- Sep 2, 2013
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- 10,058
- AFL Club
- Western Bulldogs
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- #26
Season Previews for the NAB League Part 1:
2018 FINISH: 9th (7-9-1 record)
2018 BEST AND FAIREST: 1. Mitch Podhajski / 2. Daniel Mott / 3. Jake Riccardi & Curtis Taylor
2018 TEAM OF THE YEAR SELECTIONS: Mitch Podhajski, Curtis Taylor, Rhylee West
2018 AFL DRAFTEES: Rhylee West (Western Bulldogs), Jack Bytel (St Kilda), Curtis Taylor (North Melbourne), Lachlan Sholl (Adelaide)
OTHER FORMER PLAYERS ON AFL LISTS:
2019 SEASON START: vs Sandringham Dragons @ RSEA Park, Sunday March 24
TOP 2019 AFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
Daniel Mott (local club – Brunswick): “Daniel is a Rolls Royce as an inside and outside midfielder. He has silky skills on both sides of the body and is a tough clearance player who can rack up eight to 10 clearances per game. He needs to continue working on his speed because he probably lacks a yard of pace at this stage, but he’s probably our most skilled player.”
Brodie Newman (Aberfeldie): “Brodie came to us as a forward but has mostly played down back, so he can play at both ends of the ground. I think he’s more of a key defender, but I’m not sure whether he’ll continue to grow enough to stay in that role. He reads the play well and has really good hands for marking the ball in defence.”
Sam Ramsay (Gisborne): “Sam is a quick and versatile player who carries the ball and is a long, penetrating left-foot kick. He’s well suited to playing off half back or a wing and has also been able to kick goals as a small forward.”
Sam Graham (19yo in 2019, Gisborne): “Sam is an outside midfielder who can also go inside the contests. He has a huge tank (endurance) and good speed, he’s a nice, long kick and he’s pretty tough. AFL clubs probably want to see him get a harder edge to his game and win a fair bit more of the ball this year.”
Joshua Kemp (19yo, Aberfeldie): “Josh came into our program halfway through last season and played six games as a forward. He’s a high-flying excitement machine who does one or two things a game that are jaw-dropping, but he probably needs to have more impact throughout games. AFL clubs just haven’t seen enough of him yet.”
Tye Browning (19yo, Craigieburn): “Tye is a midfielder who mostly plays on the wing. He’s very hard at the ball, he has deceptive speed and he’s a good trainer as well – he never misses a session. He probably needs to continue working on his skills; he’s a pretty good kick, but they’re probably not at the absolute top-end yet.”
Mason Fletcher (19yo, Aberfeldie): “Mason showed a lot of promise in our first three games last season but then had some back issues that hampered him for most of the year. He’s spent most of his pre-season at Essendon going through rehab and he’s very much in the mould of his old man (former Bombers AFL defender Dustin Fletcher).”
LEADERSHIP MATERIAL
“Our leaders will come from the top-age group – players like Daniel Mott (see above) and Brodie Newman (see above). Brodie was one of our emerging leaders last year, so I imagine he’d be in the mix again. Curtis Brown (18yo, Macleod) is a good kid who’s shown some leadership potential this year and I think Jacob Martin (18yo, Aberfeldie) has the potential to be our leadership group too.”
FAMOUS FOOTBALL RELATIONS
Mason Fletcher (see above) and Max Fletcher (17yo, PEGS): Sons of former AFL player Dustin Fletcher – 400 games for Essendon.
Oliver Liberatore (18yo, St Bernard’s): Son of former AFL player Tony Liberatore – 283 games for Western Bulldogs – and brother of current AFL player Tom Liberatore – 117 games for Western Bulldogs.
Cobi West (16yo, Strathmore) and Cooper West (16yo, Strathmore): Sons of former AFL player Scott West – 324 games for Western Bulldogs – and brothers of 2018 Western Bulldogs draftee Rhylee West.
Joshua Misiti (16yo, Aberfeldie): Son of former AFL player Joe Misiti – 236 games for Essendon.
Harrison Minton-Connell (18yo, Aberfeldie): Son of former AFL player Simon Minton-Connell – 19 games for Carlton/46 for Sydney/22 for Hawthorn/25 for Western Bulldogs.
Jacob Martin (see above): Son of former AFL player Michael Martin – 48 games for Western Bulldogs/10 for Brisbane.
TEAM STRENGTHS
“We’ve been lacking a lot of height across the board the last few years and we were the smallest side on average in the competition last season, so there’s been a real push to bring in some taller kids and a lot of them are developing nicely. We also had a lot of 17-year-olds play last year and I think those boys are going to be a lot better this year because of that development. We’ll have some draftable talent with some serious AFL traits.”
