#17 Finn Callaghan (Pick 3, 2021 National Draft)

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Nov 23, 2015
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Finn Callaghan

Finn Callaghan.PNG

Height: 191cm
Weight: 86kg
D.O.B: 26-04-2003
Sandringham Dragons / Vic Metro

Finn Callaghan Draft Profile - Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central (formerly AFL Draft Central)

POSITION: Balanced Midfielder

SNAPSHOT: “Callaghan is a prototypical athletic tall midfielder, possessing a long penetrative left foot kick and high level evasion skills, he has long been considered a top prospect and looms as one of the earliest selections in the 2021 AFL Draft.”

Finn Callaghan is widely considered to be part of the upper echelon of players in the draft class, with the Sandringham midfielder stepping up through the year and relishing his move to a more inside role at NAB League and State representative level, with injuries to teammates giving him the opportunity. The move led to a sharp rise for Callaghan as he had more opportunity to show off his speed, evasion and composure along with an increase in disposal numbers. Earning comparisons to former Dragon Josh Kelly and Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli, Callaghan is largely viewed as a top four prospect and will be looked at heavily by clubs in that range.

STRENGTHS:
  • Athleticism
  • Endurance
  • Disposal Efficiency
  • Kick Penetration
  • Evasion
  • Composure
IMPROVEMENTS:
  • Contested game
Callaghan came into the year behind a pack of Sandringham teammates, before quickly pushing up to be considered the best prospect from his region and one of the best two open draft options, with his play style bringing out the best of his athleticism and ball use. Starting out the season on the flanks, Callaghan’s running capacity and size saw him promptly moved into the midfield with great success, with his breakout game against Dandenong Stingrays earning him a call up to the AFL Academy squad game against Geelong VFL.

Callaghan continued to impress when returning at club level, winning team-high disposal numbers and driving forward with aggressive ball use. Callaghan put on arguably a best on ground performance in his Vic Metro vs. Vic Country trial game but unfortunately missed the Under 19 Challenge Match with a foot injury that kept him out for the remainder of the season.

Callaghan doesn’t have many clear improvement areas heading into the next level, with the biggest one being his contested game when playing an inside role. Callaghan looks to be a receiver or win the ball in space, but could certainly build on his contested work for the times he’s called upon to be that in and under winner. Given his bigger frame and scope to add muscle, it would be expected that after some time in the system he steps up and becomes major ball winner.

Whilst he may need to improve slightly on his contested work, Callaghan's ability to find possession can not be doubted. Whether in the air or on the ground, Callaghan is a reliable winner, able to get out free from pressure with his speed or leap high for a mark and take the ball with one grab. He’s also a hard working target around the ground that teammates want to get the ball to. On the rare occasions that Callaghan doesn't manage to get free from his opponent, his evasion in traffic, aided by his agility, is a strong weapon as he looks to get free from congestion and get rid of the ball.

Callaghan’s kick is impressive, able to kick over 50 meters and maintain his accuracy and penetration, even courageous enough to take on dangerous centring kicks and having them pay off. Callaghan can balance his kicks quite well for his teammates, bulleting the ones he needs to but also able to place them for teammates to run into and take easily. Whilst his kicking is a strength, Callaghan doesn’t put an over reliance on it, balancing well and still handballing when it’s the better of the two options. He is typically clean with his use by hand, even under pressure.

Finn Callaghan GWS.PNG

What National Recruiting Manager Adrian Caruso says:

It’s rare to find a player with a set of attributes like Finn, he’s pretty special. The combination of speed and agility with good running power gives some flexibility to the roles that he can play for us and the point of difference he adds to our current midfield mix. Importantly, his strong work ethic and the mindset will allow him to adapt to a few different roles until he is physically ready to step into our midfield. There’s no secret many clubs behind us were trying to trade up to our selection with Finn in mind but the recruiting team was strong all along in not having any interest in passing him up.
 
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10 year contract. In 5 years when he starts hitting his peak we will be having a few retirements. Tom Green will be handing it to him on a platter.
 

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Excellent and well informed write up on Finn, whoever wrote it deserves a medal

Stoked with the pick obviously and can't wait to see him injected into the side, hopefully on the wing pretty quickly
 
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Congrats on your Rising Star nomination, Finn. A steady development hopefully setting you up for a brilliant career.


Finn RS nom.png

GIANTS young gun Finn Callaghan is this week’s Rising Star nominee.

The 20-year-old, in his second season, had 26 disposals and 10 marks in the GIANTS’ thrilling one-point win over the Swans in Sydney Derby XXV. Callaghan has played every game this season after injuries limited him to just five games in his debut season in 2022.

