South Australian Will Gould compared to West Coast’s Shannon Hurn
He might be sick of being compared to rugged West Coast defender Shannon Hurn, but the young draft hopeful has very similar traits. Could he be a perfect replacement for Scott Thompson at North Melbourne?
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Will Gould is getting a little sick of the comparisons to West Coast defender Shannon Hurn.
“I just keep saying he’s a 200-game premiership captain and I haven’t played a game yet,” the AFL draft hopeful said.
“It’s incredibly humbling and a massive honour to be compared to Shannon, but I’ve got a bit of work to do to be as good as him.”
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Gould hails from a cattle and sheep farm in the South Australian town of Lucindale, about 350km southeast of Adelaide.
The 2016 census listed the town’s population at just 555 people, but it has already produced AFL talent in the form of Carlton premiership player Andrew McKay and Adelaide young-gun Darcy Fogarty.
Now Gould is set to join the list as a likely first-round draft pick with a body ready to step straight up to AFL level.
The 18-year-old has already matched it against men this year, playing 15 games of senior football for Glenelg in the SANFL including in the club’s premiership.
He also shone brightly for his state in the under-18 national championships, averaging the most rebound 50s of any defender in the tournament at 7.3 a game via a booming right foot.
“A few of us SA boys have been able to play some league and some footy against men so I think that sets us up well to go into an AFL system and be ready to succeed,” Gould said.
“I love kicking long, breaking lines, playing exciting footy. I love watching exciting footy so that’s the way I like to play as well.”
Gould finished school last year but has gone back to coach the Year 9B football team at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide, while also working at a sports retail shop and completing a sports management course.
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He does keep an eye on Hurn, but the Geelong supporter spends more time watching how two other AFL defenders go about their craft.
“I watch Dylan Grimes from Richmond, who is a little bit of a different role to Shannon, he’s more a lockdown one-on-one defender,” Gould said.
“And Tommy Stewart from Geelong. I love watching him and how he goes about it.”
Expected to be a late first-round or second round pick, Gould will be considered by North Melbourne (picks 26 and 27) as a replacement for the retired Scott Thompson, while Adelaide (picks 23 and 28) and Port Adelaide (picks 18 and 29) also find themselves in the right range to secure the home-state talent.
Originally published as South Australian Will Gould compared to West Coast’s Shannon Hurn