2018 BEST AND FAIREST: 1. Mitch Podhajski / 2. Daniel Mott / 3. Jake Riccardi & Curtis Taylor
2018 TEAM OF THE YEAR SELECTIONS: Mitch Podhajski, Curtis Taylor, Rhylee West
2018 AFL DRAFTEES: Rhylee West (Western Bulldogs), Jack Bytel (St Kilda), Curtis Taylor (North Melbourne), Lachlan Sholl (Adelaide)
OTHER FORMER PLAYERS ON AFL LISTS:
- Selected in 2004: Lynden Dunn (Melbourne/Collingwood) 165/31 games, Eddie Betts (Carlton/Adelaide) 184/111
- 2005: Richard Douglas (Adelaide) 237
- 2008: Jackson Trengove (Port Adelaide/Western Bulldogs) 153/16, Shaun McKernan (Adelaide/Essendon) 34/28
- 2009: Jake Melksham (Essendon/Melbourne) 114/42, Daniel Talia (Adelaide) 164, Jake Carlisle (Essendon/St Kilda) 85/39
- 2010: Dion Prestia (Gold Coast/Richmond) 95/35, Mitch Wallis (Western Bulldogs) 123, Cameron Guthrie (Geelong) 141, Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs) 117
- 2011: Brandon Ellis (Richmond) 153, Tom Sheridan (Fremantle/GWS) 81/0
- 2012: Lachlan Plowman (GWS/Carlton) 20/53, Joe Daniher (Essendon) 100, Rory Atkins (Adelaide) 77
- 2014: Paul Ahern (GWS/North Melbourne) 0/11, Peter Wright (Gold Coast) 49, Jake Lever (Adelaide/Melbourne) 56/11, Touk Miller (Gold Coast) 82, Roarke Smith* (Western Bulldogs) 12, Reilly O’Brien* (Adelaide) 2
- 2015: Callum Moore* (Richmond) 6
- 2016: Mitchell Lewis (Hawthorn) 2, Ben Ronke* (Sydney) 18, Zach Guthrie* (Geelong) 16
- 2017: Noah Balta (Richmond) 0
- Level 2 (18yo): Daniel Mott, Brodie Newman
- Level 1 (17yo): Campbell Edwardes
2019 SEASON START: vs Sandringham Dragons @ RSEA Park, Sunday March 24
TOP 2019 AFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
Daniel Mott (local club – Brunswick): “Daniel is a Rolls Royce as an inside and outside midfielder. He has silky skills on both sides of the body and is a tough clearance player who can rack up eight to 10 clearances per game. He needs to continue working on his speed because he probably lacks a yard of pace at this stage, but he’s probably our most skilled player.”
Brodie Newman (Aberfeldie): “Brodie came to us as a forward but has mostly played down back, so he can play at both ends of the ground. I think he’s more of a key defender, but I’m not sure whether he’ll continue to grow enough to stay in that role. He reads the play well and has really good hands for marking the ball in defence.”
Sam Ramsay (Gisborne): “Sam is a quick and versatile player who carries the ball and is a long, penetrating left-foot kick. He’s well suited to playing off half back or a wing and has also been able to kick goals as a small forward.”
Sam Graham (19yo in 2019, Gisborne): “Sam is an outside midfielder who can also go inside the contests. He has a huge tank (endurance) and good speed, he’s a nice, long kick and he’s pretty tough. AFL clubs probably want to see him get a harder edge to his game and win a fair bit more of the ball this year.”
Joshua Kemp (19yo, Aberfeldie): “Josh came into our program halfway through last season and played six games as a forward. He’s a high-flying excitement machine who does one or two things a game that are jaw-dropping, but he probably needs to have more impact throughout games. AFL clubs just haven’t seen enough of him yet.”
Tye Browning (19yo, Craigieburn): “Tye is a midfielder who mostly plays on the wing. He’s very hard at the ball, he has deceptive speed and he’s a good trainer as well – he never misses a session. He probably needs to continue working on his skills; he’s a pretty good kick, but they’re probably not at the absolute top-end yet.”
Mason Fletcher (19yo, Aberfeldie): “Mason showed a lot of promise in our first three games last season but then had some back issues that hampered him for most of the year. He’s spent most of his pre-season at Essendon going through rehab and he’s very much in the mould of his old man (former Bombers AFL defender Dustin Fletcher).”
LEADERSHIP MATERIAL
“Our leaders will come from the top-age group – players like Daniel Mott (see above) and Brodie Newman (see above). Brodie was one of our emerging leaders last year, so I imagine he’d be in the mix again. Curtis Brown (18yo, Macleod) is a good kid who’s shown some leadership potential this year and I think Jacob Martin (18yo, Aberfeldie) has the potential to be our leadership group too.”
FAMOUS FOOTBALL RELATIONS
Mason Fletcher (see above) and Max Fletcher (17yo, PEGS): Sons of former AFL player Dustin Fletcher – 400 games for Essendon.
Oliver Liberatore (18yo, St Bernard’s): Son of former AFL player Tony Liberatore – 283 games for Western Bulldogs – and brother of current AFL player Tom Liberatore – 117 games for Western Bulldogs.
