AFL Draft 2020: The X-factor players who could burst onto the scene next season
He’s already trained with Geelong and this brother of a Cats star will bring plenty of X-factor if he’s drafted. These are the high-impact players in this year’s draft pool.
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High-impact players are in demand across the competition and this year’s draft pool has a stack of prospects who can turn a game on its head.
Whether it is powerful midfield/forwards who can do it all, imposing key position players, intercepting defenders who can attack from the back half or lightning quick small forward with intense pressure, there is plenty of talent that has wowed recruiters.
Some of these players are athletic freaks who have blitzed combine testing, while others just let their football do the talking.
Port Adelaide’s trio of first round picks in 2018 – Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Xavier Duursma – typify the exhilarating impact talented youngsters can have on a list.
Check out the draft hopefuls with X-factor traits.
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NAB LEAGUE
BENDIGO PIONEERS
Seamus Mitchell’s top-end speed was on display at last week’s Vic Country combine, finishing first in the 20-metre sprint (2.88 seconds) and recording an impressive running vertical jump (91cm). Compared to new Blue Zac Williams, the forward played just three NAB League games last season but his explosive speed, agility and skills by foot make him a damaging prospect – one who could possibly feature next year. Another Pioneer with X-factor is Jack Ginnivan – a crafty small forward with great goal sense who rarely wastes his opportunities – slotting 14 majors in his last six matches for the Pioneers in 2019.
CALDER CANNONS
Forward/inside midfielder Jackson Cardillo did not receive a combine invite but was the quickest player across 20m at pre-season testing clocking 2.88 seconds – a time that would have seen him place inside the top-five at Saturday’s Vic Metro combine. Playing predominantly as a forward last season, Cardillo is a bit of an unknown quantity from a draft perspective but proved to be a barometer in stages last season for the Cannons with his burst of speed and contested ball-winning.
DANDENONG STINGRAYS
Clayton Gay showed he can change the course of a game at either end as a bottom-ager. Described as a natural footballer by Stingrays coach Nick Cox, the versatile 183cm prospect has a classy left boot, flies high for marks and reads the play well when stationed in the back half. Will Bravo, an inside midfielder who can play in a variety of positions, uses his blistering speed to break away from packs and is a nice ball user by foot. Both Gay and Bravo could come into calculations later in the piece.
EASTERN RANGES
Connor Downie, tied to Hawthorn’s Next Generation Academy, has a lethal left boot that is a serious weapon forward of centre. The running wingman/defender can launch long-range goals, hits targets with his penetrating kick and is ready to go from both a physical and professional perspective. Josh Clarke is another defensive runner with pace and dare who can break the game open. Corey Preston, a 180cm forward/mid with upside, earned a combine invite despite not featuring for the Ranges last season after his 2019 campaign was curtailed by glandular fever. The 180cm product is dynamic, a great overhead mark for his size and hits the scoreboard. Ranges talent manager Sean Toohey was bullish about what he could have produced this year after showing promise during the pre-season, believing he would have developed a glittering highlights reel.
GEELONG FALCONS
While Geelong’s Jack Henry is known as a dogged defender, his brother Oliver Henry is capable of the spectacular – especially in the air. The 187cm product is a fantastic mark overhead and was a matchwinner at both ends for the Falcons in 2019 – kicking 5.3 in just his third NAB League game and taking six intercept marks among 24 disposals later in the year. Injury and school football kept rangy midfielder Tanner Bruhn to two games for the Falcons in 2019 but he managed to wow recruiters in both. Bruhn is a high-impact player on the inside and outside who hits the scoreboard. Ruckman Henry Walsh is not as highly touted as the aforementioned pair, but was tipped to dominate the NAB League this year with his natural aggression and good skills for a big-man. The 201cm ruckman is a markedly different prospect to his brother, Blues young sensation Sam Walsh, and will take time before he is AFL ready.
