AFL draft 2020: Who impressed at the Victoria trial training session?
More than 50 of Victoria’s best draft hopefuls were put through their paces in front of a crowd of AFL recruiters. Who were the standouts?
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Victorian draft hopefuls took to the footy field together for the first time since March in Cragieburn’s Highgate Reserve on Wednesday for a training session in front of a crowd of AFL recruiters.
More than 50 young talents – split into Vic Metro and Vic Country groups – were put their paces in a range of different drills a week out from the national draft.
■ ANALYSIS: Every pick your team has in the draft
While Victorian prospects had competed in national combine testing over the past month, talent scouts had not seen the likes of academy ace Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and high-impact hybrid Archie Perkins with a footy in hand in more than eight months due to the scrapped NAB League season.
The session is unlikely to be a factor in each player’s draft standing but it was a rare chance for clubs to see these prospects in action.
Who has built up across the year and which players impressed on the day?
Check out the Victorian draft prospects who caught the eye at the session.
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Nikolas Cox
Northern Knights — Key forward/defender, 200cm, 87kg
Cox certainly looks a lot different to the last time recruiters saw him with a footy in hand, putting on four kilograms in the NAB League shutdown. The mobile swingman has not lost any of his zip, either, looking quick and showing off his eloquent kicking on both sides.
Archie Perkins
Sandringham Dragons — Forward/midfielder, 188cm, 79kg
Recruiters would have been eager to see the athletic beast in action and he did not disappoint. Caught the eye with his explosiveness off the mark in a half-ground lead-up drill and is a hulking figure physically.
Finlay Macrae
Oakleigh Chargers — Midfielder, 186cm, 78kg
Looks to have built size over the year and his skills were superb as always. You cannot help but think of his half-brother, Western Bulldogs smooth-mover Jack Macrae, when you watch him in action.
Reef McInnes
Oakleigh Chargers — Midfielder, 193cm, 86kg
Clean as a whistle during the ground-ball drills, gathering the footy off the deck at pace with no fumbles whatsoever. No mean feat for a midfielder standing 193cm.
Connor Downie
Eastern Ranges — Defender/midfielder, 185cm, 82kg
You could have mistaken Downie for an AFL footballer considering his size on the field and professionalism off it, where the Chinese Next Generation Academy product – who is tied to Hawthorn - expressed his desire to be an AFL ambassador for China. He looked as comfortable among his peers on the training track as he did in the media scrum.
Conor Stone
Oakleigh Chargers — Forward 189cm, 83kg
Stone’s speed and power mix was on display on Wednesday after his combine results failed to reflect his impressive athletic traits.
Matt Allison
Calder Cannons — Key forward, 194cm, 81kg
The 194cm tall moved extremely well across the ground for a player his size and was sound with his disposal and overhead marking.
Josh Eyre
Calder Cannons — Key forward, 198cm, 85kg
Eyre was one of the surprise packets in the marking drill, winning a bunch of 1-on-1 contests against highly rated key position prospects. It caps off a stellar finish to the year for the Essendon NGA product after blitzing the Vic Country combine.
Josh Clarke
Eastern Ranges — Defender, 182cm, 75kg
A strong breeze could have sent Clarke flying the last time recruiters saw the running defender. His rigorous gym program during the shutdown looks to have paid off and he appeared to be just as quick off the mark despite the extra size.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan
Oakleigh Chargers — Key forward, 195cm, 90kg
All eyes were on the pick one contender throughout the session with his familiar outstretched marks on the lead at full tilt and clean hands on show. The popular character blew out the cobwebs with a couple of miscued kicks which were met with friendly niggles and howls from his peers.
Elijah Hollands
Murray Bushrangers — Midfielder/forward, 189cm, 85kg
Hollands ran laps and took part in stationary kicking drills as he eases his way back from his anterior cruciate ligament injury. The potential number-one pick saved his best work for the pre-training interviews, joking about his unkempt hairdo.
Zach Reid
Gippsland Power — Key defender, 202cm, 83kg
It was like watching a skilful wingman, until you remember he is 202cm. The key defender hit targets left, right and centre and held his own in 1-on-1 marking contests despite his slender build.