Cobi West (16yo, Strathmore) and Cooper West (16yo, Strathmore): Sons of former AFL player Scott West – 324 games for Western Bulldogs – and brothers of 2018 Western Bulldogs draftee Rhylee West.
Joshua Misiti (16yo, Aberfeldie): Son of former AFL player Joe Misiti – 236 games for Essendon.
Harrison Minton-Connell (18yo, Aberfeldie): Son of former AFL player Simon Minton-Connell – 19 games for Carlton/46 for Sydney/22 for Hawthorn/25 for Western Bulldogs.
Jacob Martin (see above): Son of former AFL player Michael Martin – 48 games for Western Bulldogs/10 for Brisbane.
TEAM STRENGTHS
“We’ve been lacking a lot of height across the board the last few years and we were the smallest side on average in the competition last season, so there’s been a real push to bring in some taller kids and a lot of them are developing nicely. We also had a lot of 17-year-olds play last year and I think those boys are going to be a lot better this year because of that development. We’ll have some draftable talent with some serious AFL traits.”
2018 FINISH: 10th (7-9-1 record)
2018 BEST AND FAIREST: 1. Josh D’Intinosante / 2. Braedyn Gillard / 3. Adam Carafa
2018 TEAM OF THE YEAR SELECTIONS: Tom McKenzie
2018 AFL DRAFTEES: Justin McInerney (Sydney), Tom McKenzie* (North Melbourne)
OTHER FORMER PLAYERS ON AFL LISTS:
2019 SEASON START: vs Western Jets @ IKON Park, Sunday March 24
TOP 2019 AFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
Ryan Gardner (local club – Montmorency): “Ryan basically missed two whole years of football in his under-15 and under-16 seasons with stress fractures in his foot. Last year he had a flawless pre-season and his first half of the season was sensational, which earned him a game in the Vic Metro under-18 side. He’s a classy midfielder/half back with good pace and a good sidestep. He also uses the ball really well and makes smart decisions.”
Ryan Sturgess (St Mary’s): “Ryan played across half back for us for pretty much all of 2018. He was in our leadership group and actually captained the side one day as a bottom-ager, which speaks highly of his leadership ability. He’s a modern half back – he’s 190cm tall with good speed off the mark and he kicks the ball very well. His intercepting and rebound play are his main attributes.”
Adam Carafa (Banyule): “Adam missed his whole under-16 season with a shoulder reconstruction and then came third in our best-and-fairest last year despite playing only 11 games. He showed how classy he is as a strong-bodied midfielder who thrives on contested ball and is really clean in the contests. His point of difference is that he can go forward and be quite a handful as well.”
Lachlan Potter (South Morang): “Lachlan might be the quickest player in the competition. He has one of the most electric turns of foot I’ve ever seen. He’s a classic run-and-carry half-back flanker who’s not afraid to take the game on, and in every match he seems to do some eye-catching things with his speed. Spectators will have some fun watching him this year.”
Josh D’Intinosante (West Preston): “Josh won our best-and-fairest last year as a bottom-ager and just wills himself into every game. He plays with a great mix of determination and courage but also has natural talent. He’s 175cm tall and can go through the midfield but will also spend a fair bit of time playing as a small forward. He’s strong in the contests and is a classy, one-touch player around goals with elite forward pressure.”
POTENTIAL DRAFT SURPRISE PACKETS
Sam Philp (St Mary’s): “Sam finished fourth in our best-and-fairest last year. He lost about six weeks in the middle part of the year with a broken hand and then finished the season basically carrying our midfield as a bottom-ager along with Adam Carafa. He’s a strong-bodied midfielder with an explosive burst of pace who will always be in and under winning clearances and getting the ball to our outside players.”
Nathan Howard (Greensborough): “Nathan is a 200cm ruckman from a basketball background. He played six games in the second half of last season for us and showed great potential. He has improved again over the pre-season and has started well in our practice matches, so we’re bullish about his prospects this year”.
BOTTOM-AGER TO WATCH
Nikolas Cox (Montmorency): “Nik stands 199cm but he’s probably likely to play on the wing or off half back. He came second in our 2km time trial, he kicks the ball really well both feet and has great movement and game awareness for a tall. He also has really high football IQ but is still developing and will need to continue putting on size. We think he’s a pretty exciting prospect.”
LEADERSHIP MATERIAL
“Ryan Gardner (see above) and Ryan Sturgess (see above) were both in the leadership group last year and they’ve been showing their leadership on the training track this pre-season, while Lucas Perry (18yo in 2019, Northcote Park) is returning from missing all of last year with a shoulder injury and he’s had a quality pre-season. Jackson Davies (18yo, St Mary’s) is another who shows his leadership through his determination and effort on the field and in training. We’re fairly blessed with a proactive group that can spread the load with leadership this year.”
