AFL Draft 2020: Check out the best small-medium forwards from the NAB League
Is your club looking for a goalkicker? Check out the top small and medium forwards on offer in this year’s draft, including the brother of a current Cat and a sharpshooter who booted 119 goals in an under-12 comp.
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Many AFL clubs are searching for forwards and the good news is there are a number of options in the 2020 draft pool.
Most of the top forwards in this year’s draft class have versatility on their side.
Some are able to swung down back with great effect, like the Geelong Falcons’ potential top 10 selection Oliver Henry – the brother of emerging Cats defender Jack Henry.
Meanwhile, others are able to provide X-Factor through the middle, as South Australian prospect Brayden Cook has done throughout the season at under-18 level – a luxury not afforded to Victorian prospects due to the cancelled NAB League season.
Forwards often show their true potential in their top-age season, making it difficult for recruiters to gauge the talent of Victorian goalsneaks from their results as 17-year-olds.
Fortunately, several Victorian forwards staked their claim as top draft prospects in as bottom-agers.
Check out the leading small-medium forwards from the NAB League and the best two goalsneaks outside Victoria.
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OLIVER HENRY – GEELONG FALCONS/VIC COUNTRY
187cm, 77kg
Medium forward/defender
The brother of Geelong defender Jack Henry presents as arguably the best medium-sized prospect in the draft pool. Henry stamped his authority on games at both ends in the NAB League last season with his marking prowess and smarts as a goalkicker and an interceptor. The versatile Falcons product has strong hands overhead and is capable of producing eye-catching moments aerially. Henry boasts good skills, has considerable upside and, like his brother, has an encouraging athletic profile.
His best work came predominantly up forward in his bottom-age year, slotting 12 goals across a three-game stretch early in the season – including 5.3 against Dandenong in just his third game for the Falcons. He dominated their clash with Tasmania later in the year in defence, clunking six intercept marks (four of those contested) and finishing with 24 disposals and 134 SuperCoach points.
Henry trained with Geelong alongside teammate and fellow top-10 fancy Tanner Bruhn in the pre-season and fitted in seamlessly. Could the homegrown talent reunite with his brother at the Cats if he slides outside the top 10, considering Geelong currently holds picks 11, 13 and 16?
Geelong Falcons talent manager Michael Turner: “(Players) like Ollie Henry don’t come around too often. He’s a great mark overhead, he’s a standout player.
ARCHIE PERKINS – SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS
188cm, 77kg
Medium forward/inside midfielder
Perkins screams X-Factor and possesses several key traits of 2017 top-four selections Cam Rayner and Luke Davies-Uniacke, in the eyes of Sandringham coach Josh Bourke. Perkins is blessed with speed, agility and power, allowing him to be a dangerous threat in the forward 50 and at the coalface. These attributes along with his goal sense and strong hands overhead make the 188cm prospect a daunting match-up for defenders.
Playing mostly as a forward in 2019, Perkins was destined to be one of Sandringham’s premier midfielders this season and the Dragons are bullish about his potential. From six NAB League games last season he averaged 14.2 disposals, 3.7 inside-50s, 5.1 score involvements, 82 SuperCoach points and booted eight majors.
Off the field he is a balanced and carefree personality who beats to his own drum. Perkins has fantastic upside but, like many high-impact players, his consistency within games can be lacking at times.
Perkins has bulked up this year and is ready to play senior footy as a forward in 2021. He is forecast to become an exciting and powerful midfielder after a couple of years in the system and is tipped to be off the board by the end of the first round.
Sandringham coach Josh Bourke: “Archie has the potential to be an extremely good AFL player … I think his upside is frightening.”
BAILEY LAURIE – OAKLEIGH CHARGERS/VIC METRO
178cm, 76kg
Small forward/inside midfielder
Laurie is a lively forward/midfielder with plenty of tricks. The Chargers prospect does his best work in traffic, stopping on a dime to evade tackles with his fantastic sidestep and finishing his work with polish. He brought up both of his goals in his impressive NAB League Grand Final display in this fashion, finishing with 17 disposals, two majors and 121 SuperCoach points.
Laurie showed off his line-breaking speed and skills off half-back earlier in his bottom-age year, but was due to play as a damaging forward-mid this season – as he did during his promising finals series.
Laurie’s footy IQ and ball use by foot allow him to create opportunities for him and his teammates, booting six goals and averaging 15.3 disposals at an elite 76.6 per cent efficiency, three marks, three tackles and 90 SuperCoach points across seven games for Oakleigh last season.
At 178cm, he is likely to start as a small forward at AFL level, using his ball-winning at ground level and smarts around goal to his advantage. He will need to improve on his athletic profile and size at the next level but his X-Factor and natural talent have him viewed as a second-round draft prospect.
Chargers talent manager Jy Bond: “The way he can navigate through traffic is amazing for someone his age. He’s got great skills and certainly knows where the goals are.”
CONOR STONE – OAKLEIGH CHARGERS
188cm/81kg
Medium forward/utility
Stone had hardly played as a forward until Oakleigh rolled the dice in his debut NAB League game last season. The Chargers watched on with glee as the running defender piled on five goals against Murray Bushrangers, along with 12 disposals, four marks three, tackles and 129 SuperCoach points. He continued to hit the scoreboard throughout the year in the forward arc, booting 11 goals from seven matches – including 2.2 in their preliminary final win over Sandringham.
Stone has explosive speed off the mark, sticky hands overhead and has a knack for finding the goals. His upside and versatility will appeal to suitors – able to play up forward, across half-back or even through the middle as a tall wingman or inside midfielder – and he was set to play all over the park in 2020. From an athletic background, Stone has a strong fitness base and frame that is ready for the rigours of AFL footy – and he has built on his size during the year.
