AFL Draft: Scouting notes, stats and all the news from the under-18 national championships

Will Ashcroft continues to put up huge numbers. See who else starred on the stats sheet as the best young talent from Victoria, SA and WA clashed.

Top AFL draft prospect Will Ashcroft says he is still weighing up a “big decision” on whether to nominate as a father-son for Brisbane after he produced another dominant display in a key match on Sunday.

Ashcroft logged 38 disposals, 10 clearances, 10 inside-50s and five tackles in a best-on-ground performance for Vic Metro in its AFL under 18 national championships match against South Australia at GMHBA Stadium.

He capped off his day with a lovely goal across his body from 40m in the final quarter after exploding away from a stoppage.

Wet conditions suited Ashcroft, who is hard at the ball and has a strong engine which allows him to get from contest to contest.

Ashcroft is eligible to nominate as a father-son for the Lions — where his father Marcus was a three-time premiership player — but remains unsure about whether he wants to move back to Queensland after relocating to Melbourne at the start of 2018.

“I’m still not too sure,” Ashcroft told Fox Footy.

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“It’s a big decision, so I’ll wait the time out and talk to the right people and make sure I’ve got all the information I need to make the right decision. I’m going through the process at the moment and we’ll see what happens.”

Will Ashcroft logged a game-high 38 disposals against South Australia. Picture: Getty Images

Ashcroft had logged 37 and 25 disposals in Vic Metro’s first two matches of the championships to be one of the standouts from the tournament.

South Australia captain Adam D’Aloia also continued his strong championships campaign as one of the shining lights in a 73-point loss for his side.

D’Aloia recorded 27 disposals and 11 clearances through the midfield and floated forward to kick his side’s first goal of the match.

Key forward Aaron Cadman (three goals) and midfielder Oliver Hollands (33 disposals) had big games for Vic Country in its 43-point win over Western Australia in the second match of the double-header.

Cadman – from the Greater Western Victoria Rebels – is likened to Geelong forward Jeremy Cameron, while Hollands is the brother of Gold Coast’s Elijah Hollands.

Western Australia midfielder Reuben Ginbey finished with 22 disposals and a goal in an impressive display.

NAB AFL UNDER-18 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS FINAL SCORES

Vic Metro 16.15 (111) d South Australia 5.8 (38) at GMHBA Stadium

Vic Country 12.11 (83) d Western Australia 6.4 (40) at GMHBA Stadium

Olli Hotton (centre) kicked three goals for Vic Metro. Picture: Getty Images

SUPERCOACH POINTS

VICMETRO

Will Ashcroft 159

Olli Hotton 143

Blake Drury 112

Darcy Edmends 105

Nicholas Watson 99

Cameron Mackenzie 99

Callum Verrell 96

Joshua Weddle 94

Lewis Hayes 94

Nathan Philactides 87

Benjamin Hempel 85

Harry Sheezel 68

Paul Pascu 67

Alwyn Davey 65

Nate Caddy 63

Sam Grant 63

Matthew Jefferson 61

Jovan Petric 56

Cameron Kizan 55

Charlie Clarke 43

Jakob Anderson 42

Jaelen Pavlidis 32

Hudson O’Keeffe 28

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Adam D’Aloia 143

Billy Dowling 103

Jakob Ryan 102

Nick Sadler 93

Mattaes Phillipou 88

Kobe Ryan 79

Jake Walker 78

William Patton 69

Nathan Barkla 67

Alex Holt 66

Isaac Keeler 62

Archie Lovelock 55

Kyle Marshall 45

Harvey Pedler 45

Max Blacker 43

Shaun Bennier 42

Ashton Moir 30

Charlie Duncan 30

Harrison Lemmey 28

Phoenix Foster 26

Harry Barnett 25

VIC COUNTRY

Aaron Cadman 148

Ted Clohesy 146

Olivier Northam 134

Mitch Szybkowski 129

Oliver Hollands 120

Harley Reid 115

Noah Long 103

Jhye Clark 94

Henry Hustwaite 89

Jaxon Binns 86

Oscar Murdoch 78

Coby Burgiel 64

Jacob Konstanty 64

Harvey Howe 53

Toby McMullin 52

Will Parkhouse 50

Hugh Bond 32

Finn Emile-Brennan 23

Caleb Mitchell 19

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Rohan MacNeill 111

Elijah Hewett 109

Mitchell Edwards 100

Jack Cleaver 92

Koen Sanchez 90

Koltyn Tholstrup 86

Reuben Ginbey 84

Hugh Davies 74

Jed Adams 73

Steely Green 69

Tyrell Dewar 61

Daniel Gathercole 60

Connor Carbone 57

Harry Cole 54

Jordyn Baker 53

Coen Livingstone 49

Griffith Julian 45

Chase Bourne 42

Connor McDonald 42

Corey Tregenza 37

Clay Hall 35

Mitchell Barron 33

Jasper Scaife 24

CAUGHT THE EYE

VIC METRO v SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Darcy Edmends (Vic Metro) – An outside midfielder from the Northern Knights, Edmends collected 21 disposals playing on a wing. A smooth mover with good agility, he also showed great speed and running power and used the ball well going inside-50.

