outside the line of his hips, he just doesn't have the ability to get down and across quickly. He's also narrow across the shoulders, so at the moment he doesn't strike me as either a true KPP or a running wingman. More of a third tall with brilliant speed and running power, a lot like Gunston in that regard only without his contested game.
Ryan Lim – 186cm – Midfielder – (Claremont)
Strengths: Speed over the ground for long periods, smarts, ball winning ability.
Weaknesses: Kicking.
Good sized inside/ outside midfielder from Claremont. Is a natural accumulator of the ball, as he can win his own ball on the inside, spread well or find it around the ground. He comes across as a bit of utility as he's a good mark and covers the ground with ease. He's a light and quick runner but not at the expense of strength in congested situations.
Biggest problem is his kicking. Can find a target, but boy can he miss them. If he fixes that up then he could go really high in the draft. Just a very balanced player who looks like he'll be an AFL footballer.
Jacob Dragovich – 178cm – 72kg - Small Midfielder (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Agility, ball winning ability, awareness.
Weaknesses: size, one dimensional?
Small inside/ outside midfielder. Quick hands and sound decision making are his feature, doesn't kick as many goals as you would like for someone of his size. Needs to become more offensive and not just the guy that distributes for the benefit of others. A natural footballer that I worry could be overlooked because of his size and understated style.
Didn't regularly kick goals last season or get out into offensive positions enough. Good footballer but does his size prevent him from playing his normal game up the levels? Has grown a little and would be just shy of 180cm these days.
Aiden Anderson – 180cm – 75kg - Midfielder/ Forward (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Endurance, Overhead marking, Tenacious.
Weaknesses: ???
Smart midfielder/ forward. Who can play on ball or play as a strong hit up target across the half forward line. He's strong overhead for his size and has good goal sense. His kicking is pretty good, nothing special but he's smart and creative user of the pill.
He comes across as a particularly good runner as he's not blessed with elite pace or agility. He just tends to glide around the ground in a similar fashion to Tom Scully. He's tenacious defensive player who's repeat efforts consistently stand out.
Spent most of 2013 playing reserves for Swan Districts and i haven't seen that much of him because of it. Made his league debut last week and i look forward to seeing what he does as at the Champs this year with some midfield minutes.
Jeremy Woodley - 178cm - 63kg - Forward (Subiaco)
Strengths: Speed, Vertical Leap, Agility
Weaknesses: Endurance?
Speedy small forward with rare agility and great game sense. Knows when and where to run and he goes hard at the contests at the right times to turn matches on their heads.
Goal kicking can be a little inconsistent but he generates and takes a lot of scoring shots. So it's not a massive issue.
Lawrence Evans - 177cm - 68kg - Forward (Peel)
Strengths: Vertical leap, Physical
Weaknesses: Consistency
A tenacious small forward with a great vertical leap and strong agility. Those numbers above make him seem small but he's athletic and a physical little player. He's good good skills by hand and foot, the knock on him has to be his consistency and getting up and involved in contests. But there is a lot to work with here, a real jack in the box type forward.
Not named in the U18 intake just yet but id like to see him at that level.
Ben Hancock – 186cm - 77kg - Defender (Peel)
Strengths: Size, utility and kicking.
Weaknesses: Middling athlete.
Strong and physical half back. Loves to crash packs, has a tendency to work opponents over well, rebounds strongly with reasonable pace and a long kick. Need to see more of him as getting round to watch peel play can be a little tedious. Made the 2013 Colts team of the year.
Dylan Winton - 190cm - 84kg - Mid/ Defender (Peel)
Strengths: Marking, Kicking, Defensive rebound
Weaknesses: Agility
Winton is a rebounding defender or tall midfielder. He's strong overhead, a decent kick and smart running player. Doesn't mind dropping back into a hole to take strong defensive marks and helping out covering his team mates. But where he's really strong is in his ability to project positively up the ground when in defense and spreading around the ground while he runs through the middle.
As a midfielder he could use his body size a little and i'd question if he's an absolute genuine ball winner at the highest level. As far as athleticism goes he has neither elite pace or agility but he's a great reader of the play and a good runner.
Harrison Court – 187cm – 87kg - Utility (Claremont)
Strengths: Kicking, utility and endurance.
Weaknesses:
Court is a defender, wingman or a forward. He played a variety of different roles for Claremont in 2013 and that has continued into early 2014. He played as a forward often enough and well enough to kick 18 goals from 20 games, though he doesn't seem to kick many from other parts of the ground. He did some important defensive jobs through the season to differing degrees of success. But for me at the moment he looks most comfortable as a wingman or half back. Where he can use his running or marking power to most effect.
Mid year he really impressed between round 7 and round 11 he averaged 28 disposals. But after the championships he fell away for what ever reason and averaged just 14.4 disposals a game, perhaps it was a change of role. Hard to know how he's rated, but i personally rate him as one of the better players from this group now.
