- Sep 19, 2018
- 401
- 1,162
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Thread starter
- #25
***Part 1 of my pre-season notes is captured in the first post of this thread.
Harry Francis
I first saw Harry Francis play two years ago and he immediately became a favourite of mine. That day he played primarily through the ruck, resting forward. He showed a fair bit of natural athleticism and coordination and his ability to use the ball around the ground was above average for his size. I've since seen him play a bit more in defence and I think that might be the position that gives him the best opportunity to have a career at AFL level. I know most won't look favourably on this call, but I think some of his strengths are comparable to someone like Billy Frampton. He's got similar size, coordination, fluidity, natural athleticism and above average ball-use. Areas of growth include 1 on 1 competitiveness in the contest and overall physicality.
Jack Callinan
I'm a big fan of Jack Callinan and would have him in the top half of my draft board at this point of the season. There's no question marks on his footy for me. He's got the forward craft to consistently impact on the scoreboard and ability to apply pressure inside 50. He doesn't look out of place through the midfield and while he's probably not a permanent midfielder at AFL level, he's certainly got the talent to play a role as a pinch-hitter.
Arie Schoenmaker
Schoenmaker has nice speed for his size and is a really capable user by foot coming out of defence. Ideally he gets to a genuine KPD size as he currently measures in as a third tall at about 193cm. He's a capable interceptor and what makes him so damaging is his ability to intercept and then rebound. I see a genuine best 22 prospect and am keen to see further physical development and growth in his defensive game.
Alex Holt
I've been lucky enough to see a fair bit of Alex Holt at SANFL U18 level and have been very impressed with his competitiveness and leadership. His defensive work is exceptional and he's demonstrated a capacity to play on a variety of different types. His work rebounding from defensive 50 has come with mixed results. He has the right mindset and has shown a willingness to take the game on. This comes with mistakes but it never appears to impact his confidence and you'd expect it will be beneficial for his development long-term.
Nathan Philactides
Philactides is one of the more exciting prospects in this class. It's great to watch what he can do with the footy and how quickly he can turn defence into attack. He's got a great speed/power/burst combo and has a classy left foot. I do wonder whether there's a cap on his ceiling from a draft range perspective given his size/role but he's still one I expect to be discussed in the first half of the draft.
Ryley Sanders
Sanders is one I'm keen to track closely this year. I love his size, frame and work on the inside. He moves through traffic well but doesn't have that burst or speed that is really desirable. He's a competent distributor, especially by hand and willing tackler. With Sanders, I think the footy is good enough, but the question mark will be on his athletic attributes.
Archie Roberts
I'm not completely sold on Roberts as a prospect yet, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been late to the party. I'd like to see his kicking and decision-making improve coming out of defence, as I feel at times he settles for distance rather than hitting up shorter, more aggressive targets. I'll also acknowledge that is sometimes a product of the options that actually present themselves up the field, so it's perhaps not always his fault. He's got a bit of development to come physically, but he's got time to add the necessary size. I'd really like to see his 1 on 1 defensive work improve to complement his ability to read the flight of the ball. Like a few others, I think the positional-value limits the ceiling of his draft-range.
Harry Francis
I first saw Harry Francis play two years ago and he immediately became a favourite of mine. That day he played primarily through the ruck, resting forward. He showed a fair bit of natural athleticism and coordination and his ability to use the ball around the ground was above average for his size. I've since seen him play a bit more in defence and I think that might be the position that gives him the best opportunity to have a career at AFL level. I know most won't look favourably on this call, but I think some of his strengths are comparable to someone like Billy Frampton. He's got similar size, coordination, fluidity, natural athleticism and above average ball-use. Areas of growth include 1 on 1 competitiveness in the contest and overall physicality.
Jack Callinan
I'm a big fan of Jack Callinan and would have him in the top half of my draft board at this point of the season. There's no question marks on his footy for me. He's got the forward craft to consistently impact on the scoreboard and ability to apply pressure inside 50. He doesn't look out of place through the midfield and while he's probably not a permanent midfielder at AFL level, he's certainly got the talent to play a role as a pinch-hitter.
Arie Schoenmaker
Schoenmaker has nice speed for his size and is a really capable user by foot coming out of defence. Ideally he gets to a genuine KPD size as he currently measures in as a third tall at about 193cm. He's a capable interceptor and what makes him so damaging is his ability to intercept and then rebound. I see a genuine best 22 prospect and am keen to see further physical development and growth in his defensive game.
Alex Holt
I've been lucky enough to see a fair bit of Alex Holt at SANFL U18 level and have been very impressed with his competitiveness and leadership. His defensive work is exceptional and he's demonstrated a capacity to play on a variety of different types. His work rebounding from defensive 50 has come with mixed results. He has the right mindset and has shown a willingness to take the game on. This comes with mistakes but it never appears to impact his confidence and you'd expect it will be beneficial for his development long-term.
Nathan Philactides
Philactides is one of the more exciting prospects in this class. It's great to watch what he can do with the footy and how quickly he can turn defence into attack. He's got a great speed/power/burst combo and has a classy left foot. I do wonder whether there's a cap on his ceiling from a draft range perspective given his size/role but he's still one I expect to be discussed in the first half of the draft.
Ryley Sanders
Sanders is one I'm keen to track closely this year. I love his size, frame and work on the inside. He moves through traffic well but doesn't have that burst or speed that is really desirable. He's a competent distributor, especially by hand and willing tackler. With Sanders, I think the footy is good enough, but the question mark will be on his athletic attributes.
Archie Roberts
I'm not completely sold on Roberts as a prospect yet, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been late to the party. I'd like to see his kicking and decision-making improve coming out of defence, as I feel at times he settles for distance rather than hitting up shorter, more aggressive targets. I'll also acknowledge that is sometimes a product of the options that actually present themselves up the field, so it's perhaps not always his fault. He's got a bit of development to come physically, but he's got time to add the necessary size. I'd really like to see his 1 on 1 defensive work improve to complement his ability to read the flight of the ball. Like a few others, I think the positional-value limits the ceiling of his draft-range.