Olli Hotton (Vic Metro) – A small forward who is emerging as a draft bolter, Hotton booted three goals and would have had a fourth major if not for a Matthew Jefferson boot on the goal line in the third quarter. A clever player who is quick and knows where the goals are, Hotton also showed he is a good contested mark for a player who measures just 181cm. The Sandringham Dragons product is the son of former Collingwood and Carlton forward Trent Hotton, who played 78 AFL games in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Matthew Jefferson (Vic Metro) – The Oakleigh Chargers key forward has enjoyed a stellar national championships campaign and shapes as one of the top best big men in this year’s draft pool. The 194cm forward kicked three goals including a booming set shot from 50m in the last quarter to take his tally to 12 majors from three matches for Vic Metro.

Blake Drury (Vic Metro) – A high half forward who recruiters liken to St Kilda’s Jack Higgins, the Oakleigh Chargers product has a good tank and works hard up the ground. He wins his own ball, has a penetrating kick going inside-50 and is clever around the goals. Drury recorded five inside-50s among 21 disposals for the match.

Will Ashcroft (Vic Metro) – An ultra-consistent midfielder, Ashcroft hasn’t played a bad game this year but this was one of his best. The Brisbane father-son prospect logged 38 disposals, 10 clearances and 10 inside-50s in a best-on-ground display. He works hard from contest to contest and to provide options for teammates. On a wet day, Ashcroft showed clean hands and footy smarts to keep the ball moving forward to gain territory for his side.

Nick Watson (Vic Metro) – The Eastern Ranges small forward continues to impress in his bottom-age year as he shapes as a top-five pick in 2023. Watson booted three goals from nine disposals and showed his ability to use his body cleverly to take a mark despite being just 169cm tall.

Billy Dowling (South Australia) – A 187cm midfielder from North Adelaide who shapes as one of his state’s top draft prospects this year, Dowling was South Australia’s top disposal winner on the day with 28 touches, seven marks and three clearances. He has good hands and generally makes good decisions with the ball.

Adam D’Aloia (South Australia) – The captain led from the front once again through the midfield with 27 disposals and 11 clearances. Likened to Sydney onballer Josh Kennedy, the Woodville-West Torrens product is strong in the contest and floated forward to kick South Australia’s first goal of the match.

Jakob Ryan (South Australia) – A versatile player capable of playing a range of roles, Ryan was primarily used in defence for this match and found plenty of the ball with 22 disposals and eight marks. Hailing from Glenelg, Ryan has strong athletic traits and is a good size at 189cm.

Kobe Ryan (South Australia) – Not a relation to Jakob, Ryan recorded 22 disposals playing primarily on a wing. The West Adelaide product is tough in the contest but can also find space on the outside and uses the ball well, making him one of the state’s top draft prospects this year.

Jhye Clark racked up plenty of the ball for Vic Country. Picture: Getty Images

VIC COUNTRY v WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Oliver Hollands (Vic Country) – A prolific two-way runner on the wing, Hollands also spent some time at the contest coalface and showed he could win his own ball. The brother of Gold Coast’s Elijah Hollands, the Murray Bushrangers product is classy by hand and foot and was the leading ball-winner for Vic Country with 33 disposals, four clearances and seven marks.

Aaron Cadman (Vic Country) – Likened to Geelong key forward Jeremy Cameron, the 194cm big man presented well leading up the ground and took some nice marks overhead. The left-footer’s three goals for the game all came in the first half, two from set shots and the third a snap after he cleanly gathered a loose ball.

Jhye Clark (Vic Country) – One of the top midfielders in this year’s draft pool, Clark was at the bottom of the pack on plenty of occasions throughout the day, as he often is. But he also worked hard on the outside of the contest to find plenty of the ball. The Geelong Falcons captain racked up another 24 disposals, seven clearances and eight marks to continue an eye-catching national championships campaign.

Noah Long (Vic Country) – After breaking his collarbone in the first quarter of Round 1 for the Bendigo Pioneers, Long has finally got back on the field and has got going for Vic Country in recent weeks. A clever midfielder or forward, he primarily played in the attacking arc against Western Australia and kicked 3.2 from 15 disposals and four marks.

Mitch Szybkowski (Vic Country) – A big-bodied midfielder, the Dandenong Stingrays product knows how to find the ball and is willing to put his body on the line to get his hands on it. He showed clean skills in difficult conditions and finished with 25 disposals, give clearances and five tackles.

Reuben Ginbey (Western Australia) – One of Western Australia’s top prospects this year, the 188cm midfielder was his side’s leading possession winner on the day with 22 disposals and three clearances. Ginbey has good speed and endurance.

Koen Sanchez (Western Australia) – An exciting prospect for the 2023 draft, the bottom-age midfielder collected 17 disposals and snapped a nice goal from the forward pocket in the opening quarter.

Originally published as AFL Draft: Scouting notes, stats and all the news from the under-18 national championships