FAMOUS FOOTBALL RELATIONS
Ewan Macpherson (17yo, Diamond Creek): Son of former AFL player Stephen Macpherson – 188 games for Western Bulldogs – and brother of current AFL player Darcy Macpherson – 17 games for Gold Coast.
Mackenzie Hogg (17yo, Research): Son of former AFL player Matthew Hogg – 59 games for Western Bulldogs/114 for Carlton.
Xavier Naish (18yo, Ivanhoe): Son of former AFL player Chris Naish – 143 games for Richmond/18 for Port Adelaide – and brother of 2017 Richmond AFL draftee Patrick Naish.
Aaron Castagna (18yo, Marcellin Old Collegians): Brother of current AFL player Jason Castagna – 52 games for Richmond.
Adam Carafa (see above): Son of former AFL player Tony Carafa – 16 games for Fitzroy.
TEAM STRENGTHS
“I think we’ll be pretty exciting with our rebound from defence and our desire to run and carry and take the game on, but I also think we have some good strong-bodied inside midfielders. Hopefully we can match the opposition at stoppages and then get it to our good ball-users on the outside.”
2018 BEST AND FAIREST: 1. Josh D’Intinosante / 2. Braedyn Gillard / 3. Adam Carafa
2018 TEAM OF THE YEAR SELECTIONS: Tom McKenzie
2018 AFL DRAFTEES: Justin McInerney (Sydney), Tom McKenzie* (North Melbourne)
OTHER FORMER PLAYERS ON AFL LISTS:
- Selected in 2003: Heath Shaw (Collingwood/GWS) 173/109 games
- 2007: Matthew Kreuzer (Carlton) 173, Trent Cotchin (Richmond) 220
- 2008: Michael Hurley (Essendon) 160, David Zaharakis (Essendon) 187
- 2009: Dylan Grimes (Richmond) 127
- 2010: Josh Caddy (Gold Coast/Geelong/Richmond) 24/71/44
- 2011: Billy Longer (Brisbane/St Kilda) 9/56, Jack Newnes (St Kilda) 135, Dylan Buckley (Carlton/GWS) 39/2
- 2012: Nick Vlastuin (Richmond) 117, Aidan Corr (GWS) 75, Nathan Hrovat (Western Bulldogs/North Melbourne) 30/34
- 2013: Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs) 104
- 2014: Kyle Langford (Essendon) 47, Jayden Short* (Richmond) 56, Jason Castagna* (Richmond) 52
- 2015: Jade Gresham (St Kilda) 62, Brayden Fiorini (Gold Coast) 26, Brayden Sier (Collingwood) 12, Darcy Macpherson* (Gold Coast) 17
- 2016: Patrick Lipinski (Western Bulldogs) 18
- 2017: Nick Coffield (St Kilda) 10, Patrick Naish (Richmond) 0, Jack Petruccelle (West Coast) 3
- Level 2 (18yo): Adam Carafa, Ryan Gardner, Lachlan Potter, Ryan Sturgess
- Level 1 (17yo): Ben Major
2019 SEASON START: vs Western Jets @ IKON Park, Sunday March 24
TOP 2019 AFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
Ryan Gardner (local club – Montmorency): “Ryan basically missed two whole years of football in his under-15 and under-16 seasons with stress fractures in his foot. Last year he had a flawless pre-season and his first half of the season was sensational, which earned him a game in the Vic Metro under-18 side. He’s a classy midfielder/half back with good pace and a good sidestep. He also uses the ball really well and makes smart decisions.”
Ryan Sturgess (St Mary’s): “Ryan played across half back for us for pretty much all of 2018. He was in our leadership group and actually captained the side one day as a bottom-ager, which speaks highly of his leadership ability. He’s a modern half back – he’s 190cm tall with good speed off the mark and he kicks the ball very well. His intercepting and rebound play are his main attributes.”
Adam Carafa (Banyule): “Adam missed his whole under-16 season with a shoulder reconstruction and then came third in our best-and-fairest last year despite playing only 11 games. He showed how classy he is as a strong-bodied midfielder who thrives on contested ball and is really clean in the contests. His point of difference is that he can go forward and be quite a handful as well.”
Lachlan Potter (South Morang): “Lachlan might be the quickest player in the competition. He has one of the most electric turns of foot I’ve ever seen. He’s a classic run-and-carry half-back flanker who’s not afraid to take the game on, and in every match he seems to do some eye-catching things with his speed. Spectators will have some fun watching him this year.”
Josh D’Intinosante (West Preston): “Josh won our best-and-fairest last year as a bottom-ager and just wills himself into every game. He plays with a great mix of determination and courage but also has natural talent. He’s 175cm tall and can go through the midfield but will also spend a fair bit of time playing as a small forward. He’s strong in the contests and is a classy, one-touch player around goals with elite forward pressure.”
