Oakleigh Chargers confident premiership stars will win spots on AFL lists at national draft
OAKLEIGH Chargers expect to bolster their outstanding record at the AFL national draft tomorrow night.
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OAKLEIGH Chargers expect to bolster their outstanding record at the AFL national draft tomorrow night.
The back-to-back TAC Cup premiers, who have produced 39 draftees in the past five years including eight in 2014, are hopeful up to seven of its players will have their names read out at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
Chargers coach Mick Stinear said Alex Morgan, David Cunningham, Ben Crocker, potential Carlton father-son selection Jack Silvagni, Dan Houston, Tom Phillips and Jack Ferns were among premiership players in contention while Kade Answerth and Lachlan Walker could be taken in Friday’s rookie draft.
“Six would be a good result in the national draft and then one or two in the rookie draft then. Seven or eight would be a good result all up,’’ Stinear said.
“I don’t see us coming into play, in terms of numbers, until mid twenties that’s where Morgan or Cunningham will be around.
“It’s going to be a really interesting draft. I think the first seven or eight won’t move to much but after that it just comes down to club preference and who they like the most and it will vary a lot between club to club.’’
Oakleigh Chargers premiership coach Mick Stinear casts his eye over his top draft hopefuls.
Alex Morgan “Having not played in the TAC Cup last year as a top age player, every game he played this year he got better and better. Alex has got a lot of composure and a really good skill set to complement that and a very mature head on his shoulders which will equip him to become a great AFL player. Similar to Jack Sinclair in terms of speed, he can chase someone down out of nowhere or he can accelerate and explode away.”
David Cunningham “His best asset is the way he covers the ground, he breaks lines and has good speed and acceleration as well. Very strong through the hips and able to find time and space. He still needs to master his skills and once he does that he will be a seriously dangerous player.”
Ben Crocker “He’s a confident young man and his confidence will allow him to blossom in an AFL environment because he won’t be intimidated, he’ll be up for the challenge. He’s strong and aggressive, loves the contested side of the game and loves the game when it gets tough. Similar to Jordy De Goey, when the chips are down and you need someone to get going he’ll be in the thick of it.”
Jack Silvagni “He’s probably one of the smartest footballers I’ve come across, really good footy brain and understands the game really well. He’s very good with his hands, very clever by foot. With his footy smarts, awareness and positioning he’s well ahead of a lot of others at that age level. He’s only had one year at TAC Cup level and a few championship games but he’s going to develop very quickly and will still need a couple of years to master his craft. I see him being dangerous at both ends of the ground, it’ll be his speed that will be the factor that determines how successful he is.”
Dan Houston “What he’s shown us is that he’s a genuine half forward with elite endurance, he probably could’ve done with more opportunity to play in the midfield but he does present to a club with great lead and mark qualities, elite kicking and endurance. He also has positional versatility. Again, he’s got leadership and great knowledge of the game. I see him as a Ryan O’Keefe type in terms of that half forward role.”
Tom Phillips “Tom got himself a 19-year old player opportunity on the back of his elite endurance and running capability. He’s really process driven and diligent, he started the year with an agenda, played in the championships, represented Port Melbourne and played really well through out the finals. He’s shown he can play at all areas of the ground and with his contested game he’s grabbed the competition by the scruff of the neck with high 30s possession games and kicking two or three goals. Tom deserves an opportunity to progress, has elite training standards and would have no trouble in the AFL environment.”
Jack Ferns “Jack is the toughest competitor on the list and that’s why the clubs obviously expect an interest in him. There’s not a great deal of key defenders in the draft so he’s someone who’s stood out playing on Josh Schache and Harry McKay, who are both in the top 15 draftables, and he had great success on both those two players. He’s got strong endurance but scope to make that elite. He showed great resilience after breaking his hand three minutes into the prelim, got through the game then went on to play in a grand final under duress. And he was one of our key players in the last quarter of the grand final, Eastern couldn’t get past half way because of him.”
Originally published as Oakleigh Chargers confident premiership stars will win spots on AFL lists at national draft
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