Draft Intel: Dons’ obsession could shake up draft order, 20 prospects flying under the radar
Draft followers would be well across most of the names around the top-end, but there are a stack of prospects who have flown under the radar this year. See who could give your club value.
There is less than three weeks to go until the national draft as clubs continue to piece the puzzle together and lock in their draft boards.
Here’s the latest news and views from around the country.
20 UNDER-THE-RADAR TALENTS WHO CAN PROVIDE VALUE
Draft followers would be well across most of the names around the top-end of the draft, but there are a stack of prospects who have flown under the radar this year who can provide value for clubs.
Let’s start with the under-18 All-Australians.
South Fremantle midfielder Fred Rodriguez is perhaps the most unlucky of the bunch, having taken out Western Australia’s MVP and earning All-Australian recognition at the national championships. He also debuted at senior level for South Fremantle and dominated in the WAFL Colts.
Bullocking 195cm clearance winner Riley Onley, Geelong Next Generation Academy forward Jesse Mellor, Gold Coast Academy midfielder Koby Coulson, and Norwood ruck Sam Ainsworth also shone against the best in the country, yet could all be available in the back-half of the draft.
Onley was particularly strong after a slow start to the season, finishing in the top-six in the Larke Medal, while Mellor and Coulson going on to impress at VFL level for Geelong and Gold Coast respectively.
Then there are the prospects who have heavily impacted by injury throughout the year like Oakleigh Chargers Sam Allen, West Coast NGA product Koby Evans, Gold Coast Academy midfielder Jai Murray and Murray Bushrangers key forward Liam Hetherton.
Allen suffered an ACL tear and Murray sustained a foot stress fracture, but both are still firmly in the minds of recruiters, with some scouts rating Murray a top-20 talent in their minds.
Hetherton suffered a back stress fracture that kept him to just three games for the Murray Bushrangers this season but has spoken to 17 clubs ahead of the draft, while Evans was hampered by a back stress fracture before he suffered a syndesmosis blow later in the year.
Athletic Oakleigh Chargers ruckman Louis Emmett entered the year as potential No. 1 pick contender after a dominant bottom-age campaign and has dropped down draft boards despite being affected by a hip injury during the year.
He highlighted his huge engine with a time of 6:07 in the 2km time trial at the draft combine.
Northern Territory tall Taj Murray bagged four goals in an imposing showing to start the national carnival for the Allies, but his remaining two games were impacted by illness before an ankle setback late in the year.
He was a frequent flyer this year, boarding at Adelaide’s Prince Alfred College while representing NT Thunder in the Coates Talent League, the Allies at the national champs and North Adelaide in the SANFL under-18s.
Geelong Falcons prospect Hugo Mikunda was restricted by stress fractures on both sides of his back before timing his run perfectly with an eye-catching national championships.
His blend of power and creative ball-use mean he has captured AFL club attention without dominating on the stat sheet.
Then there are the players who couldn’t have done any more to put their names up in lights.
Oakleigh Chargers defender Max Kondogiannis ranked second at the national championships for intercept possessions and marks (behind Carlton father-son and top 10 talent Harry Dean).
Claremont 200cm marking forward Cody Curtin, the younger brother of Adelaide sensation Dan, bagged 32 goals in nine WAFL Colts matches — including six in the grand final — and ran a strong 2km time trial at the combine.
SuperCoach points aren’t everything, but Western Jets defender-midfielder Tom Burton averaged a whopping 150 points per game in the Coates Talent League while showcasing his burst, clean hands and versatility, while he also finished fifth in the 20m sprint at the draft combine.
Fremantle NGA inside midfielder Toby Whan brought his own Sherrin for South Fremantle in the WAFL Colts.
He registered 41 disposals and kicked four goals in one game but only received a state combine invite.
North Adelaide forward-mid Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier was a joint winner of the SANFL under-18 best-and-fairest last year and impressed at the national champs, under-18 and reserves level, before also making his league debut later in the year.
Oakleigh Chargers duo Hunter Holmes and Will Darcy, a Western Bulldogs father-son, are in a similar category.
Their brothers, Max Holmes and Sam Darcy, were late developers who are now stars at AFL level, suggesting Hunter and Will — who appears certain to join the Dogs — could follow the same upward trajectory.
Rounding out the list is Frankston rebounding defender Tom Blamires, who took out the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal – the last 17 recipients have joined the AFL ranks.
At 23, he shapes as a ready-made halfback option.
These names show that the draft bats deeper than some give it credit for.