Jarrod Pickett – 179cm - 74kg - Mid/ Forward (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Speed, kicking, goal sense, agility, tackling.
Weaknesses:
Small midfielder/ forward blessed with clean hands, a great kick and strong athletic ability. He's a bit of freak and my number one pick from WA at the moment.
A game breaker wherever he plays. Naturally intelligent forward and a smart dynamic player when he's up the ground. Deep forward, wing, flanks or on ball. I think he could play anywhere, especially if he keeps on growing.
Joshua Deluca – 179cm - 80kg - Forward/ Midfield (Subiaco)
Strengths: Kicking, low centre of gravity, strong body.
Weaknesses: Full time midfielder?
Josh is the brother of Chris Deluca who was a draft fancy a few years back. Josh is bigger and more AFL applicable talent, playing as more of a high forward/ midfielder than his brother who played deeper as a goal sneak. Josh has a brilliant left foot boot on him and a highly developed body. He's been elevated to play league with Subi and been playing well as a forward.
I'd like to see him back playing midfield even if it was at Colts level. He hasn't proven everything at that level and consistency was an issue for him in 2013.
Samuel Bevan – 195cm – 80kg - Tall Forward/ Defender? (Claremont)
Strengths: Goal kicking (set shot), marking, skills
Weaknesses: Body strength.
Consistent with the archetype that clubs were attracted to heavily in the recent past. Skinny but highly skilled tall forward. Started to put some muscle on but needs to add a lot more, good news is he's still groing.
Has started the season well for Claremont playing a bunch of different roles at both ends of the grounds. His marking on the lead and goal kicking is particularly good, just has a fluid and relaxed run up and ball drop that gets good results.
Harry Taylor – 183cm - 74kg - Defender/ Midfielder (Caremont)
Strengths: Marking, body work, decision making coming from defense, speed.
Weaknesses: Contested ball winning ability is a bit of
Harry is a understated small defender/ wingman who became a bit of a favorite of mine. He's quick, knows how to hassle opponents and he's got good rebounding skills. He's also pretty good overhead, with strong marking and a competent spoiler of the ball.
Due to injuries to other players Taylor matched up Johnathan Marsh during the year and while Marsh had both height and a bit of pace on him he still managed to make it a good contest between the two of them. In his draft year he's been moved up to play the wing and been getting good numbers. Is in WA's U18 squad for 2014.
Jared Hardisty – 179cm – 85kg - Small Midfielder (Claremont)
Stengths: Disposal by both hand and foot, strength over the ball, ball winning ability.
Weaknesses: Pace at the highest level.
Hard as nails contested ball winning midfielder. Hardisty has a short and stocky body, but uses every ounce of it. Loves a contests and is always seen at the bottom of the packs dishing the ball out.
However i get the feeling that if his inside game isn't viewed as being strong enough he won't attract much interest from AFL clubs unless he proves he's a little more well rounded. He has improved his body shape and looks fitter in 2014 than he did last year. I hope he impresses in the U18 champs and gets picked up because he's beautiful long left foot on him that can be used to great affect and is an absolute competitor.
One of my favorites.
Max Walters – 185cm - 82kg - Midfielder (Subiaco)
Strengths: Hard running, clean inside hands, ball winning, tough.
Weaknesses: Kicking is average.
A strong inside midfielder who possesses a natural ability at stoppages, can win his own ball and moves to the right positions quickly. He's long of limb and has rare ball control, will turn heads at the champs with his ability to distribute. Looks to be a natural accumulator and a great momentum midfielder who comes across as someone in the style of a Joel Selwood only more athletic. Didn't see enough of him last year as he missed the second half of 2013 with injury.
Jack Cripps - 198cm - 85kg - Forward (East Fremantle)
Strengths: height, mobility, skills.
Weaknesses: slight frame, inconsistent mark.
It's probably one of the weaker groups from East Fremantle in a long time and losing Barry Barone to injury and James Rayner to Queensland hasn't helped them. Jack Cripps is easily one of the better prospects.
Cripps is the cousin to both Jamie and Patrick Cripps. He's a tall and skinny forward/ ruckmen who originally thrived early in 2013 before falling away a little. He's agile, he's mobile and he's got pretty good skills. Goal kicking isn't as good as it should be given how well he uses by foot it in general play.
His ability to hold contested marks was an issue last year, but he was really skinny and is still growing. A lot of the fundamentals are there and anyone with his size and height will attract attention. Added both height and weight since last year which is a positive sign.
Ben Evans - 191cm - 74kg - Utility (Subiaco)
Strengths: Speed, vertical leap, strong mark.
Weaknesses: Games smarts, kicking.
Evans is a amazing athlete and has performed well within the CFDC over last couple of years. Polling well in the last years MVP and attracting a lot of attention with his more freakish moments. He's got an amazing vertical leap and has sticky hands. He's also very quick in a straight line and a ferocious tackler. Currently plays as a ruck/ forward for Subiaco.
