Woodville-West Torrens teen Malcolm Karpany destined for a shot at AFL level
EAGLES half-forward Malcolm Karpany looked a class above his opponents in last month's U18s grand final win.
AS MALCOLM Karpany danced around opponent after opponent during Woodville-West Torrens' SANFL grand final win last month, it entrenched in the minds of many his first round AFL National Draft selection credentials.
Awarded the Alan Stewart Medal for best-on-ground, Karpany finished the match with 29 touches, nine marks, seven inside-50s and two goals.
Put simply, he had too much class for his North Adelaide opponents, and put even more simply, Karpany is destined to play AFL football.
A penetrating left-footer, the Yorke Peninsula born half-forward, come wingman, is one of the most evasive in this year's draft pool.
"I think he's talented enough that he will definitely get snapped up somewhere,'' SA under-18 coach Brenton Phillips said of the 18-year-old
"He reads the ball so well and he's got a nice leg, so there's a lot to like for an AFL club."
Karpany grew up in Moonta and quickly established himself as one of the best, and hardest to tackle, young talents on the Yorke Peninsula.
"Growing up in the country there was plenty of space,'' he recalls.
"Speed was probably my biggest strength, and agility, so I would try to run with the ball.
"I think I've tried to take that style of play down to the city."
He moved to Adelaide three years ago after being offered a scholarship at Rostrevor College and, after a challenging first year, began to flourish.
"It was pretty tough leaving family and moving in with a whole house of boys in the boarding house,'' Karpany says.
"That first year was hard but after that I adjusted and began to love it."
The indigenous speedster made his league debut at the Eagles at age 17 earlier this year and went on to have a solid national under-18 carnival.
Karpany averaged a goal per match in his four appearances in SA's championship winning team and also showed some flashes of brilliance that evoked images of some of his idols.
"I've always loved Adam Goodes,'' he says.
"But also Chad Wingard, Chris Yarran, Louis Jetta, all of those guys are pretty exciting …
"For me it would be a dream to play in the AFL.
"It already seems like a bit of dream talking to (AFL) clubs and having a manager and things like that."
MALCOLM KARPANY
Height: 176cm
Weight: 72kg
Club: Woodville-West Torrens
Scouting report: Fast, evasive skillful, smart. Karpany ticks all the boxes and should find and AFL home at November 21's AFL National Draft.
Draft Tip: 20-40
###