Glenelg AFL draft prospect Will Gould has been compared to West Coast premiership captain Shannon Hurn - with good reason
Under-18s state coach rates defender as pick of SA’s 2019 draft crop with similar skill-set to Shannon Hurn. Could this be who the Crows take with their early Carlton-swap pick?
Tony Bamford vividly recalls watching a teenage Shannon Hurn strut his stuff for South Australia at the AFL under-18 championships.
He says in the 14 years since he has not seen a player mirror the West Coast premiership captain like Glenelg’s Will Gould.
“If you are looking at who Will plays like, it’s Shannon Hurn,’’ said Bamford, the SA under-18 coach who piloted the Croweaters to last year’s national championship and third place this year.
“It’s the best comparison. I remember Shannon as an 18-year-old and he was a boy in a man’s body, which is exactly what Will is.
“They both play in the backline, pretty much as that third tall defender who can play on talls and smalls, and they kick the ball extremely well.
“And they are both combative, very, very tough and possess good leadership skills.
“In the end, I think Will might become an even better offensive player than Shannon. He's a gun and whichever club drafts him will be very, very happy.’’
Gould, 18, has this year followed in the footsteps of fellow South Australian Izak Rankine in being selected in consecutive All-Australian under-18 teams — a rare feat.
The SA captain and Glenelg league player was named in a back pocket after a second successive standout national championships campaign, where he overcame a modest start to star at centre half-back against Vic Country and the Allies.
Gould had 26 disposals and kicked a crucial late goal against the Victorian outfit and backed it up with 25 touches and 10 rebound 50s against the Allies.
Bamford says he should be a sure-fire first-round selection at November’s national draft and the first Croweater picked.
Adelaide could consider him with the selection it will get from 17th-placed Carlton, currently No. 2.
But that old chestnut about how much growth an 18-year-old has in him when he is, as Bamford suggests, a “boy in a man’s body’’, has already raised its head, with most draft pundits not listing Gould in their top dozen prospects, which annoys the respected SA mentor.
The same thing was said about Fremantle champion Matthew Pavlich before he was drafted from Woodville-West Torrens.
Hurn, from SANFL club Central District, went at pick 13 to the Eagles at the 2005 draft and became a star.
He has played 262 AFL games, captained the powerful club for five years, including leading it to last year’s premiership, and being named an All-Australian in 2018.
“I don’t buy into that stuff about Will (already peaking physically) because he doesn’t need to get any taller,’’ Bamford said of his 191cm, 98kg protege.
“He’s never going to be a tall, key defender, he’s going to be a medium/tall back who can play on talls and smalls and those blokes are hard to find.
“That was one of the great things for Will this year because last year he played as a third tall defender and was able to drop off his opponent, intercept mark and get involved in the game in that regard.
“But this year he had to stand on some really quick, agile small forwards at times and he was able to beat them and still be involved in the game in offence.
“So he’s proven in two years that he can play on all different types of forwards and I think a lot of clubs will take notice of that.’’
Bamford said Gould, who has played strong league football for the second-placed Tigers when he hasn’t had SA under-18 commitments, had also excelled in a leadership role this year — just three seasons after he admitted to having to “pull my head in a bit’’ when he starred as a forward in Glenelg’s successful under-16 finals campaign and after kicking some decisive goals let his opponents and rival supporters know about it.
“I got ahead of myself a little bit in my under-16 year but, with some help from my coaches, I learnt a lot from that and have come out of it a much better player and person,’’ Gould said.
Bamford said he could not fault Gould’s attitude and leadership this season.
“He’s been outstanding in that regard, really impressive — on and off the field,’’ he said, adding that he is mature enough to step straight into AFL ranks next season.
Gould, who was raised on a cattle and sheep farm at Lucindale in the southeast before boarding at Prince Alfred College in Year 10, said he had modelled his game on Hurn and lockdown Richmond defender Dylan Grimes.
“I like watching different types of players and take a little bit out of all their games but I can certainly see why people compare me to Hurn,’’ he said.
“But I also love watching the way Grimes goes about it because he is great defensively and just doesn’t get goals kicked on him.’’
As for where he sits in the draft pecking order, Gould said he was “not fussed’ about numbers and just wants to find an AFL home.
“It’s been my goal to get drafted since I started kicking a ball around as a kid in the backyard with dad (Richard),’’ he said.
“What club or what pick doesn’t bother me, as long as I get to fulfil that dream.’’
Originally published as Glenelg AFL draft prospect Will Gould has been compared to West Coast premiership captain Shannon Hurn - with good reason