I've got him in here because i believes he's a player who could attract some attention if improves quickly and really start to perform to a high level within the Colts system. That remains to be seen at the moment. But he's one to watch nonetheless.
Matthew Palfrey - 185cm - 80kg - Forward (Claremont)
Strengths: Marking, Recovery, Forward Smarts.
Weaknesses: Reliability by foot.
Overage forward from Albany that dominated the seniors finals in the South West last year turning a lot of heads. Moved up to play with Claremont and has started really strongly. Naturally Claremont have offered him with good supply but it looks like he can win a lot of his own ball both in terms of contested work and his work rate around the ground. Had 24 disposals, 12 marks and kicked 4.3 in round 1 in an imposing display. A member of the 2014 WA U18's squad.
Jermaine Miller-Lewis – 187cm - 75kg - Forward (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Speed, body strength and his skills.
Weaknesses: Endurance?
An athletic and strong marking forward who is as good in the air as he is on the ground. My issues are that he plays too deep and doesn't get up the ground and get involved with play enough. He can kick a bag of goals in one game and then literally go missing the next week. He lacked influence is so many of the games i've seen him play at Colts level.
He's got a bit of mongrel about him and if he's been retained in the AFL/ AIS academy so i'm hopeful that i'll see better from him in 2014. Otherwise he could be another Troy Taylor/ Chris Yarran (2010). Not one of WA's top prospects at the moment.
Warrick Wilson - 187cm - 72kg - Wingman (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Marking, Great Kick
Weaknesses: Consistency, Contested possession
A tall flanker come wingman who has the potential to be a real game breaker at the highest level. He's fast, rangy and athletic outside player who breaks the lines and projects across long distances up and down the ground.
He's a pretty linear player and looks at his best when he's able to get out out of the back of contests or break free once possession has been won. He's a former AIS member and hasn't had a whole lot of exposure at Colts level until late last year.
Jarrod Garlett - 179cm - 67kg - Wingman (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Speed, Ball Carrying, Agility.
Weaknesses: Slight, contested possession
Speedy outside midfielder/ wingman. Bless with rare speed and agility, he's a genuine line breaker and one of the more underrated prospects from WA. Would be less well rounded than either Pickett and Smith as he's a pure outside player. But with his pace and disposal he has the tools to be considered a draftable talent.
Christopher Firns - 185cm - 75kg - Midfielder (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Endurance, Strength over ball, Link Up Work,
Weaknesses: Average kick and pace.
Strong midfielder with a mature game. Strong in the clinches where he has the strength to stand over the ball and distribute by hand or foot. Has a tendency to kick from stoppages a little too much for the modern game though and needs to find less direct and more clear targets. Needs to be more intelligent about how he tries to move the ball forward.
Linking up through the guts and reading the play are two of his strengths. He's a good over head mark and gets into positions where his marking provides structure from which others feed of. I'd liken him to a shorter version of Brad Ebert.
Dylan Neslon - 185cm - 75kg - Mid/ Utility (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Speed, Kicking,
Weaknesses:
Good sized midfielder/ utility blessed with strong agility, good pace and good skills. Not an elite athlete but someone who looks to be above average at Colts level where he possesses the physical abilities to really impose himself on a contest. Part of a very strong group of running taller midfielders from Swan Districts that could give the colts premiership a shake.
Rebound out of the back half with accurate kicking is a strong feature of his game as is his ability to present across the half forward line, marking strongly and kicking goals.
Jacob Daniels - 183cm - 84kg Midfielder (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Zippy, Balance,
Weaknesses:
Zippy midfielder with good lateral movement. Is a play maker through the midfield and half forward area for Swan Districts. Likes to get involved in and around packs where his clean hands and speed allow him to generate space for those around him. Does like to break free into space forward of the play on occasion and he can be really dangerous when he does.
Been a lot of players of his style who have attracted interest over the last few years. I'd compare him to a Sharrod Wellingham.
William Frampton - 198cm - 81kg Forward/ Ruck (South Fremantle)
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Cameron Loersch - 203cm - 101kg - Ruck/ Forward (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Marking,
Weaknesses: Agility, Vertical Leap
Overage Rukmen/ Tall forward in a similar mold to Darcy Cameron from last year, he's got slightly longer limbs but apart from that they're similar size and shape. Lacks Camerons skills and lateral movement but he's probably a slightly stronger mark of the two.
Aaron Summers - 186cm - 77kg - Wingman (Subiaco)
Strengths: Speed, kicking, marking.
Weaknesses: Contested game? and slight frame.
A fast outside midfielder who is a bit of a dasher. He's brilliant on the spread and loves to go on runs down the wings and kick long, but is only a capable hit up target when he finds himself forward of the play. Not someone who naturally likes his back to the goals.
Only concern has to be the ratio of contested possession and it's reflected in his very low handball numbers. I think he's a little too outside at the moment, some bulk and some development might see him impact more positively on contests and increase his total disposal numbers which are a little low for such a fast endurance runner.
