The top 25 AFL draft prospects to watch in 2020 topped by the next Lance Franklin
The 2020 draft pool is filled with top-end talents already linked to clubs. With clubs able to secure father-sons, northern academy guns and next generation academy prospects at a discount, see which young stars your club could snare.
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The AFL draft is known as the source of regeneration for sides occupying the lower rungs of the ladder.
But clubs hoping to use the 2020 national draft to secure a raft of young talent face an uphill battle given this year’s draft features the most compromised talent pool yet.
Father-sons have long been an integral part of the drafting landscape and we have become used to club and Next Generation academy bids muddying the waters of the open draft.
However, of the 48 players who represented ‘Team Brown’ and ‘Team Dal Santo’ in the under-17 Grand Final curtain raiser last year, 18 are tied to AFL clubs as either possible father-sons or NGA or northern state academies.
That means linked clubs will get these players at a discount once they attract a bid on draft night.
The most high-profile of those is Western Bulldogs Next Generation academy member Jamarra Ugle-Haygen, who has been earmarked as the likely No. 1 pick.
While all under-18 competitions have been postponed until at least May 31, Champion Data’s list of the top-25 prospects heading into 2020 provides some of the names to watch later this year.
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JAMARRA UGLE-HAGAN (OAKLEIGH CHARGERS/VIC COUNTRY)
Key forward
H: 194cm W: 79kg
The Western Bulldogs have hit the jackpot with first dibs on this precocious youngster through their Next Generation academy. As a 194cm key forward, Ugle-Haygan possesses brilliant athleticism and speed. The indigenous prospect, who has been likened to Lance Franklin, booted 24 goals in 9 NAB League games last season, rating elite for goals, score involvements (6.7 per game) and marks inside 50 (3.9). Looms as the potential No. 1 pick, but would a club break tradition and place a bid on him that early?
ELIJAH HOLLANDS (MURRAY BUSHRANGERS)
General forward/midfielder
H: 188cm W: 80kg
The Murray Bushrangers product was shaping as a No. 1 pick contender until he suffered a season-ending injury on the eve of his top-age year. Hollands, whose father Ben played eight games for Richmond, played every game for Vic Country in last year’s national championships as a bottom-ager. The versatile forward/midfielder has strong hands, is an accurate kick on both sides and is clean at ground level. He showcased his well-rounded skill set at the under-18 carnival, rating elite for tackles, score involvements and pressure points and above average for disposals for his position. Hollands won’t have the opportunity to show his wares in 2020 but could still be taken early given he has already shown plenty to recruiters.
DENVER GRAINGER-BARRASS (SWAN DISTRICTS/WESTERN AUSTRALIA)
Key defender
H: 192cm
W: 77kg
Grainger-Barrass is the leading contender out of Western Australia and the defender shone as a bottom-ager at the national championships with his exceptional reading of the play. In his two games, Grainger-Barrass averaged eight intercept possessions and five intercepts marks – rating elite in both categories. The youngster even held his own in a senior WAFL game for Swan Districts before injury cut his campaign short. With intercepting such a valuable asset in the modern game, expect Grainger-Barrass’ to be highly sought after.
BRAEDEN CAMPBELL (SWANS ACADEMY/ALLIES)
Midfielder
H: 179cm
W: 71kg
While the Giants suffered one of the more emphatic losses on Grand Final day, their cross-town rival achieved a small victory when Swans academy member Braeden Campbell won the best-on-ground medal in the U17 All Stars game. The exciting prospect won 14 disposals and booted three goals, including the first of the game. Campbell is good in traffic at stoppages and can push forward and impact the scoreboard, and broke through for three NEAFL games last season. He appears destined to follow fellow Swans academy graduates Callum Mills and Isaac Heeney and become another first-round prospect from their academy.
RILEY THILTHORPE (WEST ADELAIDE/SOUTH AUSTRALIA)
Key forward
H: 201cm
W: 92kg
The athletic key forward who can play in the ruck has drawn comparisons to Collingwood star Brodie Grundy for his ball-winning ability. Thilthorpe averaged 15 disposals, six marks and a goal per game for West Adelaide in the SANFL colts, but it was his efforts at senior level that staked his claim as a top-five prospect. The athletic 201cm talent booted three goals in just his second SANFL game, kicking eight goals in six matches against men. With development still to come, recruiters will be keeping a close eye on Thilthorpe given players in his mould are rare.