POTENTIAL DRAFT SURPRISE PACKETS
Sam Philp (St Mary’s): “Sam finished fourth in our best-and-fairest last year. He lost about six weeks in the middle part of the year with a broken hand and then finished the season basically carrying our midfield as a bottom-ager along with Adam Carafa. He’s a strong-bodied midfielder with an explosive burst of pace who will always be in and under winning clearances and getting the ball to our outside players.”
Nathan Howard (Greensborough): “Nathan is a 200cm ruckman from a basketball background. He played six games in the second half of last season for us and showed great potential. He has improved again over the pre-season and has started well in our practice matches, so we’re bullish about his prospects this year”.
BOTTOM-AGER TO WATCH
Nikolas Cox (Montmorency): “Nik stands 199cm but he’s probably likely to play on the wing or off half back. He came second in our 2km time trial, he kicks the ball really well both feet and has great movement and game awareness for a tall. He also has really high football IQ but is still developing and will need to continue putting on size. We think he’s a pretty exciting prospect.”
LEADERSHIP MATERIAL
“Ryan Gardner (see above) and Ryan Sturgess (see above) were both in the leadership group last year and they’ve been showing their leadership on the training track this pre-season, while Lucas Perry (18yo in 2019, Northcote Park) is returning from missing all of last year with a shoulder injury and he’s had a quality pre-season. Jackson Davies (18yo, St Mary’s) is another who shows his leadership through his determination and effort on the field and in training. We’re fairly blessed with a proactive group that can spread the load with leadership this year.”
FAMOUS FOOTBALL RELATIONS
Ewan Macpherson (17yo, Diamond Creek): Son of former AFL player Stephen Macpherson – 188 games for Western Bulldogs – and brother of current AFL player Darcy Macpherson – 17 games for Gold Coast.
Mackenzie Hogg (17yo, Research): Son of former AFL player Matthew Hogg – 59 games for Western Bulldogs/114 for Carlton.
Xavier Naish (18yo, Ivanhoe): Son of former AFL player Chris Naish – 143 games for Richmond/18 for Port Adelaide – and brother of 2017 Richmond AFL draftee Patrick Naish.
Aaron Castagna (18yo, Marcellin Old Collegians): Brother of current AFL player Jason Castagna – 52 games for Richmond.
Adam Carafa (see above): Son of former AFL player Tony Carafa – 16 games for Fitzroy.
TEAM STRENGTHS
“I think we’ll be pretty exciting with our rebound from defence and our desire to run and carry and take the game on, but I also think we have some good strong-bodied inside midfielders. Hopefully we can match the opposition at stoppages and then get it to our good ball-users on the outside.”
2018 FINISH: 11th (2-16 record)
2018 BEST AND FAIREST: 1. Mitch Mellis / 2. Kye Quirk / 3. Joel Burleigh
FORMER PLAYERS ON AFL LISTS:
2019 SEASON START: vs Oakleigh Chargers @ RSEA Park, Sunday March 24
TOP 2019 AFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
Jamieson Rossiter (local club – Rowville Hawks): “Jamieson only played two games last year due to foot injuries, but he kicked six goals in one match and two in the other on limited game time. He’s pretty much back to full fitness now. We’ll probably use him in a goalkicking role combined with some time as a big-bodied midfielder this year. He’s very mobile, a very smart player and he uses the ball extremely well.”
Mitch Mellis (Boronia): “Mitch won our best-and-fairest as a bottom-ager in 2018 playing predominantly on a wing. He’s in the mid-170s (centimetres) for height, so he probably has to push forward more this year to impact the scoreboard and show his forward pressure. We think he’s creative and smart enough to have an impact as a small forward.”
Lachlan Stapleton (Rowville Hawks): “Lachlan is a midfielder who finished in the top five of our best-and-fairest as a bottom-ager last year. He quite easily averaged more tackles per game than any other player in the competition in 2018, so he’s a tackling machine but also really good in tight with his hands and his vision. He’s the ultimate professional off the field as well.”
Cody Hirst (19yo in 2019, Lilydale): “Cody had a big bottom-age season two years ago but his top-age year in 2018 was hampered by shoulder and knee injuries. He’s a strong-running midfielder/half forward who has pace to burn and his intensity at the footy and the man is 100 per cent. He broke (Fremantle AFL player) Stephen Hill’s agility-test record late last year coming off that knee injury.”
James Blanck (19yo, Park Orchards): “James tested really well at the AFL Draft Combine last year but 2018 was his first year with us, so he was coming from a fair way back and learned a lot about what’s required at this level. Intercept-marking is his strength; he reads the ball really well and backs himself to take marks. He’s had to work on bulking up to match it with big, strong key forwards.”
POTENTIAL DRAFT SURPRISE PACKET
Mihaele Zalac (Donvale): “Mihaele played 10 games for us last year and his pre-season has been first class. He’s around 190cm tall and can play forward or defensively in key positions and also on a wing or through the midfield. He’s a really athletic, explosive player and has put some bulk on his frame this year. His intensity at training has been on another level at times.”