William Michell - 181cm - 72kg - Midfielder (West Perth)
Strengths: Inside/ outside
Weaknesses:
Cody Grace - 187cm - 88kg - Forward (Subiaco)
Strengths: Strength, Marking,
Weaknesses: Lateral movement, endurance
Burly big half forward who is great hit up target or deep forward. Knocks on him have to be to be his fitness in the past and some of that comes down to injury. He also is a bit of a middling athlete who doesn't look that good around the ground. But he's a strong mark and can be a prolific goal kicker. Probably one who's plateaued a lot since the U16 champs where he performed strongly on the back of his size advantage.
Connor Blakely - 187cm - 72kg - Utility (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Size, Game Smarts, Kicking
Weaknesses: Speed
Classy inside/ outside tall midfielder who uses the ball well by hand and foot. He's a natural reader of the play and a damaging link up player through the middle of the ground. Needs to kick more goals and get inside 50 and use his height to better advantage. He's a big boy and that above height and weight is no doubt rather out of date these days.
Playing league and holding his own averaging 18.25 disposals a game in 2014.
Clayton Giblett - 191cm - 89cm - Medium Defender (East Perth)
Strengths: Elite Athlete, pace, agility.
Weaknesses: Ball winning smarts.
Third tall defender or medium defender who has great closing speed and the ability to easily rebound up the ground. The problem was that he doesn't get his hands on the ball enough and his ball use, particularly decision making needs to improve. AFL clubs will like what they see in him because of his upward potential and he's be a chance to be drafted.
Barry Baron - 170cm - 71kg - Small Midfielder (East Fremantle)
Strengths: Speed, Disposal (by foot), Spread.
Weaknesses: Size.
Small midfielder with great speed and agility that was really creative across the midfield and half forward line for Easts. An absolutely lovely user by foot and had the ability to twist opponents inside out and give himself time to hit the right player by foot. Was also really noticeable on the spread from stoppages. Missing with an ACL.
Shayne Hille - 173cm - 63cm - Small Forward/ Mdidfielder (East Perth)
Strengths: Endurance, Disposal, Smarts
Weaknesses: Size.
Small natural footballer blessed with good game sense and disposal. He's good on the lead and at the ball drop, can push up into the midfield where his decision making is a feature.
2015 Draft prospects. - A look ahead to next year. Again in no particular order.
Eddie Simpson – 194cm – ???kg (Claremont)
Bailey Rodgers – 185cm – 80kg (Claremont)
Mitchell Antonio – 185cm – 60kg (West Perth)
Jacob Turner – 187cm – 80kg (West Perth)
Callum Ah Chee – 186cm – 69kg (South Fremantle)
Abraham Kennedy – 186cm – 66kg (Subiaco)
Ethan Burnett – 182cm – 78kg (Subiaco)
Greg Clark – 191cm – 81kg (Subiaco)
Blair Della Franca – 198cm - 83kg (East Perth)
Dylan Smith – 197cm – 65kg (Swan Districts)
Oliver Parish – 169cm – 57kg (East Fremantle)
Thomas Bennett – 180cm – 70kg (East Fremantle)
Kade Steward – 180cm - 65kg (South Fremantle)
Jesse Micro - 190cm - 89kg (South Fremantle)
Chad Daniels - 185cm - 80kg (Swan Districts)
Feel free to do the same.
Clem Smith – 177cm – 74kg - Small forward/ Midfielder – (Perth)
Strengths: Speed, agility, toughness and on field aggression.
Weaknesses: Kicking.
Physical small rebounding defender come midfielder. Gifted with great vertical leap, agility and acceleration he's been compared to Cyril Rioli and the comparison with him isn't completely invalid.
One thing your going to love about Smith is his attack on the contest, he's fearless for a small player. You'll find him bumping bigger players off the ball, putting his head over the ball when needed and attacking contests at full pace.
For me at the moment the biggest weakness is his kicking. He's just not as reliable as id like him to be, he's certainly capable of being damaging because he's reasonably creative. It's more that he's prone to shanks and miss kicks too often.
Tyler Keitel – 193cm – 80kg - Tall Forward/ Defender – (East Perth)
Strengths: Smarts, Marking and Agility.
Weaknesses: Can be a touch selfish.
Keitel is a versatile and agile big man with very strong marking and good execution in front of goals. He's dexterous below the knees, reasonably quick and has a pretty small turning circle given his height.
At first he reminded me of a shorter and more coordinated version of Eric Mackenzie (not exactly the most flattering comparison). Floated down back when in the ruck and was really useful in out marking, spoiling, clearing and rebounding.
The match that sticks in my mind is round 22 against Perth at Medibank stadium. On a boggy ground, in wet and slippery conditions he kicked five goals in the first half. His hands were so clean overhead and so clean of the deck in poor conditions.
Just a natural talent who plays with flair and arrogance.