LUKE EDWARDS (GLENELG/SOUTH AUSTRALIA)
Midfielder
H: 187cm
W: 77kg
The son of dual premiership player Tyson Edwards, who played 321 games for Adelaide, Luke Edwards is eligible as a father-son selection. Edwards caught the eye for South Australia as a bottom ager, tallying 18 disposals, 12 uncontested possessions and 86 ranking points per game – rating above average in his position for these statistical indicators. He also played three SANFL reserves games for Glenelg. However, Edwards is yet to make a commitment to the Crows and is set to test the open market.
ALEX DAVIES (GOLD COAST ACADEMY/CAIRNS/QUEENSLAND)
H: 190cm
W: 80kg
Midfielder
Alex Davies might just be Gold Coast’s biggest win from their draft concessions, able to automatically list the Suns academy talent before the draft – as they did with fellow academy prospect Connor Budarick. The tall midfielder was a presence in the coalface in his four NAB League games, showing his knack of winning the ball at stoppages and using it cleanly. Davies gave up a promising junior basketball career to focus on footy and has already played seven senior NEAFL games, with more than half of his disposals won in a contest in that competition.
WILL PHILLIPS (OAKLEIGH CHARGERS/VIC METRO)
Midfielder
H: 180cm
W: 76kg
The Oakleigh Chargers’ ball-winner is one of the better midfielders in this draft class, where big men are likely to fill the top spots. Phillips knows how to find the footy, racking up 22 touches, four clearances and 103 ranking points per game in the NAB League. One of his strongest performances came on Grand Final day, finishing with 21 disposals, a goal and a mammoth 14 tackles – proving his hard-edge approach. The prolific midfielder should go to another level in his top-age year.
ARCHIE PERKINS (SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS/VIC METRO)
Forward/midfielder
H: 185cm
W: 87kg
The Sandringham Dragons prospect brings X-Factor as a forward who can move through the midfield. Perkins makes things happen forward of centre, rating above average for goals and score involvements per game in the NAB League last season. He should get greater midfield minutes in 2020 where he can use his strong body.
KAINE BALDWIN (GLENELG/SA)
Key forward
H: 192cm
W: 89kg
The South Australian played only one SANFL Reserves match last year before a knee reconstruction wiped out the remainder of his year. However, he is still rated as a top draft prospect and has been since he shone in the under-16 national championships in 2016 when he averaged 15 disposals, 6.7 marks and kicked six goals across three games. Likened to Richmond’s Tom Lynch, Baldwin is an elite runner with strong hands and also boasts leadership skills.
ZAC DUMESNY (SOUTH ADELAIDE/SA)
Forward/Defender
H: 186cm
W: 78kg
A medium-sized running half-forward or halfback, Dumesny is good in the air and has elite kicking skills. He played three games for South Australia in the under-16 national championships in 2018 but really flourished last year, averaging 122 ranking points, 20.3 disposals, and 6.7 intercept possessions.
SAM BERRY (GIPPSLAND POWER/VIC COUNTRY)
Midfielder
H: 180cm
W: 82kg
As a 17-year-old last year, Berry could not have been much more impressive for Gippsland. He reads the ball well from a ruck situation, wins the hard ball and has clean hands at ground-level. Berry’s kicking is not his strength, but he rated elite for tackles (6.5 a game) and above average for both contested possessions (9.8 a game) and clearances (4.4 a game) last season.
TANNER BRUHN (GEELONG FALCONS/VIC COUNTRY)
Midfielder
H: 182cm
W: 73kg
The delayed start to the NAB League season does not hurt Bruhn, who had minor arthroscopic knee surgery in late February and was set to miss the start of the season regardless. The injury was a setback after Bruhn had been restricted to just two games last year due to knee surgery, but the contested-ball beast had impressed in those matches and had enjoyed a strong summer which included a week training with Geelong’s AFL team.
JACKSON CALLOW (NORTH LAUNCESTON/ALLIES)
Key forward
H: 193cm
W: 94kg
A mobile and agile key forward, Callow is quick on his feet and strong above his head. He proved to be one of the best bottom-age key forwards in the NAB League last season, kicking 24 goals from 14 games while also ranking elite for disposals (13.5 a game), contested marks (2.7 a game) and forward-50 marks (3.1 a game).
SAM COLLINS (NORTH HOBART/ALLIES)
Key defender
H: 187cm
W: 79kg
Has been likened to Geelong’s Tom Stewart given his ability to read the ball well and, more importantly, intercept it. He is reliable one-on-one and will drop off where needed to help a teammate. Collins played 13 NAB League games last season and ranked elite for disposals (17.4 a game), marks (5.4 a game) and intercept marks (2.1 a game).
