Draft Intel: All the latest AFL Draft news from around Australia
The tall that could be a ‘Mr Fix It’ for Essendon. Plus, could West Coast pull off a surprise and overlook Harley Reid at pick 1? And which AFL clubs do this year’s top prospects follow?
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Excitement is building with the 2023 AFL national draft now a little over a week away.
Here’s the latest news and views from around the country.
THE ‘SET AND FORGET’ DEFENDER WHO COULD JOIN DONS
A top-10 draft prospect who has been strongly linked to Essendon says he has become most comfortable in defence after being used as a ‘Mr Fix It’ throughout much of his junior football.
Connor O’Sullivan shapes as the best key defender in this year’s draft class, standing 198cm and boasting a more mature body than most.
Recruiters believe the Murray Bushrangers product is a “set and forget” prospect who would be a dependable pillar in any AFL backline for many years to come, but he could also be a swingman and feature in the forward line at times if required.
O’Sullivan has only settled in defence this year, after previously spending some time forward and though the middle of the ground.
He even spent some time in the ruck while playing for Albury in the Ovens & Murray Football League grand final in September.
“Having dad (Jamarl) as coach for a few years, I was chucked around everywhere,” O’Sullivan said.
“I think that is one of the strengths of my game, that I’ve been able to be a bit of a Mr Fix It. But this year I’ve been pretty comfortable playing down back.
“I think I’ve got pretty good workrate moving around the ground for a taller guy. I’d like to say I’ve got good skills below my knees with ground balls and marking is my other strength.”
O’Sullivan has worked with his own personal trainer in recent years to prime himself for the AFL and is said to be one of the hardest trainers at the Bushrangers alongside fellow first-round draft prospect Darcy Wilson.
“I sought some outside help to try and build on some of my weaknesses or things I want to improve on even more,” O’Sullivan said.
“It’s been really good being able to seek that outside help and be a bit more specific on what I want to build on.”
O’Sullivan also possesses strong leadership qualities and was picked to captain the Allies in one match during the under-18 national championships this year.
“I’d like to hope I lead by example,” O’Sullivan said.
“But I’m pretty vocal out on the ground. I have tried to make that one of my focuses.”
PICK 1, DANIEL CURTIN?
The manager of top West Australian draft prospect Daniel Curtin believes his client is worthy of being the No.1 pick in this year’s draft – ahead of Harley Reid.
Jason Dover from TLA Worldwide said this week that West Coast should seriously consider keeping the first selection in the draft and picking Curtin ahead of Reid.
Reid has been widely regarded as the No.1 pick for more than 12 months, but Dover said Curtin was one of the best prospects from the west that he had seen.
“If I’m West Coast and I’ve got pick one, I wouldn’t be trading that. I’d be taking Dan Curtin with pick one,” Dover said on SEN radio in Perth.
“We talk about generational talent. Dan in my eyes is a generational talent and one of the best that’s come out of WA in a long time.
“What I’ve told clubs (is) he’s the best I’ve seen come out of WA in over a decade …(as a) footballer and a well-rounded person.”
Dover said there was real interest in Curtin from Hawthorn (pick 4), as well as Melbourne (pick 6) if he got that far.
The Eagles have also kept a close eye on him throughout the year.
The 197cm Curtin is expected to start his AFL career as a key defender but also impressed playing through the midfield for much of this year.
WHO DO THIS YEAR’S DRAFT CLASS FOLLOW?
One of the most popular AFL teams among this year’s top draft prospects is no team at all.
Three top-10 prospects in this year’s draft pool – Colby McKercher, Nate Caddy and Zane Duursma – say they like to follow AFL players rather than a specific team.
However, a range of clubs are represented among many of the other top prospects.
Likely No.1 pick Harley Reid is a Geelong supporter, as is West Australian ruckman Mitch Edwards and Victorian wingman Cooper Simpson.
Small forward Nick Watson follows reigning premier Collingwood, while Jake Rogers and Archer Reid are also fans of the black and white.