Bradley Walsh - 180cm - 80kg - Midfielder (Peel)
Strengths: Ball winning ability, clean hands.
Weaknesses: Outside game.
Strong inside midfielder with a mature body. Brilliant at reading the taps of the palms of rucks and getting first hands to the ball. He probably knows his way around a stoppage better than any other midfielder from WA at this stage and is always repositioning himself to ensure he gets in the best position to influence a contest.
His hands are clean and he can quickly distribute to those around him efficiently. His defensive side is pretty good as well both in terms of his stoppage work and his defensive running.
Biggest knock on him has to be his lack of an uncontested game. He's not the lead up type of player who quickly gets into space to create an option. Reminds me a little of Pattrick Cripps in that regard only he lacks his height.
Alec Waterman – 183cm – 88kg - Midfielder (Claremont)
Strengths: disposal, strength, burst speed, goal kicking.
Weaknesses: speed around the ground.
Stocky inside/ outside midfielder, who is gifted with clean hands and close to elite disposal. Waterman is a burst player who thrives on small touches and working in close quarters. He's also good around the ground, strong overhead for his size. Is extremely dangerous when he gets space in and around the 50, setting up scoring shots and kicking a goal a game at Colts level in 2013.
Matthew Ah Sui – 192cm – Utility – (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Running power, marking, athleticism.
Weaknesses: Slight frame and average ground level ability
Running tall utility who seems to sit somewhere between a Cale Morton and Nick Riewoldt. Struggles a little below the knees when the ball falls outside the line of his hips, he just doesn't have the ability to get down and across quickly. He's also narrow across the shoulders, so at the moment he doesn't strike me as either a true KPP or a running wingman. More of a third tall with brilliant speed and running power, a lot like Gunston in that regard only without his contested game.
Ryan Lim – 186cm – Midfielder – (Claremont)
Strengths: Speed over the ground for long periods, smarts, ball winning ability.
Weaknesses: Kicking.
Good sized inside/ outside midfielder from Claremont. Is a natural accumulator of the ball, as he can win his own ball on the inside, spread well or find it around the ground. He comes across as a bit of utility as he's a good mark and covers the ground with ease. He's a light and quick runner but not at the expense of strength in congested situations.
Biggest problem is his kicking. Can find a target, but boy can he miss them. If he fixes that up then he could go really high in the draft. Just a very balanced player who looks like he'll be an AFL footballer.
Jacob Dragovich – 178cm – 72kg - Small Midfielder (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Agility, ball winning ability, awareness.
Weaknesses: size, one dimensional?
Small inside/ outside midfielder. Quick hands and sound decision making are his feature, doesn't kick as many goals as you would like for someone of his size. Needs to become more offensive and not just the guy that distributes for the benefit of others. A natural footballer that I worry could be overlooked because of his size and understated style.
Didn't regularly kick goals last season or get out into offensive positions enough. Good footballer but does his size prevent him from playing his normal game up the levels? Has grown a little and would be just shy of 180cm these days.
Aiden Anderson – 180cm – 75kg - Midfielder/ Forward (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Endurance, Overhead marking, Tenacious.
Weaknesses: ???
Smart midfielder/ forward. Who can play on ball or play as a strong hit up target across the half forward line. He's strong overhead for his size and has good goal sense. His kicking is pretty good, nothing special but he's smart and creative user of the pill.
He comes across as a particularly good runner as he's not blessed with elite pace or agility. He just tends to glide around the ground in a similar fashion to Tom Scully. He's tenacious defensive player who's repeat efforts consistently stand out.
Spent most of 2013 playing reserves for Swan Districts and i haven't seen that much of him because of it. Made his league debut last week and i look forward to seeing what he does as at the Champs this year with some midfield minutes.
Jeremy Woodley - 178cm - 63kg - Forward (Subiaco)
Strengths: Speed, Vertical Leap, Agility
Weaknesses: Endurance?
Speedy small forward with rare agility and great game sense. Knows when and where to run and he goes hard at the contests at the right times to turn matches on their heads.
Goal kicking can be a little inconsistent but he generates and takes a lot of scoring shots. So it's not a massive issue.
Lawrence Evans - 177cm - 68kg - Forward (Peel)
Strengths: Vertical leap, Physical
Weaknesses: Consistency
A tenacious small forward with a great vertical leap and strong agility. Those numbers above make him seem small but he's athletic and a physical little player. He's good good skills by hand and foot, the knock on him has to be his consistency and getting up and involved in contests. But there is a lot to work with here, a real jack in the box type forward.
Not named in the U18 intake just yet but id like to see him at that level.
Ben Hancock – 186cm - 77kg - Defender (Peel)
Strengths: Size, utility and kicking.
Weaknesses: Middling athlete.
Strong and physical half back. Loves to crash packs, has a tendency to work opponents over well, rebounds strongly with reasonable pace and a long kick. Need to see more of him as getting round to watch peel play can be a little tedious. Made the 2013 Colts team of the year.