GIPPSLAND POWER
Zach Reid may need time to develop physically but his traits are special for a key defender standing over 200cm. Reid is a strong interceptor who possesses an elite kick on both sides and makes great decisions with ball in hand. It means he can turn defence into attack in an instant after winning the ball off the opposition – an invaluable asset in the modern game. Wingman Ryan Angwin, who trained with Gippsland export Xavier Duursma during the AFL shutdown, improved rapidly after breaking into the Power side in the middle of last year with his running power and long kick. Will Papley, the brother of Sydney goalsneak Tom, began to showcase his X-factor in an injury interrupted season in 2019. The exciting small forward/midfielder has similar attributes to the Swans star, with plenty of tricks and impressive forward craft.
GREATER WESTERN VICTORIA REBELS
Medium defender Nick Stevens is one of the Rebels’ better draft chances, showing glimpses of X-factor from defence in his six NAB League games last season. Stevens reads the play well and can break the lines, testing strongly for speed (ranked fifth) and endurance (ranked third) at the Vic Country combine. Running machine Harry Sharp blitzed former teammate Jay Rantall’s two-kilometre time trial record with a ridiculous 5:28 at the Vic Metro combine – 22 seconds faster than the Collingwood – with his running capacity a serious weapon. Over-age player Isaac Wareham, a run-and-gun halfback/wingman with speed and good skills, is another player capable of impacting games. He has had little opportunity to show these traits to recruiters in his three NAB League seasons at the Rebels, with a serious knee injury in his draft year followed by the cancelled NAB League season in 2020.
NORTHERN KNIGHTS
Nikolas Cox’s versatility is one of his main strengths that enables him to have an impact at either end. The raw 199cm, 82kg prospect slotted four goals against Bendigo late in the season and stood tall in defence with his intercepting. His endurance is a unique attribute for a player his size, running a 6:03 two-kilometre time trial (ranked fourth) at the Vic Metro combine, giving the swingman the ability to work up and down the ground. Tough defender Ewan McPherson took out the Knights’ best-and-fairest last year as a bottom-ager in a consistent campaign. While defensive attributes often do not steal the limelight, his ferocious tackling, intercepting and one-percenters helped lift his side throughout the year.
MURRAY BUSHRANGERS
You have got to be a special player to remain in the pick one conversation despite suffering a serious knee injury like Elijah Hollands. The midfield/forward had stacks of runs on the board before he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in February, having a significant impact for Vic Country in his bottom-age year at the national championships – in arguably the toughest position on the ground as centre-half forward. The 190cm product is the modern prototype midfield-forward with kicking penetration, strong hands overhead, class in congestion and scoreboard impact among the array of weapons in his arsenal. Zavier Maher, who took out Caulfield Grammar’s best-and-fairest last year, has power and speed as an inside midfielder – coming fourth in the 20m sprint at the Vic Metro combine.
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OAKLEIGH CHARGERS
Try stopping a 196cm forward with elite speed (ranked sixth at combine for 20m), springs in his boots (fifth in vertical jump) and Velcro hands overhead. This is what Western Bulldogs NGA wunderkind Jamarra Ugle-Hagan brings to the table, and it will only be a matter of time before he is turning heads in the red, white and blue. Inside midfielder Will Phillips is a prolific ball-winner who can win a truckload of contested footy and be creative up forward. Small forward/midfielder Bailey Laurie displayed his sheer impact in the NAB League Grand Final last season with two eye-catching goals in traffic. He boasts exceptional evasive skills and speed, making him a dangerous customer in the forward arc and at the coalface. In terms of highlights per possession, Maurice Rioli Jnr may have the rest of the Chargers covered. The Richmond father-son prospect dazzled in the Northern Territory Football League last season, producing miraculous goals, baulks and rundown tackles.
SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS
Archie Perkins epitomises X-factor and is one of the most exciting talents of the 2020 draft crop. The 187cm forward/midfielder is a phenomenal athlete with a damaging mix of speed, power and spring – ranked third in the running vertical jump test at the Vic Metro combine. Up forward, Perkins is strong marking presence up who can hit the scoreboard, while through the middle he can win the ball in the clinches and use his raking right boot to drive the ball forward. His upside is off the charts given he has the scope to develop into a midfielder, where he was due to spend most of his time this season. At 175cm, Jake Bowey is a different proposition as a creative wingman/small forward with a beautiful kick who always seems to have time and space – in a similar vein to Bulldog Caleb Daniel. Don’t underestimate him because of his height, either. Bowey has flown high to haul in speckies in the past and came fourth behind Perkins in the vertical jump test.