Chargers talent manager Jy Bond: “A coach can pick him and know that they can fill holes wherever they need. He’s certainly someone I look at and think, ‘he’s got all the attributes as an AFL player.’”
JAKE BOWEY – SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS
175cm, 75kg
Small forward/midfielder
It might be a stretch to classify Bowey as a forward but he was slated to spend more time in attack this season – the position he is likely to play at AFL level. Bowey has an exquisite kick and is a good decision maker under pressure, showcasing these qualities on the big stage in the Under-17 All Stars game on Grand Final day, and in their NAB League preliminary final defeat.
Sandringham coach Josh Bourke believes Bowey is in the Caleb Daniel-mould as a smaller prospect with a kicking weapon. Bowey used his skill and creativity through the middle in his bottom-age year, averaging 15.8 disposals, 4.5 score involvements and 79 SuperCoach points.
He is more powerful than his 175cm size suggests – he is strong around the ball and can fly high for speckies. As a forward, his pressure and game awareness should stack up but his goalkicking and craft around goal are areas he’ll need to work on.
Bowey has leadership qualities in spades and is a chance to be snapped up in the second round. The son of former St Kilda rover Brett Bowey who played 85 games for the Saints, he falls just shy of qualifying as a Saints father-son.
Sandringham coach Josh Bourke: “He is probably one of the best kicks in the draft. His off-field stuff is outstanding … eats and breathes (footy).”
JACK GINNIVAN – BENDIGO PIONEERS
182cm, 76kg
Medium forward/midfielder
Ginnivan has been on the radar of recruiters for years after his insane goalkicking feat as a youngster. Ginnivan kicked 119 goals in a season as an 11-year-old for Newstead in the Maryborough Castlemaine District Football League and he certainly hasn’t lost his goal sense.
The forward/midfielder slotted 19 goals in 12 NAB League games last season, with 14 of those coming in the back half of the year. While he needs to build on his size, Ginnivan has an impressive athletic profile, blessed with endurance, speed and agility. His flexibility is perhaps the most attractive asset for AFL clubs, viewed as a prospect who can play at either end or through the middle at the next level.
He was able to play two games in the Bendigo Football League for Strathfieldsaye this season and impressed. Ginnivan stole the show through the midfield in one of those talent-laden games – featuring 10 NAB League players – in front of a host of recruiters. The Pioneers product is one player who can boost his draft stocks further with strong results at the Victorian state combine later this month.
Bendigo Pioneers coach Damian Trustlove: “He’s got goal sense that not many kids have. He can jump, he can run, he’s got good agility and he can play anywhere.”
EDDIE FORD – WESTERN JETS
188cm, 79kg
Medium forward
Ford is a marking presence up forward who can play taller than his 188cm height suggests. He has an impressive leap, strong hands overhead and is able to make something out of nothing around goal. He has good speed and thrives in big moments, as proved by his promising performance in the Under-17 All Stars game last season, finishing with two goals and 20 disposals.
The Jets’ intention was to give Ford greater midfield responsibility this season and he has been studying the stoppage work of Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe closely, after requesting vision from the Dockers. He built on his frame during the year in preparation for midfield minutes and his creativity was expected to be one his standout traits in the guts. However, this is a feature of his game that can be his undoing at times.
Western Jets talent manager Luke Williams: “It was no surprise that he set himself for (the All Stars match) and that you saw his best on display. The early part of that particular was typical of what he’s capable of.”
OUTSIDE VICTORIA
BRAYDEN COOK – SOUTH Adelaide/SOUTH AUSTRALIA
188cm, 74kg
Medium forward/wingman
In a season where Victorians draft hopefuls have been starved of action, South Australian Cook has burst out of the blocks, having grown 7cm this year alone. The exciting forward/wingman has bolted into first-round calculations after dominating the SANFL Under-18 competition for South Adelaide. He led the league goalkicking with 26 majors in 12 matches – and it could have been a lot more, also kicking 27 behinds. This included two matchwinning hauls of 5.5 and 5.1, registering 198 and 149 SuperCoach points respectively in these standout displays.
Cook can take a game by the scruff of the neck with limited possessions through his strong marking, scoreboard impact and burst of speed. He ran a 3.103sec 20m sprint (fourth overall) and finished fifth in the standing vertical test at the South Australian combine in September. Small forward Corey Durdin is another South Australian goalsneak to keep an eye out for, playing SANFL senior footy earlier this season before suffering two separate hamstring setbacks.
JOEL JEFFREY – NT THUNDER/ALLIES
192cm/78kg
Medium forward/defender
Gold Coast has exclusive access to Darwin talent as part of its draft concessions, allowing the Suns to land exciting swingman Jeffrey outside the open draft.
Jeffrey can be stationed as a high-flying forward or as an intercepting defender and has plenty of wow factor. He slotted four second-half majors in just his third NEAFL senior game after being swung forward, two of those featuring clever spins and baulks after smartly crumbing marking contests.
As a defender his exceptional reading of the play allows him to zone off and take intercept marks with confidence. Jeffrey’s versatility, marking prowess and creativity makes him a unique prospect with great upside.
MORE AFL DRAFT STORIES:
AFL Draft 2020: The best tall prospects and key-position players from each state
AFL Draft 2020: Check out the best midfielders in this year’s class
AFL Draft 2020: The next-gen kids your club is eyeing and indicative draft picks
Originally published as AFL Draft 2020: Check out the best small-medium forwards from the NAB League