AFL Draft 2022: All the latest news on the top South Australian prospects
From Mattaes Phillipou to Harry Lemmey and Frank Szekely, here is the latest intel on which AFL clubs are keen on South Australia’s top draft talent.
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Top-10 pick contender Mattaes Phillipou may be taking all the spotlight but a number of other South Australians look set to find an AFL home in next week’s draft.
West Adelaide big man Harry Barnett is the best ruckman available in this year’s pool, while Glenelg defender Jakob Ryan could be the late riser into the first round.
Here’s the latest intel on which clubs are interested in the SANFL’s top prospects.
Harry Barnett
West Adelaide, ruck
GWS (15, 18, 19), Collingwood, Sydney or West Coast look likeliest to add the draft’s best under-18 ruckman late in the first round or early in the second.
Shaun Bennier
North Adelaide, defender
Brisbane and the Bulldogs have shown some interest.
Adam D’Aloia
Woodville-West Torrens, midfielder
Expected to get taken somewhere around pick 40 to 50. The Western Bulldogs (39), Hawthorn (41, 48, 50), Essendon (54) and Fremantle (43, 44) all have picks in that range and are understood to be in the mix.
Billy Dowling
North Adelaide, midfielder
Shaping as a late to rookie chance.
Tom Emmett
Sturt, forward
Fremantle is said to be keen on the Double Blues’ mature-ager.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROFILES ON SA’S TOP DRAFT PROSPECTS
Phoenix Foster
Norwood, forward/ruck
Hawthorn, which holds picks 41, 48, 50, 52 and 63 late in the draft, looks most likely. Port Adelaide and Geelong also have interest. Collingwood may consider him as a rookie.
Harry Lemmey
West Adelaide, forward/defender
Tipped to be taken around the 25 to 35 mark. Collingwood (25, 27), Carlton (29), Fremantle (30), Port Adelaide (33) and West Coast (26) are among those said to have some interest.
Archie Lovelock
Glenelg, midfielder
Has had recent chats with Geelong and St Kilda.
Baynen Lowe
Norwood, small forward
Fremantle is believed to have shown interest in the Redlegs premiership player.
Max Michalanney
Norwood, defender
Sydney, the Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne, Collingwood and West Coast are looming as the likeliest clubs to bid on the Crows father-son prospect. There is a decent chance it now happens on the first night. The Swans have 14 and 17, Bulldogs have 11 and 21, Kangaroos have 23, Magpies have 16 and 25, and Eagles have 12, 20 and 26.
Rhett Montgomerie
Central District, defender
Montgomerie is ready to go and is believed to have caught the eye of the Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and Essendon.
Mattaes Phillipou
Woodville-West Torrens, midfielder
Essendon is favoured to snare the big-bodied on-baller with pick 4 but Hawthorn at six, West Coast at eight or St Kilda at nine are also believed to be a chance.
Jakob Ryan
Glenelg, defender
Red-hot mail has Collingwood snaring the peroxide blond backman with a mullet at 16. West Coast could take him if he was available at 20. Adelaide is believed to have shown interest but will need to trade a future selection to be a chance to nab him.
Frank Szekely
North Adelaide, small forward/wingman
The three most interested clubs are understood to be Port Adelaide, Fremantle and Geelong.
Will Verrall
South Adelaide, ruck
Melbourne, Geelong, Collingwood and Port Adelaide are believed to be interested in him as a potential rookie option.
Scott, Dons fly in on SA draft gun’s Hawks visit
South Australia’s top draft prospect Mattaes Phillipou says Essendon is a great fit for him because he is made to play for a big Melbourne club in front of huge crowds.
Phillipou has described his draft range as between pick 5 – held by the Bombers – and 15, he oozes confidence and wants to be taken as high as possible.
The 190cm Woodville-West Torrens midfielder has met with new Bombers coach Brad Scott and this week has also caught up with Hawthorn, which holds No.7.
In a sign of Essendon’s interest, it was understood the club rescheduled his flight from Melbourne to Adelaide so he could meet coach Brad Scott on Monday
Phillipou was set to return to SA after meeting with Hawthorn’s Sam Mitchell, only for the Bombers to get him to delay flying home so he could catch up with them at the Hangar.
While many hopefuls talk down their prospects or stick to cliches, Phillipou is forthright.
And he is embracing the spotlight ahead of Monday night’s national draft, knowing attention will follow him as he strives to become a star.
“I’m really excited and I’ve said to some of the clubs before ‘I’m made for Melbourne if it is Melbourne’,” said Phillipou, 17, who compared himself to a mix of Nat Fyfe and Marcus Bontempelli.
“West Coast has got a lot of fans and it’s a very big football state.
“I’ve always wanted to be in the spotlight, play in front of big crowds, be in all the big games, and Melbourne teams get that.
“It’d be awesome playing at the ‘G every two weeks or Etihad.
“It’d be awesome if I was to be drafted by Essendon.
“Brad was excellent, I really enjoyed his philosophy and I think Essendon will do great things whether I end up there or not.”
Phillipou was unsure where he would land, saying the Bombers had not specified their draft plans.
Essendon has been heavily linked with Oakleigh Chargers’ powerful midfielder Elijah Tsatas.
“From my end I try not to think about it too much,” Phillipou said.
“Coming into the month I think I was in the unknown, now I think I’ve got more of a grasp of my range, but a lot can still change.
“Some clubs are more interested than others in that five to 15 range, hence the potential of that sliding factor.
“I know there’s a lot of opinions of where that might be but I can’t confirm or deny that because a lot of the clubs I’ve spoken to are quite in the shadows about what’s going to play out.”
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Athletic and capable of lining up as a forward, Phillipou played four national under-18 games for SA this year, averaging 16.5 possessions, 4.8 inside 50s, 2.3 clearances and one goal.
The Henley High student averaged 28 disposals and 1.5 majors from eight junior games for Woodville-West Torrens this year, as well as 14 touches in three reserves matches.
He is a third-generation Eagles footballer.
His dad, Sam, played three games for Footscray in 1995, as well as kicking 250 goals from 150 SANFL matches for Woodville-West Torrens and Port Adelaide from 1992-2005.
Grandfather Peter Phillipou lined up in 272 SANFL clashes for West Torrens from 1967-84, captaining the club in 1982-83
“Dad’s always supported me … and been awesome,” he said.
“(Grandad has said) enjoy it, learn a lot and better yourself from the experience.
“I know he’s enjoying the process, it’s bringing him a bit of recognition and I know he enjoys that.”
Originally published as AFL Draft 2022: All the latest news on the top South Australian prospects
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