George Stevens, Archie Roberts and Arie Schoenmaker are all Carlton fans, while St Kilda also has a trio of supporters who could be top-20 picks in Ollie Murphy, Koltyn Tholstrup and Riley Hardeman.
Top-five chance Daniel Curtin is a Fremantle supporter, along with Zane Zakostelsky and Lance Collard.
Father-son prospect Jordan Croft and Tasmanian James Leake both support the Western Bulldogs, while Jed Walter will end up at the Gold Coast Suns but has long been a hardcore West Coast fan.
South Australian Will McCabe – a Hawthorn father-son prospect – unsurprisingly follows the Hawks, where his father Luke played 138 games.
Ryley Sanders and Ethan Read have both grown up following the Suns, while Connor O’Sullivan and Caiden Cleary are Sydney supporters.
Darcy Wilson follows North Melbourne, where his great uncle Mick Nolan played 107 games between 1973 and 1980.
IS IT ‘BULLDOG’ OR ‘WIZARD’ WATSON?
Top-five draft prospect Nick Watson says he is happy to go by either of his two nicknames, which both lend themselves to different aspects of his game.
The small forward took on the nickname ‘Bulldog’ during much of his junior football, because he was tenacious and went low and hard at contests.
Over the past two years Watson has also been dubbed ‘The Wizard’, given his ability to create some magic and kick miraculous goals at the attacking end of the ground.
“Some friendship groups calls me The Wizard, some call me Bulldog,” Watson said.
“I don’t mind. It’s pretty funny.
“The Bulldog sort of came from the grunt in my game and the way I run through packs. Then The Wizard started last year and it’s starting to get a bit of grip now.”
Watson is firmly in the frame to join either Hawthorn (pick 4) or the Western Bulldogs (pick 5) at the pointy end of this year’s draft.
He was the leading goalkicker at the under-18 national championships this year, booting 14 goals from four games for Vic Metro including five first-half goals in a match against Western Australia.
‘DEVELOPMENT PLAYER’ TO TOP PROSPECT
A Gippsland Power teammate says that Tew Jiath deserves everything that comes his way after emerging as a top-30 draft prospect following a breakout season.
Jiath – the younger brother of Hawthorn’s Changkuoth Jiath – only joined the talent pathways with the Power this year but shot up club draft boards in the second half of the season after making his Coates Talent League debut in round 9.
The athletic 188cm defender plays similarly to his brother and has a strong intercept game.
In a round 18 game against the Dandenong Stingrays, Jiath logged 29 disposals, 13 rebound 50s, 12 intercept possessions, six spoils and six tackles.
“At the start of the year he was more of a development player and then halfway through the year he got the call up to play his first game and ever since he played that first game he just turned it on,” Power teammate and top-five draft prospect Zane Duursma said of Jiath.
“He’s been incredible. He deserves everything he gets for the next few months ahead.”
Jiath is linked to Hawthorn’s Next Generation Academy, but the Hawks would only be able to match a bid on him if he slips past pick 40.
TOWERING RUCK STILL GROWING
The equal-tallest player at the national draft combine believes he is still growing as he looks set to become one of the biggest ruckmen in the AFL next year.
West Australian Mitch Edwards measured a towering 206.2cm at the draft combine in Melbourne last month but might not be done just yet.
“I got growing pains the other day so I reckon I might be (still growing), actually,” Edwards said.
The big man is linked to Fremantle’s Next Generation Academy, but the Dockers would only be able to match a bid on him after pick 40.
That looks unlikely, with Edwards tipped to be snapped up somewhere in the second-round of the draft.
“I would say I’m an athletic ruckman with a fair bit of potential,” Edwards said on SEN radio in Perth earlier this month.
“Obviously it would take me a few years to develop and I won’t be straight in the game. But I feel like I’ve got a good contested mark and I’m pretty agile for my size. One of my strengths is actually ground balls, the follow-up after the ruck taps and the actual ability to win the ruck cups to my players.”
Edwards said he had no concerns about moving east to realise his AFL dream.
“Obviously, staying home would be great, but I feel like the experiences over east would also help you mature as a player a bit quicker,” he said.
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