BOTTOM-AGER TO WATCH
Salele Feagaimalii (Vermont): “Salele played for the Vic Metro under-16 team last year and has been having a really strong pre-season. He’s a big, strong-bodied midfielder of Pacific-islander background. His skills on both sides of his body are sublime and his composure in close and ability to find a teammate in traffic is as good as I’ve seen. He’s not easily tackled or knocked off the ball either.”
LEADERSHIP MATERIAL
“James Ross (18yo, Vermont – see tweet below) is our captain for this year and the rest of the leadership group consists of Jonte Duffy (18yo, Rowville Hawks), Jamieson Rossiter (see above), Chayce Black (18yo, Waverley Park Hawks), Billy McCormack (18yo, Donvale) and Jarrod Gilbee (18yo, Mooroolbark).”
FAMOUS FOOTBALL RELATIONS
Chayce Black (see above): Son of former AFL player Heath Black – 138 games for Fremantle/54 for St Kilda.
Billy McCormack (see above): Son of former AFL player Brendan McCormack – 44 games for Fitzroy/12 for Brisbane.
Todd Garner (18yo, Wandin): Brother of 2017 Port Adelaide draftee Joel Garner.
Jarrod Gilbee (see above): Nephew of former AFL player Lindsay Gilbee – 206 games for Western Bulldogs.
TEAM STRENGTHS
“I think we’ll be a lot stronger physically across the board this year – that’s definitely been a focus. We got manhandled sometimes last year, as we were pretty lightly-framed as a group. Getting the conditioning to run out games has been a focus as well; we dropped away in the second half consistently in 2018. We were also very bottom-age-heavy, but we’re a lot more top-age-heavy this year. I’d definitely be expecting a few more wins than in 2018.”
2018 BEST AND FAIREST: 1. Mitch Mellis / 2. Kye Quirk / 3. Joel Burleigh
FORMER PLAYERS ON AFL LISTS:
- Selected in 2002: Kade Simpson (Carlton) 307 games
- 2007: Matthew Lobbe (Port Adelaide/Carlton) 92/6
- 2008: Liam Shiels (Hawthorn) 186, Rory Sloane (Adelaide) 177
- 2010: Aaron Young (Port Adelaide/Gold Coast) 76/22, Paul Seedsman (Collingwood/Adelaide) 49/39
- 2011: Jonathon Patton (GWS) 89, Hayden Crozier (Fremantle/Western Bulldogs) 69/17
- 2013: Tom Boyd (GWS/Western Bulldogs) 9/52, Daniel McStay (Brisbane) 79
- 2014: Christian Petracca (Melbourne) 63
- 2015: Sam Weideman (Melbourne) 20, Ryan Clarke (North Melbourne/Sydney) 40/0, Blake Hardwick (Hawthorn) 44, James Parsons* (Geelong) 31
- 2016: Jordan Gallucci (Adelaide) 17, Joshua Begley (Essendon) 8, Callum Brown (Collingwood) 13, Jack Maibaum (Sydney) 0, Dylan Clarke (Essendon) 1
- 2017: Adam Cerra (Fremantle) 21, Jaidyn Stephenson (Collingwood) 26, Sam Hayes (Port Adelaide) 0, Tyler Brown (Collingwood) 0, Ryley Stoddart (Sydney) 2, Joel Garner (Port Adelaide) 0, Tom North (Fremantle) 0, Dylan Moore (Hawthorn) 0, Jackson Ross (Hawthorn) 0, Trent Mynott* (Essendon) 0
- Level 2 (18yo): Jamieson Rossiter
2019 SEASON START: vs Oakleigh Chargers @ RSEA Park, Sunday March 24
TOP 2019 AFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
Jamieson Rossiter (local club – Rowville Hawks): “Jamieson only played two games last year due to foot injuries, but he kicked six goals in one match and two in the other on limited game time. He’s pretty much back to full fitness now. We’ll probably use him in a goalkicking role combined with some time as a big-bodied midfielder this year. He’s very mobile, a very smart player and he uses the ball extremely well.”
Mitch Mellis (Boronia): “Mitch won our best-and-fairest as a bottom-ager in 2018 playing predominantly on a wing. He’s in the mid-170s (centimetres) for height, so he probably has to push forward more this year to impact the scoreboard and show his forward pressure. We think he’s creative and smart enough to have an impact as a small forward.”
Lachlan Stapleton (Rowville Hawks): “Lachlan is a midfielder who finished in the top five of our best-and-fairest as a bottom-ager last year. He quite easily averaged more tackles per game than any other player in the competition in 2018, so he’s a tackling machine but also really good in tight with his hands and his vision. He’s the ultimate professional off the field as well.”
Cody Hirst (19yo in 2019, Lilydale): “Cody had a big bottom-age season two years ago but his top-age year in 2018 was hampered by shoulder and knee injuries. He’s a strong-running midfielder/half forward who has pace to burn and his intensity at the footy and the man is 100 per cent. He broke (Fremantle AFL player) Stephen Hill’s agility-test record late last year coming off that knee injury.”
