Draft Profile 2021 Draft Player Comparisons

[Smythe]

I was given the task of Comparing Zac Taylor and Cooper Murley this year, so here it goes.

PLAYER 1 - ZAC TAYLOR - 180cm 74 kg - FWD/MID



Zac is a speedy fwd/mid from Calder who would fit into most forward lines seamlessly with his style of play, attack on the ball, use of the ball, game and goal smarts.

This year in the NAB league he played 7 games kicked 1 goal and averaged, 26 disposals, 5.9 marks, 4.1 tackles, 4 inside 50’s and 2 rebound 50’s per game.

It’s a shame he only kicked 1 goal and did not get the chance to shine a bit more this year, but his game style and type of play is a very smart user of the ball who brings the best out of his team mates and he uses the ball in a way that brings them into the game by getting the ball to the best option.

He shows that with his outstanding vision, skills and decision making and is a team first player.
He was traveling so well with this game play that he started playing through the middle of the ground and racking up ridiculous numbers with not only disposal counts but in the km counts too, working up and down the ground to help out his team with coverage if need and then speeding forward to create option up front or creating space for team mates.

The 180cm talent took out Calder Cannons’ best and fairest award and was named in the NAB League team of the year.

He has shown himself to be a tough competitive beast who has ball winning ability and a crafty nous around the forward line area with an ability to have a huge work rate around the ground when playing as a mid. His average of 6 marks shows this, and although he gets them everywhere he does like to fly for a mark if given the chance.

Taylor wreaks of versatility that any coach/team would love of a prospect and could provide great value, given his professionalism and growing ability.


PLAYER 2 - COOPER MURLEY - 178cm 70kg - MID/FWD



Cooper is smaller in stature but not by much and has a good mix of speed and endurance as well. His skills are sublime and he has great athleticism which you would expect from a player of his size in the position he plays.

Getting injured this year didn't set him back and it only steeled his resolve to get back to footy and in 3 under 18 games he kicked 4 goals, averaged 28 disposals, 6 marks, 4 tackles, 4 clearances, 4.5 inside 50’s and 3 rebound 50’s.
In 4 reserves games he kicked 3 goals, averaged 12 disposals, 3 marks, 2.8 tackles, 1 clearance, 2.2 inside 50’s and 1 rebound 50.

Cooper has also had time to hone his forward craft well, but has mainly played through the midfield, which he may not at the next level just yet given his stature and current light frame (who knows for sure) but would likely see coaches/teams view him as a small defender type in the future too, meaning they are both multi positional types.

Along with Zac above, Cooper has excellent decision making skills and is a very clean 1 touch player at ground level, he does not fly for marks as often as Zac does but moreso uses the space and his acceleration from the contest well and runs to the right spots to get the ball.

He is able to both burst through a pack and surge forward, and apply immediate closing pressure when the opposition has the ball.
At stoppages, he is always on the move, hitting the ball at pace and accelerating through congestion similar to the way a Jarred Cameron would.

Cooper started getting recognition as a 2021 top talent last year as he produced a fantastic bottom age season and finished second in the SANFL BNF by 1 vote from Tom Powell.


In the end, Zac Taylor has the bigger body and probably a little more athleticism and grunt in the contest than Cooper, but Cooper is a bit more classy and would hold sway in a short race and maybe has the edge endurance wise too.

The stats are undeniably similar and the way they play is also eerily similar, however Zac has played more forward over the last two years and Cooper has played more midfield minutes but has also had injuries that probably held him back from advancing higher up the rankings to where we, as draft watchers and draft experts, thought he may end up from last years performances.

At the next level i would project both to be going into teams looking to play them as small forwards with the open minded-ness that they could both play small defender roles too.

Zac could easily, having a head start with his bigger body, in a few years of training with the midfield groups start playing mid minutes first whereas it may take Cooper a little longer to get his body up to the rigmarole of the task. However both could almost start straight away as classy small forwards.

They are both speedy, classy, smart players with exceptional skills who both have a team first attitude and an appetite for the contest which sees them as good options IMO in the early stages of the second round to a team looking for a small classy forward with versatility.

Teams looking at these players would be, Carlton, Geelong, Hawthorn, Fremantle, Richmond, North, Adelaide and Western Bulldogs.

Freo's and Norths picks may be a little early but Geelong, Hawthorn, Carlton and Richmond are all in the hunt for a player like Taylor or Murley and have picks in that range.

Adelaide, in their draft position, would hope that 1 slides to them and can the Bulldogs trade out pick 23 and then trade back in to get a quick tough small forward they are after.