GIANTS General Manager of Football, Jason McCartney, congratulated Callaghan on his nomination. “This is such a well-deserved nomination for Finn, who is really finding his feet at AFL level this season,” McCartney said.“He’s playing a really important role for us on the wing at the moment and after re-signing earlier this year, we’re looking forward to him continuing to develop and grow over the coming years.”
 
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Fluff piece:


In a team stacked with established stars, Callaghan represents the new breed of talented Giants, alongside the likes of Sam Taylor, Tom Green and Lachie Ash. Their development has accelerated the Giants' push back into the premiership window and Callaghan says he wants to lift the club's leaders as well as learn from them.

"I really want to drive standards around the club. They've set the bar but it's up to us young boys to push them along as well and raise it. I always think about that," he said. "I work really closely in the midfield with 'Wardy' (Callan Ward), 'Cogs' (Stephen Coniglio) and Josh Kelly. They just teach me so much, watching what they do, how they train. They're such great players and they've done it for such a long time."

Those heralded names along with the likes of Lachie Whitfield, Toby Greene, Adam Kennedy and Nick Haynes have also stayed the course at GWS from interstate and that too is providing a young Victorian in Callaghan with inspiration. "I love it at the club at the moment. It's such a great place to be, I committed for two more years this year (until the end of 2025) and would love to stay at the Giants for longer than that as well," Callaghan said. "It's a great place to be. They've set the tone for being a one-club player and it's something we can emulate for years to come."
 

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‘We want a flag’: Rising Giant embraces premiership pressure​

Most players would shy away from premiership talk in February — not Finn Callaghan. He’s happy for you to know the Giants are aiming high after going so close last season. SUBSCRIBE to read more.

Thanks Brave New World

Young midfielder Finn Callaghan ready to live up to the hype and guide GWS Giants to a premiership

By LACHLAN MCKIRDY

CONTENT PRODUCER

NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA SPORTS NEWSROOM

12:00PM FEBRUARY 11, 2024

Finn Callaghan has been the name on everyone’s lips when talking about the Giants’ 2024 aspirations. Going into his third season with the club, the talented 20-year-old has all the assets to become one of the competition’s elite midfielders. For a player so young, it can often be hard to balance the pressure of being the ‘breakout star’. However, Callaghan relishes that expectation.

“It’s good, I want to be the best player I can be and one of the best players,” Callaghan said. “When people write stuff about me it’s nice, and I want to make sure I’m doing my bit by playing good footy. The most important thing is you back it up with your action on the field. You see (the articles). It’s hard not to with social media these days. But I just care what my coaches are saying and what my teammates think of me and go from there.”

The self-belief at the Giants was evident throughout their run to the finals last season. Where others had written them off, they went into those same matches believing they were going to win. Some might interpret that attitude as arrogance on paper, but in person, it’s clear to see it stems from a side brimming with confidence. And Callaghan speaks for his teammates when he lays out their plans to replicate that success.

“I don’t think there’s any point hiding away from the fact that you want to win a flag,” Callaghan said. “If you didn’t want to win, what are we doing here really? We’re confident in the way we go about it and if we play our best football, it’s good enough to beat anyone. We want to win (the flag) and we’ll openly say it. I’m sure we’ll evolve as a team. It’s more than just what we did last year. We’ll build off the back of our defensive contest, carry that momentum and we’ll definitely go up another level just from being together another pre-season. My part is to become an important member of the team and help drive us towards a premiership in 2024.”

The early signs are that Callaghan’s actions will live up to his words. This year is the first time that he has been able to complete an entire pre-season. That effort is paying off with the midfielder one of the best on the park during Friday’s match simulation. Playing predominantly on the ball, Callaghan has managed to take both his speed and size to the next level. Combine that with the former No. 3 draft pick’s natural skills by hand and he could become a force in one of the competition’s most exciting teams.

“It’s been great, I’ve finally got good continuity in my body,” Callaghan said. “I feel fitter and stronger. I’ve never been able to get more than six weeks of a pre-season ahead of round one before. I certainly feel better in my legs and that I’ll be able to run out games. Building that connection and synergy with the boys has also been great. Naturally completing every session your tank is going to improve. But it’s more so skills and building our connection with midfielders and halfbacks. That’s certainly gone to another level and that’ll show in the games coming up. I think it will be a similar role (this year), Josh Kelly and I will still play on the ball and then a bit on the wing. But I’m happy to play wherever Kingers (coach Adam Kingsley) wants me, hopefully, that’ll be looking to be more on the ball.”

more in the story
 

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