James Blanck (19yo, Park Orchards): “James tested really well at the AFL Draft Combine last year but 2018 was his first year with us, so he was coming from a fair way back and learned a lot about what’s required at this level. Intercept-marking is his strength; he reads the ball really well and backs himself to take marks. He’s had to work on bulking up to match it with big, strong key forwards.”
POTENTIAL DRAFT SURPRISE PACKET
Mihaele Zalac (Donvale): “Mihaele played 10 games for us last year and his pre-season has been first class. He’s around 190cm tall and can play forward or defensively in key positions and also on a wing or through the midfield. He’s a really athletic, explosive player and has put some bulk on his frame this year. His intensity at training has been on another level at times.”
BOTTOM-AGER TO WATCH
Salele Feagaimalii (Vermont): “Salele played for the Vic Metro under-16 team last year and has been having a really strong pre-season. He’s a big, strong-bodied midfielder of Pacific-islander background. His skills on both sides of his body are sublime and his composure in close and ability to find a teammate in traffic is as good as I’ve seen. He’s not easily tackled or knocked off the ball either.”
LEADERSHIP MATERIAL
“James Ross (18yo, Vermont – see tweet below) is our captain for this year and the rest of the leadership group consists of Jonte Duffy (18yo, Rowville Hawks), Jamieson Rossiter (see above), Chayce Black (18yo, Waverley Park Hawks), Billy McCormack (18yo, Donvale) and Jarrod Gilbee (18yo, Mooroolbark).”
FAMOUS FOOTBALL RELATIONS
Chayce Black (see above): Son of former AFL player Heath Black – 138 games for Fremantle/54 for St Kilda.
Billy McCormack (see above): Son of former AFL player Brendan McCormack – 44 games for Fitzroy/12 for Brisbane.
Todd Garner (18yo, Wandin): Brother of 2017 Port Adelaide draftee Joel Garner.
Jarrod Gilbee (see above): Nephew of former AFL player Lindsay Gilbee – 206 games for Western Bulldogs.
TEAM STRENGTHS
“I think we’ll be a lot stronger physically across the board this year – that’s definitely been a focus. We got manhandled sometimes last year, as we were pretty lightly-framed as a group. Getting the conditioning to run out games has been a focus as well; we dropped away in the second half consistently in 2018. We were also very bottom-age-heavy, but we’re a lot more top-age-heavy this year. I’d definitely be expecting a few more wins than in 2018.”
2018 FINISH: 12th (2-15 record)
2018 BEST AND FAIREST: 1. Noah Wheeler / 2. Bailey Henderson / 3. Hunter Lawrence
2018 AFL DRAFTEES: Jye Caldwell (GWS)
OTHER FORMER PLAYERS ON AFL LISTS:
2019 SEASON START: vs Geelong Falcons @ Central Reserve (Colac), Sunday March 24
TOP 2019 AFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
Flynn Perez (local club – Sandhurst): “Flynn suffered an ACL injury prior to Christmas at Vic Country Academy training and is in rehab, but he has a great attitude. He came under notice with his performances last year and he’s certainly one of the leaders of the group. He’s a hybrid player who can go back, forward or through the midfield and has pretty good skills on both sides of his body.”
Brodie Kemp (Echuca): “Brodie stands 190cm-plus and he’s another hybrid player who can play as a key forward or key back. He played really well at centre half back for Vic Country last year against Western Australia (at the NAB AFL U18 Championships). He’s really good overhead and pretty clean below his knees, and he’s also a good set shot for goal. He’ll mainly train at his school Geelong Grammar this year.”
Thomson Dow (Swan Hill): “Thomson goes to Geelong Grammar as well, so we’ll have him and Brodie at the start of the season before school footy starts. Thomson is a midfielder who can also play forward and kick goals. He’s from a basketball background, so he has good peripheral vision, really quick hands and good decision-making ability. He’s a pretty complete player and has really developed his body recently.”
James Schischka (Strathfieldsaye): “James is around 190cm tall and can play at half forward or half back, so he’s not dissimilar to Brodie in some ways. He has really good skills and great game awareness, he reads the play really well and he’s a good decision-maker. He’s really working on his fitness and pushing hard to improve his own performance standards.”
POTENTIAL DRAFT SURPRISE PACKET
Braydon Vaz (Golden Square): “Braydon is around 190cm tall and pretty similar to Brodie Kemp and James Schischka (see above) in that he can play forward or back. He’s pretty athletic and agile and he has a good leap – he took a really good mark against the Gippsland Power at Windy Hill last year (see below). We think he’ll develop through the season.”
BOTTOM-AGER TO WATCH
Sam Conforti (Sandhurst): “Sam was a co-captain of the Vic Country under-16 team last year. He’s a highly skilled left-footer who can play as an inside or outside midfielder and also as a small forward.”