Essendon and Collingwood would be interested too, but Essendon may have to trade into the second round somehow for them, and Collingwood have other pressing priorities at the moment with a Daicos bid match to come first.

 

[Bastyy]

Outside of Sam Darcy, two players have dominated the discussion of tall forwards in this years draft; Jye Amiss and Jacob van Rooyen. There are some similarities on the surface, both being from WA, both being relatively close in sign and both being considered first round prospects. But how similar are they actually?

Jye Amiss

Jye Amiss is a tall forward who is deadly accurate in front of goals. Over the course of 2021, Amiss rose into draft calculations by kicking 51 goals and 15 behinds, becoming the WAFL Colt's leading goal kicker and earning himself a spot in WA's u19 team. His work inside 50 has been elite, being the best leading forward in the draft, using his speed and agility to create separation from his opponent. Amiss has been a rapidly improving player this year, which has been even more impressive given the fact he live an hour out from Perth and doesn't partake in a proper training program, showing a player with a great drive to succeed, as well leaving one to wonder how good he could become in the AFL system. It also makes his consistency over the year all the more impressive, kicking multiple goals in all but two WAFL colts games. Amiss' biggest weakness is his contested marking ability, given he is slightly skinny he wasn't participating in one on one marking contests very often.

Jacob van Rooyen


Jacob van Rooyen came into the year as WA's most exciting key forward, but he's finished the year as WA's most exciting swingman. van Rooyen's biggest feature is how physical he is. He's reliable one on one due to his big frame and strength, making him one of the best contested marking players in this years draft. During the year, van Rooyen was flagged as someone who could switch down back due to WA's plethora of tall forwards, and in the U19 championship games van Rooyen was swung back with great success. van Rooyen managed to use his aerial presence and his ability to read the ball to become an elite intercept marker. As a forward, van Rooyen managed to show dominate traits in games across the season, kicking 24 goals in his last 6 colts games and beating opponents in marking contests. van Rooyen suffers when his opponent can get separation from him, with his lack of speed inside 50 hurting him. He also needs to work on being able to run out four quarters

Comparing the Pair

If you're picking Amiss, you're going for a player who can become an elite forward, who will be consistent and accurate every game, as well as having a lot of an upside. If you're picking van Rooyen, you'll be getting a swingman with capabilities both forward and back. In the long run, I see van Rooyen moving to a full-time backman, as he could become a gifted intercepting defender​

 

[PMBangers]

THE BASICS​

Josh Ward	Ben Hobbs
181 cm	183 cm
79 kg	80 kg
Northern Knights	GWV Rebels
VIC Metro	VIC Country
Midfielder - Balanced	Midfielder - Contested
NAB League Games: 5	NAB League Games: 5
Avg. Disposals: 30.2	Avg. Disposals: 24.8 (one injury effected game)
Avg. Marks: 5.2	Avg. Marks: 2.4
Avg. Tackles: 4.8	Avg. Tackles: 5.8

The Yearly Rundown
Both Ben Hobbs and Josh Ward have had stellar seasons that have seen them linked to top 10 selections since around August, with both performing particularly well in the Country v Metro games played towards the end of the Victorian season. Ward hasn't been able to play absolutely every game of NAB League due to his commitments to APS side Melbourne Grammar, where he was named in the Team of the Season, but when he did he was superb. Ward was solid for the early stages of the season, but an injury to teammate Ned Long allowed him to move into a more focal role on the inside and really break out, with the biggest game of the year coming against the Oakleigh Chargers. From there Ward was locked in to a first round spot and continued to impress.
Hobbs has had a little less luck, copping an ankle injury early in the season which sidelined him for a few months, seeing him miss the AFL Academy game. Since returning though Hobbs has shown exactly why he came into the year as part of the main group of players considered 'elite', his consistency outside of injury effected games has been immense, and his physicality has continued to improve the more he's gotten to play.

Strengths
Lets start with Ward for his strengths over Hobbs. The two main ones for Ward are versatility and disposal by foot when compared directly to Hobbs, with Ward more capable of playing forward, wing and in the defensive half than Hobbs, which is aided by his more precise disposal by foot and just opportunity to show that versatility which Hobbs hasn't had anywhere near as much. Another facet of that versatility is how they approach the game as a rover/ inside midfielder, whilst Hobbs can win it as a receiver, he doesn't do it as consistently as Ward does when they don't win the clearance personally.

Hobbs biggest strengths over Ward are his contested game and physicality, whilst there's not as much to talk about with these Hobbs is genuinely the top of the class when it comes to consistently putting his body on the line to win a contested ball, at times even running through his own teammates to get the footy.