MORE PICKS SET TO CHANGE HANDS
If you thought the trade period was over, think again.
A raft of draft picks look set to change hands either in the lead up to or during this year’s national draft.
While no offer has been put forward yet, there is speculation in recruiting circles that Essendon could still look to climb up the board in a swap with West Coast.
The player believed to be firmly in the Bombers’ sights if they were to make that move is Calder Cannons ruckman Cooper Duff-Tytler, who is otherwise favoured to join the Eagles with one of the club’s first two picks.
Rivals believe Essendon is “obsessed” with Duff-Tytler, who played for the club’s VFL team this year and is also good mates with Bombers Next Generation Academy prospects Adam Sweid and Hussien El Achkar.
A deal had been floated between Essendon and Gold Coast – also yet to be agreed to – during the trade period which would see the Bombers trade picks 21 and 27 to the Suns for pick 15.
The Bombers could then dangle that pick 15 — along with pick 5 or 6 — in front of the Eagles, but even that is unlikely to satisfy West Coast which would prefer a future first-round pick to be involved.
If the Eagles did agree to trade back to pick 5 this year, they could look to players like ready-made South Australian midfielder Dyson Sharp or draft bolter Sullivan Robey at pick 5, instead of Duff-Tytler.
The Suns are happy to move that pick 15 as they chase more points to match expected early bids on Academy talents, while the Brisbane Lions’ pick 17 and Greater Western Sydney’s pick 35 are also up for grabs.
Carlton looks set to hold its position at picks 9 and 11 for now but has held talks with Adelaide around a trade as they look to bank more draft points to match a bid on father-son and potential top-two pick Cody Walker next year.
The Crows have been weighing up trading pick 16 this year and a future first-round selection for Carlton’s picks 9 and 11 this year.
If they were to shuffle up, other clubs believe Adelaide would look at a key forward like Aidan Schubert or a top-10 slider who could have an instant impact next year.
The window for clubs to trade picks is open until November 7, with any further selection swaps needing to wait until draft night.
DOGS FATHER-SON DREAMS OF JOINING BROTHER
A pair of brothers could become bookends for the Western Bulldogs in time, with father-son prospect Will Darcy looking likely to join his brother Sam at the club.
Will started this year playing forward for Scotch College in school football but went on to impress in defence and rejoined Coates Talent League club Oakleigh Chargers in May.
Will had been in the Chargers’ program as a 16-year-old, before experiencing a 15cm growth spurt which now has him measuring 196.1cm.
Like his older brother, Will’s marking and kicking are strengths, while he is also solid at ground level and has reasonable endurance.
“The main goal coming into this season was hopefully trying to win games back and forward, playing a little bit of a swing role,” Will said.
“It worked out a couple of times when I had good games. But honestly, I don’t mind. Wherever the team wants me and whatever is the best way we can try to win the game, I’m happy to be there.”
Will said he had learnt plenty from watching Sam’s journey, after he was selected at pick 2 in the 2021 national draft.
“It’s pretty cool to have a brother playing AFL,” Will said.
“From a young age, I definitely learnt a lot from him with how he goes about it and how he trains and dealing with setbacks. If I ever go into an AFL system, I’ve got to be patient and it takes time to be able to get a game. So you’ve just got to keep going and continue loving your footy.”
Rival clubs feel that the Bulldogs should be able to snap up Will with a late pick in this year’s draft, which could prove a bargain buy in time.
“I’ve known Will for a long time and he is a great man and he works really hard with his footy,” Oakleigh Chargers teammate Louis Emmett said of Will.
“He’s a probably going to grow an extra five or ten centimetres.
“He can put on a lot of size and he has a great career ahead of him.”
Will’s father, Luke, played 226 games for the Bulldogs, while late grandfather David featured in 133 games for Footscray between 1963 and 1971.
“It’s the dream club to play for and something I’ve always wanted to do, ever since I was young, having grown up barracking for the Dogs,” Will said.
WHO TOP AFL DRAFT PROSPECTS GREW UP SUPPORTING
Most draft prospects are happy to go anywhere to pursue their dream of playing in the AFL.
But for some, there is every chance they will find their way to the club they grew up supporting – adding to the excitement.
Potential No. 1 draft pick Willem Duursma won’t be joining the Brisbane Lions, the club which he grew up supporting.
Fellow top prospect Cooper Duff-Tytler – a Hawthorn supporter – won’t be sliding to the Hawks’ first selection, either.
But after that there are some players who could land at clubs they know plenty about.