Dylan Winton - 190cm - 84kg - Mid/ Defender (Peel)
Strengths: Marking, Kicking, Defensive rebound
Weaknesses: Agility
Winton is a rebounding defender or tall midfielder. He's strong overhead, a decent kick and smart running player. Doesn't mind dropping back into a hole to take strong defensive marks and helping out covering his team mates. But where he's really strong is in his ability to project positively up the ground when in defense and spreading around the ground while he runs through the middle.
As a midfielder he could use his body size a little and i'd question if he's an absolute genuine ball winner at the highest level. As far as athleticism goes he has neither elite pace or agility but he's a great reader of the play and a good runner.
Harrison Court – 187cm – 87kg - Utility (Claremont)
Strengths: Kicking, utility and endurance.
Weaknesses:
Court is a defender, wingman or a forward. He played a variety of different roles for Claremont in 2013 and that has continued into early 2014. He played as a forward often enough and well enough to kick 18 goals from 20 games, though he doesn't seem to kick many from other parts of the ground. He did some important defensive jobs through the season to differing degrees of success. But for me at the moment he looks most comfortable as a wingman or half back. Where he can use his running or marking power to most effect.
Mid year he really impressed between round 7 and round 11 he averaged 28 disposals. But after the championships he fell away for what ever reason and averaged just 14.4 disposals a game, perhaps it was a change of role. Hard to know how he's rated, but i personally rate him as one of the better players from this group now.
Jarrod Pickett – 179cm - 74kg - Mid/ Forward (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Speed, kicking, goal sense, agility, tackling.
Weaknesses:
Small midfielder/ forward blessed with clean hands, a great kick and strong athletic ability. He's a bit of freak and my number one pick from WA at the moment.
A game breaker wherever he plays. Naturally intelligent forward and a smart dynamic player when he's up the ground. Deep forward, wing, flanks or on ball. I think he could play anywhere, especially if he keeps on growing.
Joshua Deluca – 179cm - 80kg - Forward/ Midfield (Subiaco)
Strengths: Kicking, low centre of gravity, strong body.
Weaknesses: Full time midfielder?
Josh is the brother of Chris Deluca who was a draft fancy a few years back. Josh is bigger and more AFL applicable talent, playing as more of a high forward/ midfielder than his brother who played deeper as a goal sneak. Josh has a brilliant left foot boot on him and a highly developed body. He's been elevated to play league with Subi and been playing well as a forward.
I'd like to see him back playing midfield even if it was at Colts level. He hasn't proven everything at that level and consistency was an issue for him in 2013.
Samuel Bevan – 195cm – 80kg - Tall Forward/ Defender? (Claremont)
Strengths: Goal kicking (set shot), marking, skills
Weaknesses: Body strength.
Consistent with the archetype that clubs were attracted to heavily in the recent past. Skinny but highly skilled tall forward. Started to put some muscle on but needs to add a lot more, good news is he's still groing.
Has started the season well for Claremont playing a bunch of different roles at both ends of the grounds. His marking on the lead and goal kicking is particularly good, just has a fluid and relaxed run up and ball drop that gets good results.
Harry Taylor – 183cm - 74kg - Defender/ Midfielder (Caremont)
Strengths: Marking, body work, decision making coming from defense, speed.
Weaknesses: Contested ball winning ability is a bit of
Harry is a understated small defender/ wingman who became a bit of a favorite of mine. He's quick, knows how to hassle opponents and he's got good rebounding skills. He's also pretty good overhead, with strong marking and a competent spoiler of the ball.
Due to injuries to other players Taylor matched up Johnathan Marsh during the year and while Marsh had both height and a bit of pace on him he still managed to make it a good contest between the two of them. In his draft year he's been moved up to play the wing and been getting good numbers. Is in WA's U18 squad for 2014.
Jared Hardisty – 179cm – 85kg - Small Midfielder (Claremont)
Stengths: Disposal by both hand and foot, strength over the ball, ball winning ability.
Weaknesses: Pace at the highest level.
Hard as nails contested ball winning midfielder. Hardisty has a short and stocky body, but uses every ounce of it. Loves a contests and is always seen at the bottom of the packs dishing the ball out.
However i get the feeling that if his inside game isn't viewed as being strong enough he won't attract much interest from AFL clubs unless he proves he's a little more well rounded. He has improved his body shape and looks fitter in 2014 than he did last year. I hope he impresses in the U18 champs and gets picked up because he's beautiful long left foot on him that can be used to great affect and is an absolute competitor.
One of my favorites.
Max Walters – 185cm - 82kg - Midfielder (Subiaco)
Strengths: Hard running, clean inside hands, ball winning, tough.
Weaknesses: Kicking is average.
