Geelong Falcons’ Paddy McCartin firms as St Kilda’s top target for 2014 draft, could replace Nick Riewoldt

PADDY McCartin has firmed as St Kilda’s Nick Riewoldt replacement with the forward in the frame to land at Seaford as this year’s No. 1 draft pick.

under 18 players, Paddy McCartin, Etihad Atadium

PADDY McCartin has firmed as St Kilda’s Nick Riewoldt replacement with the power forward in the frame to land at Seaford as this year’s No. 1 draft pick.

Rival clubs believe the bottom-placed Saints — who tried to prise Tom Boyd from GWS last year — are certain to choose a goalkicker with their first selection and McCartin leads an open pack for the prized billing.

Like Riewoldt, the Geelong Falcon stands 193cm and 95kg and booted 2.3 from five marks as Vic Country fell to Western Australia at Etihad Stadium.

EXCITING PROSPECTS GET ALL-AUSTRALIAN NOD

McCartin had his set-shot routine sharpened by Matthew Lloyd and is coming to grips with the hype, but says his standing was built on hard work.

“I try to be a powerful forward, pretty explosive off the mark. I’ve got pretty good hands and I like to think I work pretty hard,” he said.

McCartin’s bottom-age carnival left scouts salivating last year as he booted five goals on Sydney Swan Aliir Aliir and also lined up on Collingwood’s Matthew Scharenberg and Geelong’s Jake Kolodjashnij.

The deep forward who models his game on Travis Cloke played his best game for the year for Geelong Grammar last week, bagging five goals.

McCartin impressed for Vic Country. Picture: Paul Loughnan

McCartin — a mad Cats fan who attended their three-straight AFL Grand Finals — said while he was unsure if he was still growing he was confident he already had the frame to play AFL.

“There’s talk about wanting to be 196cm, but I’m happy with how I’m going and my weights are going really well and I’m getting a bit bigger and stronger,” he said.

“At this level I’ve proved I can do everything I can being this height, so I don’t really know what the speculation is about being so tall.

“There’s players in the AFL that do it, (Jarryd) Roughead’s the same height and he’s a superstar.”

A recruiter said it was a tough year to get the first pick with no clear standout for the first time since Jack Watts in 2008.

“When you get drafts when talls are the better players it makes it hard,” he said.

“Last year I could have told you the top 10 at this stage and would have got most of them all right, except (Marcus) Bontempelli. This year I couldn’t tell you.”

St Kilda will have to weigh up McCartin against 196cm South Australian swingman Sam Durdin, 203cm Calder Cannons ruck-forward Peter Wright and the inconsistent but talented Hugh Goddard, the cousin of former Saint Brendon.

Goddard was the onle exclusion from that bunch in the Under-18 All-Australian side, announced yesterday.

“(Durdin) I think has the versatility for the long haul, I like him. But McCartin might start better and he’s the safer bet,” another scout said.

“He’s got a good footy brain, good on the lead, can mark in a pack and a good kid.”

McCartin has managed Type 1 diabetes since he was eight and has been given confidence he can manage the confidence from former Tiger Dale Weightman.

“I come to the bench once a quarter check my blood sugar, as well as at breaks, so about 10 times a game,” he said.

Eastern Ranges dynamo Christian Petracca showed why clubs expect him to be the first midfielder chosen, possibly in the first three picks, as he was on Thursday named the best player of the under-18 carnival won by South Australia.

Originally published as Geelong Falcons’ Paddy McCartin firms as St Kilda’s top target for 2014 draft, could replace Nick Riewoldt