Draft bolter Sullivan Robey grew up an Essendon supporter and is a chance to be available at the Bombers’ first pick, as is South Australian Dyson Sharp who is another top-10 prospect.
Xavier Taylor grew up “a big Tigers fan” and is an option for Richmond inside the top-10.
Carlton father-son prospect Harry Dean had little choice but to follow the Blues, where his father Peter played in two premierships, while Melbourne father-son prospect Kalani White is a Demons fan where his dad Jeff played 236 games.
Richmond father-son prospect Louis Kellaway has supported both the Tigers and Crows, with his father Duncan having been a long-term physio for Adelaide.
Neither of Essendon’s Next Generation Academy prospects in Adam Sweid or Hussien El Achkar followed the Bombers, despite growing up in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.
“I didn’t grow up liking Essendon,” Sweid said.
“When you’re a diehard Hawthorn fan, you don’t like many other clubs. But as I started doing a little bit of work with the Essendon boys, I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for them.”
El Achkar is a second-cousin of Carlton’s Adam Saad but is a St Kilda fan.
South Australian Jevan Phillipou started out a Sydney supporter but now has a soft spot for St Kilda, where his brother Mattaes plays, while Lachy Dovaston is a Collingwood fan whose second cousin is former Magpies defender Nathan Murphy.
First-round draft prospect Ollie Greeves is a Geelong supporter, with his great uncle being club great Carji Greeves.
Fellow Victorian midfielder Jack Dalton is a Sydney fan given his grandfather Paul Briglia played 16 games for South Melbourne between 1959 and 1961.
KEY FORWARD NOT FORGOTTEN
A knee injury meant Sandringham Dragons key forward Archie Ludowyke played limited football this year, but he remains in the frame as a top-15 pick.
Ludowyke is understood to have been included on an initial invite list to attend the first night of the draft on November 19, indicating strong interest from clubs with top-12 selections.
Rival clubs have linked Ludowyke to Melbourne (picks seven and eight), while there is also late mail around Greater Western Sydney (pick 12) being very keen on the athletic forward who flies for his marks and has high footy IQ.
GRLJ’S PRE-SEASON BRUSH WITH GREENE
He’s not on an AFL list yet, but Oakleigh Chargers speedster Sam Grlj has already spent time training with an AFL captain.
Grlj was enjoying some summer holidays at Anglesea on Victoria’s surf coast last pre-season when Greater Western Sydney skipper Toby Greene turned up for a run.
“I was down training with some the Hawthorn boys, who I got into through my manager a couple of years back,” Grlj said.
“Then Toby Greene just happened to be down there as well and we did two sessions with him and got to know what he’s about. He’s an AFL captain so he’s clearly very experienced and I just learnt that the program you get set is the bare minimum for you. If you want to get where he is – and he’s had such a successful career and he’s captain of a club – you have to do the extras.”
Grlj’s name is one you will see and hear plenty of in the lead-up to the national draft, given he shapes as a top-10 prospect.
Question is, how do you say his last name?
Grlj is actually pronounced ‘Grill’ and is a surname with Slovenian origins which stem from Sam’s father’s side of the family.
BOMBER-TO-BE A LEGO LOVER
Essendon Next Generation Academy member Hussien El Achkar already has plans for spending his first pay check if he is lucky enough to be drafted to the AFL this November.
The 171cm Calder Cannons forward is a lover of Lego and is itching to add some larger sets to his collection.
“I love building LEGO. That’s a hobby I like doing,” El Achkar said.
“Those big sets are too expensive, but hopefully if I make it my first purchase will be a new LEGO set. I’ve got little ones like cars, but hopefully I can keep growing the collection over the years.”
El Achkar finished school at Essendon Keilor College last year before trying his hand at plumbing.
But he put any plumbing career on hold, instead doing some work with the Bachar Houli Foundation between football duties this season.
LOW PICK NUMBERS EXPECTED
Recruiters expect about 50 picks to be used in this year’s national draft, a figure which would be even lower than the lean Covid-affected years.
Multiple clubs are planning to make as few as one or two selections, while Port Adelaide is a chance not to use any picks on fresh talent at the national draft as it looks to instead upgrade rookie-listed players.
A number of clubs are planning to leave list spots open for the Pre-Season Supplementary Selection Period (SSP), where a number of other prospects — including mature age state league players — could be listed if they impress as train-on players over summer.
There were 71 players selected in last year’s national draft, while just 59 found homes in the 2020 and 2022 drafts.
Originally published as Draft Intel: Dons’ obsession could shake up draft order, 20 prospects flying under the radar
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