A strong inside midfielder who possesses a natural ability at stoppages, can win his own ball and moves to the right positions quickly. He's long of limb and has rare ball control, will turn heads at the champs with his ability to distribute. Looks to be a natural accumulator and a great momentum midfielder who comes across as someone in the style of a Joel Selwood only more athletic. Didn't see enough of him last year as he missed the second half of 2013 with injury.
Jack Cripps - 198cm - 85kg - Forward (East Fremantle)
Strengths: height, mobility, skills.
Weaknesses: slight frame, inconsistent mark.
It's probably one of the weaker groups from East Fremantle in a long time and losing Barry Barone to injury and James Rayner to Queensland hasn't helped them. Jack Cripps is easily one of the better prospects.
Cripps is the cousin to both Jamie and Patrick Cripps. He's a tall and skinny forward/ ruckmen who originally thrived early in 2013 before falling away a little. He's agile, he's mobile and he's got pretty good skills. Goal kicking isn't as good as it should be given how well he uses by foot it in general play.
His ability to hold contested marks was an issue last year, but he was really skinny and is still growing. A lot of the fundamentals are there and anyone with his size and height will attract attention. Added both height and weight since last year which is a positive sign.
Ben Evans - 191cm - 74kg - Utility (Subiaco)
Strengths: Speed, vertical leap, strong mark.
Weaknesses: Games smarts, kicking.
Evans is a amazing athlete and has performed well within the CFDC over last couple of years. Polling well in the last years MVP and attracting a lot of attention with his more freakish moments. He's got an amazing vertical leap and has sticky hands. He's also very quick in a straight line and a ferocious tackler. Currently plays as a ruck/ forward for Subiaco.
I've got him in here because i believes he's a player who could attract some attention if improves quickly and really start to perform to a high level within the Colts system. That remains to be seen at the moment. But he's one to watch nonetheless.
Matthew Palfrey - 185cm - 80kg - Forward (Claremont)
Strengths: Marking, Recovery, Forward Smarts.
Weaknesses: Reliability by foot.
Overage forward from Albany that dominated the seniors finals in the South West last year turning a lot of heads. Moved up to play with Claremont and has started really strongly. Naturally Claremont have offered him with good supply but it looks like he can win a lot of his own ball both in terms of contested work and his work rate around the ground. Had 24 disposals, 12 marks and kicked 4.3 in round 1 in an imposing display. A member of the 2014 WA U18's squad.
Jermaine Miller-Lewis – 187cm - 75kg - Forward (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Speed, body strength and his skills.
Weaknesses: Endurance?
An athletic and strong marking forward who is as good in the air as he is on the ground. My issues are that he plays too deep and doesn't get up the ground and get involved with play enough. He can kick a bag of goals in one game and then literally go missing the next week. He lacked influence is so many of the games i've seen him play at Colts level.
He's got a bit of mongrel about him and if he's been retained in the AFL/ AIS academy so i'm hopeful that i'll see better from him in 2014. Otherwise he could be another Troy Taylor/ Chris Yarran (2010). Not one of WA's top prospects at the moment.
Warrick Wilson - 187cm - 72kg - Wingman (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Marking, Great Kick
Weaknesses: Consistency, Contested possession
A tall flanker come wingman who has the potential to be a real game breaker at the highest level. He's fast, rangy and athletic outside player who breaks the lines and projects across long distances up and down the ground.
He's a pretty linear player and looks at his best when he's able to get out out of the back of contests or break free once possession has been won. He's a former AIS member and hasn't had a whole lot of exposure at Colts level until late last year.
Jarrod Garlett - 179cm - 67kg - Wingman (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Speed, Ball Carrying, Agility.
Weaknesses: Slight, contested possession
Speedy outside midfielder/ wingman. Bless with rare speed and agility, he's a genuine line breaker and one of the more underrated prospects from WA. Would be less well rounded than either Pickett and Smith as he's a pure outside player. But with his pace and disposal he has the tools to be considered a draftable talent.
Christopher Firns - 185cm - 75kg - Midfielder (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Endurance, Strength over ball, Link Up Work,
Weaknesses: Average kick and pace.
Strong midfielder with a mature game. Strong in the clinches where he has the strength to stand over the ball and distribute by hand or foot. Has a tendency to kick from stoppages a little too much for the modern game though and needs to find less direct and more clear targets. Needs to be more intelligent about how he tries to move the ball forward.
Linking up through the guts and reading the play are two of his strengths. He's a good over head mark and gets into positions where his marking provides structure from which others feed of. I'd liken him to a shorter version of Brad Ebert.
Dylan Neslon - 185cm - 75kg - Mid/ Utility (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Speed, Kicking,
Weaknesses:
Good sized midfielder/ utility blessed with strong agility, good pace and good skills. Not an elite athlete but someone who looks to be above average at Colts level where he possesses the physical abilities to really impose himself on a contest. Part of a very strong group of running taller midfielders from Swan Districts that could give the colts premiership a shake.
Rebound out of the back half with accurate kicking is a strong feature of his game as is his ability to present across the half forward line, marking strongly and kicking goals.