Tanner Bruhn
Geelong Falcons — Midfielder, 183cm, 74kg
Bruhn has had few opportunities to impress in the last two seasons, but eyes were drawn to him regardless. Glided across the ground and his clean hands at ground level were a highlight.
Ryan Angwin
Gippsland Power — Midfielder/defender, 184cm, 72kg
As one draft watcher remarked, there is a bit about this kid. The slight midfielder looks to have added size and had some great flashes with his kicking and agility.
Zavier Maher
Murray Bushrangers — Midfielder, 185cm, 82kg
Maher consistently won marking contests by out bodying opponents with his strong frame. The big-bodied midfielder also showcased his dash at stages.
Seamus Mitchell
Bendigo Pioneers — Forward, 181cm, 74kg
Another who is noticeably stronger, and he is difficult to miss with his hair flapping at the back – especially when you are moving at his pace. Has a great turn of speed.
Josh Treacy
Bendigo Pioneers — Key forward, 194cm, 94kg
The focus was on Ugle-Hagan in the 1-on-1 marking drill, but it was Treacy who stole the show against him in front of a host of recruiters. Outmuscled the best player out there on one occasion to take a strong grab and was one of the most impressive Vic Country talls out there.
Dominic Bedendo
Murray Bushrangers — Forward/defender, 188cm, 74kg
After topping the charts nationally in the running vertical jump test at the combine, Bedendo’s tremendous leap was on full display in the marking drills, pulling down a couple of nice grabs. Plays taller than his height suggests because of his spring.
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Recruiter’s hellish wait on son
– Jon Ralph
As one of footy’s most forthright and successful agents Colin Young is used to driving a hard bargain with the AFL’s recruiters and list managers.
On Wednesday night he will sit back fully aware those 20 years of experience at AFL level can’t help son Logan Young find his way to an AFL club.
Former UFC fighter and jiu jitsu expert Young, a 192cm midfielder renowned as a fitness freak and powerful midfielder, is more likely to be taken as a rookie the day after the national draft or have to wait another year to be drafted.
But after winning the Claremont Colts best-and-fairest in a seven-game season he could barely have done any more to thrust his name forward.
Young’s WA-based Corporate Sports Australia agency has many of the AFL’s players among its 60 clients, including Brad Hill, Aaron Naughton, Tim English, Charlie Cameron, Chris Mayne, Zac Fisher and Jeremy and Mitch McGovern.
All the moving and shaking that allows him to sign the likes of Jeremy McGovern to one of footy’s richest contracts has counted for nothing this year.
“It’s been difficult going through it as a father for the first time,” Young told the Herald Sun.
“Scotty Clayton and Steve Silvagni had said I was going to find it difficult as my son progressed and I didn’t believe them but I do now.
“Because of my work in the industry people think he’s going to get drafted or have a leg up, but it’s probably been the reverse. I haven’t involved myself in the process at all in regards to club interviews. I have left it with Andrew McDougall or to Logan himself.
“He has left no stone unturned but he knows it’s a thin draft with as few as 40 live picks, so he’s focused on 2021 playing for Claremont.”
Former West Coast and Western Bulldogs forward McDougall, Young’s offsider at Corporate Sports, is Logan’s official manager.
List managers canvassed on Tuesday said Young was a tough, solid player with an elite workrate whose 192cm frame still allowed him to win the ball away from traffic.
He won 22.5 possessions, eight tackles and 6.3 clearances a game and is young enough to still be a draft contender next year after a season of senior WAFL footy.
Claremont Colts coach Matt Angus says he is the hardest working kid he had tutored after also mentoring the likes of Nat Fyfe, Dayne Zorko and Lachie Weller.
Despite his decades in the game his father never believed he would be a footballer.
“He reminds me of Matt Priddis in regards to his workrate. He cooks his own food, he measures his own food, he is self-driven. It’s not because of me. I would have liked him to continue with his UFC. He was one belt short of being a red belt in kung fu, he has done jiu jitsu but he loved his footy.
“He has had a great year and the picks might get him. I reckon there are at least 6-10 West Australian boys who might miss out just because of the nature of the draft and smaller list sizes.”
Originally published as AFL draft 2020: Who impressed at the Victoria trial training session?
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