The similarities and traits that are so close are a long list so a few of the main ones I want to mention here are;
- Athleticism
- Quick Hands
- Work Rate
- Consistency

All 4 traits are so close between the two but are some of the focus points that people look at when trying to decide which players they like best. Neither are overly athletic but it's not quite at the level you'd consider it a deficiency for either, especially when you through in the high work rate and footy IQ of the two. Their consistency speaks for itself, but they'll both be the classic 20-games of 25+ disposals a season players, and I'd argue that's the lower end of what they'll become at the next level

AFL Player comparisons
There's a few thrown around for both that are decent enough to agree with, I don't remember much of how Luke Power played but that's been the one that some of the watchers I respect the most have gone with for Josh Ward. For Ben Hobbs, Taylor Adams hits it pretty well.

Comparing the pair
Both of these guys are safe bets to hit 200-games and be really well appreciated by the supporters of the side that picks them, and whilst they have some limitations, there's not enough for anyone to be worried about. If it were up to me, I'd be picking Hobbs for most sides in the competition if both were available, but there's no disappointment in selecting either.​

 

[PMBangers]

The Basics​

Campbell Chesser	Darcy Wilmot
186 cm	183 cm
83 kg	75 kg
Sandringham Dragons (Murray Bushrangers if he didn't board)	Northern Knights
VIC Country	VIC Metro
Midfielder - Balanced/ Rebounding Defender	General Defender - Well Rounded
NAB League Games: 3 (one injury effected game)	NAB League Games: 7
Avg. Disposals: 18.3	Avg. Disposals: 15.1
Avg. Marks: 3	Avg. Marks: 2.7
Avg. Tackles: 1.7	Avg. Tackles: 2.3

The Yearly Rundown
It was a tail of two different seasons for the pair, for Chesser he started well in his opening outing against the Oakleigh Chargers playing predominantly on the wing in the exciting win for the Dragons, looking every bit a top end pick as he was spoken up to be. His next game against the Knights was a good one as well but came at a cost of injuring his meniscus and requiring surgery. He was expected to miss 4 weeks but due to complications in rehab he wouldn't return until the Dragons played against Tasmania, and then the week after for VIC Country v Metro Challenge match.
Wilmot has enjoyed a strong season where he has propelled himself up rankings as arguably the best 'exclusive' defender in the pool, playing a key part in the Northern Knights successful season prior to the season ending shortly and making the VIC Metro squad. While Wilmot hasn't had any 'standout' games, it's been his consistency in his application and defensive work that's really impressed more than anything else

Strengths
Looking at what Chesser has over Wilmot in terms of strengths and it's a pretty flattering list; ball use, speed, composure and versatility all lean in Chesser's favour here, as one of the better users when he's up and about in the draft class, it was his piercing kicking from half back as a 16-year-old that first brought his name up as one to watch for this year, when mixed with his speed that's been developed well in his athletics work, his composure in traffic and his versatility to play further up the field, it's a dangerous package no matter how you look at it. You could argue that production should be a strength in Chesser's favour here, but with the comparison mainly looking at the two as defenders I don't think it matters all that much, especially when Chesser was mostly a midfielder this year.

For Wilmot, you're looking at a defensive specialist that needs to work a little on his rebound game, some of his strengths over Chesser for me include; two way running, tackling, defensive craft, durability. Simply put, Wilmot is a real 'defenders defender' with his accountability and defensive focus in the back half, it's rare you'll ever see an opponent beat Darcy because he wasn't working hard enough or had a lapse in his defending, he's truly the definition of 'making them earn their goals.'

Their similar traits isn't a long list, and I think that's why there's such a difference in opinion on who people would rather at their club, but for a basic list I've gone with;
- Footy IQ
- Work Rate
- Leadership

AFL Player Comparison
This is a fairly difficult one, my first thought with Chesser is someone like Mitch Duncan, because I see him as a midfielder long term. I preface this by saying I didn't watch a lot of AFL footy this year, but I can see a bit of Christian Salem in how he goes about it from the backline. With Wilmot it's hard for a like for like, I think he's a bit of Brayden Maynard with better foot skills though.

Comparing the pair
This one is actually a lot more cut and dry than I expected, I'm really high on both of these guys and after rewatching Chesser footage for this he's jumped back up in my rankings, I back him in to make it despite the interrupted year, but I'm also high on Wilmot and think he's one of the safest bets to be an AFL level player for 200+ games in the pool. Johnny Bananas asked about them both as half backs however, and for that I have to go with Darcy Wilmot as a more accountable option, but I think with two late teens picks and a need for both general defenders and outside class, both players would fit Brisbane well​