Jacob Daniels - 183cm - 84kg Midfielder (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Zippy, Balance,
Weaknesses:
Zippy midfielder with good lateral movement. Is a play maker through the midfield and half forward area for Swan Districts. Likes to get involved in and around packs where his clean hands and speed allow him to generate space for those around him. Does like to break free into space forward of the play on occasion and he can be really dangerous when he does.
Been a lot of players of his style who have attracted interest over the last few years. I'd compare him to a Sharrod Wellingham.
William Frampton - 198cm - 81kg Forward/ Ruck (South Fremantle)
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Cameron Loersch - 203cm - 101kg - Ruck/ Forward (South Fremantle)
Strengths: Marking,
Weaknesses: Agility, Vertical Leap
Overage Rukmen/ Tall forward in a similar mold to Darcy Cameron from last year, he's got slightly longer limbs but apart from that they're similar size and shape. Lacks Camerons skills and lateral movement but he's probably a slightly stronger mark of the two.
Aaron Summers - 186cm - 77kg - Wingman (Subiaco)
Strengths: Speed, kicking, marking.
Weaknesses: Contested game? and slight frame.
A fast outside midfielder who is a bit of a dasher. He's brilliant on the spread and loves to go on runs down the wings and kick long, but is only a capable hit up target when he finds himself forward of the play. Not someone who naturally likes his back to the goals.
Only concern has to be the ratio of contested possession and it's reflected in his very low handball numbers. I think he's a little too outside at the moment, some bulk and some development might see him impact more positively on contests and increase his total disposal numbers which are a little low for such a fast endurance runner.
William Michell - 181cm - 72kg - Midfielder (West Perth)
Strengths: Inside/ outside
Weaknesses:
Cody Grace - 187cm - 88kg - Forward (Subiaco)
Strengths: Strength, Marking,
Weaknesses: Lateral movement, endurance
Burly big half forward who is great hit up target or deep forward. Knocks on him have to be to be his fitness in the past and some of that comes down to injury. He also is a bit of a middling athlete who doesn't look that good around the ground. But he's a strong mark and can be a prolific goal kicker. Probably one who's plateaued a lot since the U16 champs where he performed strongly on the back of his size advantage.
Connor Blakely - 187cm - 72kg - Utility (Swan Districts)
Strengths: Size, Game Smarts, Kicking
Weaknesses: Speed
Classy inside/ outside tall midfielder who uses the ball well by hand and foot. He's a natural reader of the play and a damaging link up player through the middle of the ground. Needs to kick more goals and get inside 50 and use his height to better advantage. He's a big boy and that above height and weight is no doubt rather out of date these days.
Playing league and holding his own averaging 18.25 disposals a game in 2014.
Clayton Giblett - 191cm - 89cm - Medium Defender (East Perth)
Strengths: Elite Athlete, pace, agility.
Weaknesses: Ball winning smarts.
Third tall defender or medium defender who has great closing speed and the ability to easily rebound up the ground. The problem was that he doesn't get his hands on the ball enough and his ball use, particularly decision making needs to improve. AFL clubs will like what they see in him because of his upward potential and he's be a chance to be drafted.
Barry Baron - 170cm - 71kg - Small Midfielder (East Fremantle)
Strengths: Speed, Disposal (by foot), Spread.
Weaknesses: Size.
Small midfielder with great speed and agility that was really creative across the midfield and half forward line for Easts. An absolutely lovely user by foot and had the ability to twist opponents inside out and give himself time to hit the right player by foot. Was also really noticeable on the spread from stoppages. Missing with an ACL.
Shayne Hille - 173cm - 63cm - Small Forward/ Mdidfielder (East Perth)
Strengths: Endurance, Disposal, Smarts
Weaknesses: Size.
Small natural footballer blessed with good game sense and disposal. He's good on the lead and at the ball drop, can push up into the midfield where his decision making is a feature.
2015 Draft prospects. - A look ahead to next year. Again in no particular order.
Eddie Simpson – 194cm – ???kg (Claremont)
Bailey Rodgers – 185cm – 80kg (Claremont)
Mitchell Antonio – 185cm – 60kg (West Perth)
Jacob Turner – 187cm – 80kg (West Perth)
Callum Ah Chee – 186cm – 69kg (South Fremantle)
Abraham Kennedy – 186cm – 66kg (Subiaco)
Ethan Burnett – 182cm – 78kg (Subiaco)
Greg Clark – 191cm – 81kg (Subiaco)
Blair Della Franca – 198cm - 83kg (East Perth)
Dylan Smith – 197cm – 65kg (Swan Districts)
Oliver Parish – 169cm – 57kg (East Fremantle)
Thomas Bennett – 180cm – 70kg (East Fremantle)
Kade Steward – 180cm - 65kg (South Fremantle)
Jesse Micro - 190cm - 89kg (South Fremantle)
Chad Daniels - 185cm - 80kg (Swan Districts)
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