TASMANIA DEVILS
Key forward Jackson Callow proved to be a regular goalkicker in a struggling Devils side last season, booting 24.19 – the third most in the competition – in 14 NAB League matches. Callow is a powerful presence that can clunk contested marks and cover the ground well, holding his own against senior bodies in the Tasmania State League this season. North Hobart product Sam Collins is an attacking medium defender with a good kick who can zone off and intercept, providing some eye-catching moments in the NAB League and for the U17 Australian team last year.
WESTERN JETS
He has a name that screams X-factor and Eddie Ford produced just that in the Under-17 All Stars showcase on Grand Final day last year. Ford slotted two goals and finished with 20 touches in the last game between the creme de la creme of the 2020 draft pool. The 188cm forward has goalkicking nous and is an excellent mark overhead thanks to his great leap, recording the equal-highest running vertical jump (94cm) along with Gippsland midfielder Sam Berry at the Vic Metro combine. Tough 170cm midfielder/forward Lukas Failli is another who had a say on games for the Jets last season, booting a goal per game, averaging 13 touches (59 per cent won in a contest) and five tackles.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
It is difficult for young key forwards to provide consistent impact in a senior competition, which possible number one selection Logan McDonald managed to do for Perth in the WAFL. McDonald kicked multiple goals in all but two of his nine matches, finishing second in the goalkicking and clunking contested marks (2.2 per game) against senior bodies. He has exceptional work rate for a 196cm forward, clocking 6:33 in the two-kilometre time trial at the WA combine. The intercept prowess of tall defender Denver Grainger-Barras makes him a damaging prospect, registering a whopping 15 intercept possessions and seven intercept marks (three contested) in one game alone in the WAFL for Swan Districts. He also showed his worth after being swung forward in a recent WA All Stars match – slotting two majors – and placed in the top-five for the 20m sprint, vertical jump and agility at the combine. Heath Chapman blitzed the WAFL colts competition with his intercepting, penetrating kick and speed. The key defender played received topped the charts in the two-kilometre time trial with a time of 6:20. Midfielder Jack Carroll is dynamic on the inside – winning 60 per cent of his possessions in a contest – and Fremantle NGA member Brandon Walker has plenty of flare off halfback.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Groin issues hampered Riley Thilthorpe at stages, but he produced some thrilling moments up forward and in the ruck in the SANFL for West Adelaide. He is a powerful figure already weighing in at 102kg that can take big pack marks and hit the scoreboard. Port Adelaide NGA prospect Lachlan Jones proved to be a barometer for Woodville-West Torrens’ senior team in its successful finals campaign with his intercepting, strength and speed off the mark. Brayden Cook came from the clouds this year as a major barometer for South Adelaide’s under-18 side, leading the league goalkicking with 26.27 and registering top-five results in the 20m sprint, standing vertical and running vertical at the South Australian combine. Midfield/forward Caleb Poulter not only stands out with his mullet and bright boots – he has a penetrating kick and is a goalkicker, performing strongly in the South Australia All Stars game a fortnight ago.
ALLIES
Swans Academy star Braeden Campbell displayed his explosive traits in a best-on-ground display on Grand Final day last year, winning 14 disposals and booting three goals. The 172cm midfield-forward has high-end speed (2.90 20m sprint, second overall at NSW combine), agility (8.47, fifth) and a raking long kick. Fellow Swans Academy product Errol Gulden, also a small forward/midfielder, was prolific in Sydney’s Academy series and is crafty in the forward 50. He also highlighted his strong tank by taking out the 2km time trial at their state combine. Indigenous swingman Joel Jeffrey, who is tied to Gold Coast’s Darwin zone, has a trick bag rivalled by few in the draft pool. He reads the play well in defence, has a beautiful sidestep and can slot goals from all angles.
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Originally published as AFL Draft 2020: The X-factor players who could burst onto the scene next season