LEADERSHIP MATERIAL
“I think the top-age boys I’ve mentioned are in the mix to be part of the leadership group, although it’ll be a bit hard for Brodie Kemp (see above) and Thomson Dow (see above) being at Geelong Grammar because we won’t see much of them. Flynn Perez (see above) will still be actively involved in our program in a leadership role despite his injury; he’ll be filling different game-day roles as part of his development.”
FAMOUS FOOTBALL RELATIONS
Thomson Dow (see above): Brother of current AFL player Paddy Dow – 20 games for Carlton.
TEAM STRENGTHS
“We’re going to have a stronger top-age group than we had last year and I think we have a bit of versatility with our key-position players.”
2018 BEST AND FAIREST: 1. Noah Wheeler / 2. Bailey Henderson / 3. Hunter Lawrence
2018 AFL DRAFTEES: Jye Caldwell (GWS)
OTHER FORMER PLAYERS ON AFL LISTS:
- Selected in 2006: Joel Selwood (Geelong) 272 games, Jarryn Geary* (St Kilda) 183
- 2007: Robbie Tarrant (North Melbourne) 126, Scott Selwood (West Coast/Geelong) 135/32
- 2009: Dustin Martin (Richmond) 201
- 2012: Jake Stringer (Western Bulldogs/Essendon) 89/20, Ollie Wines (Port Adelaide) 129
- 2015: Tom Cole (West Coast) 27, Aidyn Johnson (Port Adelaide) 10
- 2016: Joseph Atley (Port Adelaide) 3, Kobe Mutch (Essendon) 3, Kayle Kirby (Collingwood) 1, Fergus Greene (Western Bulldogs) 5
- 2017: Paddy Dow (Carlton) 20, Lochie O’Brien (Carlton) 18, Jarrod Brander (West Coast) 1, Brent Daniels (GWS) 7, Kane Farrell (Port Adelaide) 5, Angus Schumacher (Carlton) 0, Derek Eggmolesse-Smith* (Richmond) 0
- Level 2 (18yo): Thomson Dow, Aaron Gundry, Brodie Kemp, Flynn Perez, James Schischka
- Level 1 (17yo): Sam Conforti
2019 SEASON START: vs Geelong Falcons @ Central Reserve (Colac), Sunday March 24
TOP 2019 AFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
Flynn Perez (local club – Sandhurst): “Flynn suffered an ACL injury prior to Christmas at Vic Country Academy training and is in rehab, but he has a great attitude. He came under notice with his performances last year and he’s certainly one of the leaders of the group. He’s a hybrid player who can go back, forward or through the midfield and has pretty good skills on both sides of his body.”
Brodie Kemp (Echuca): “Brodie stands 190cm-plus and he’s another hybrid player who can play as a key forward or key back. He played really well at centre half back for Vic Country last year against Western Australia (at the NAB AFL U18 Championships). He’s really good overhead and pretty clean below his knees, and he’s also a good set shot for goal. He’ll mainly train at his school Geelong Grammar this year.”
Thomson Dow (Swan Hill): “Thomson goes to Geelong Grammar as well, so we’ll have him and Brodie at the start of the season before school footy starts. Thomson is a midfielder who can also play forward and kick goals. He’s from a basketball background, so he has good peripheral vision, really quick hands and good decision-making ability. He’s a pretty complete player and has really developed his body recently.”
James Schischka (Strathfieldsaye): “James is around 190cm tall and can play at half forward or half back, so he’s not dissimilar to Brodie in some ways. He has really good skills and great game awareness, he reads the play really well and he’s a good decision-maker. He’s really working on his fitness and pushing hard to improve his own performance standards.”
POTENTIAL DRAFT SURPRISE PACKET
Braydon Vaz (Golden Square): “Braydon is around 190cm tall and pretty similar to Brodie Kemp and James Schischka (see above) in that he can play forward or back. He’s pretty athletic and agile and he has a good leap – he took a really good mark against the Gippsland Power at Windy Hill last year (see below). We think he’ll develop through the season.”
BOTTOM-AGER TO WATCH
Sam Conforti (Sandhurst): “Sam was a co-captain of the Vic Country under-16 team last year. He’s a highly skilled left-footer who can play as an inside or outside midfielder and also as a small forward.”
LEADERSHIP MATERIAL
“I think the top-age boys I’ve mentioned are in the mix to be part of the leadership group, although it’ll be a bit hard for Brodie Kemp (see above) and Thomson Dow (see above) being at Geelong Grammar because we won’t see much of them. Flynn Perez (see above) will still be actively involved in our program in a leadership role despite his injury; he’ll be filling different game-day roles as part of his development.”
FAMOUS FOOTBALL RELATIONS
Thomson Dow (see above): Brother of current AFL player Paddy Dow – 20 games for Carlton.
TEAM STRENGTHS
“We’re going to have a stronger top-age group than we had last year and I think we have a bit of versatility with our key-position players.”