OLIVER DAVIS (TASMANIA DEVILS/ALLIES)
Midfielder
H: 181cm
W: 75kg
A midfield bull, Davis was among the best-performing bottom-age players in the country last year. He played 13 games for Tasmania, for whom he was a co-captain, and was a runaway winner of the NAB League side’s best-and-fairest award. Strong and agile in the contest, the onballer rated elite last season for total ranking points (130 a game), clearances (5.5 a game) and tackles (7.8 a game).
COREY DURDIN (CENTRAL DISTRICTS/SA)
Forward
H: 172cm
W: 71kg
Durdin is on the smaller side but makes up for what he lacks in height with elite skills, clean hands and an excellent ability to win contests at ground level. He won the Kevin Sheehan Medal as the best player at the 2018 under-16 national championships and has shown an ability to play both through the midfield and onball. Durdin kicked four goals from three games at the under-18 national championships last year as a bottom-age player.
LACHLAN JONES (WOODVILLE-WEST TORRENS/SA)
Defender/midfielder
H: 184cm
W: 85kg
A rebounding defender with a penetrating kick, Jones is hard-at-it and possesses plenty of speed. In the SANFL under-18s last year he was the second-ranked defender in the league, rating elite for disposals (19.7 a game), intercept possessions (8.8 a game), contested possessions (10.2 a game) and spoils (3.5 a game).
JACK GINNIVAN (BENDIGO PIONEERS/VIC COUNTRY)
Midfielder/forward
H: 180cm
W: 73kg
A clever onballer or forward, Ginnivan has been named a vice-captain of the Pioneers this year. Dangerous around goal, he booted 19 majors from 12 NAB League games as a bottom-age player last year while also being rated above average for kicking efficiency (62.8 per cent) and score involvements (4.9 a game).
ERROL GULDEN (SYDNEY SWANS ACADEMY/ALLIES)
Midfielder/forward
H: 173cm
W: 72kg
A high-impact small forward or midfielder, Gulden has been a member of the Sydney Swans Academy since he first trialled in under-11s. During the under-16 national championships in 2018 he was best afield against Northern Territory, logging 38 disposals and five goals in a match that put him on the map. Gulden also impressed playing a variety of NAB League, under-18 national championships and NEAFL football least year.
LOGAN MCDONALD (PERTH/WA)
Forward
H: 193cm
W: 79kg
A member of the Australian under-17 side last year, McDonald shapes as an exciting key-forward prospect. While still lacking some physical size, he is mobile, a great mark above his head, has good goal sense and rated as above-average for ranking points (75 a game), score involvements (five a game) and goals (one a game) at the under-18 national championships last year.
REEF MCINNES (OAKLEIGH CHARGERS/VIC METRO)
Midfielder
H: 190cm
W: 83kg
A member of Collingwood’s next-generation academy, the tall onballer is a contested ball-winner, has clean hands, knows how to win a clearance and can break the lines. He played 12 games for the Oakleigh in the NAB League last season, ranking above average for kicking efficiency (63.3 per cent) and goals per game (0.5 a game) and average for ranking points (84 a game) as a bottom-age player.
NATHAN O’DRISCOLL (PERTH/WA)
Midfielder
H: 182cm
W: 78kg
A consistently eye-catching performer as a bottom-age player in the WAFL Colts last year, O’Driscoll is a hard-nut who knows how to find the football and loves to pressure and tackle. Playing for Perth in the Colts he averaged 26 disposals and 143 ranking points from eight games while he also impressed at the under-18 national championships, ranking above average for contested possessions (eight a game), pressure points (58 a game) and tackles (6.7 a game).
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JOEL JEFFREY (WANDERERS/NT)
Key defender
H: 189cm
W: 75kg
A developing backman, the Gold Coast Suns Academy member made his NTFL debut for Wanderers at just age 16 in the 2018/19 season and continued his improvement last year. He reads the play well, makes good decisions and averaged three marks, 2.7 intercept marks and 5.7 intercept possessions from three matches at the under-18 national championships last year.
ZANE TREW (SWAN DISTRICTS/WA)
Midfielder
H: 184cm
W: 73kg
The onballer does his best work at stoppages with his clearances and tackling and rarely wastes a disposal with ball in hand. In the WAFL Colts last year, Trew rated elite for ranking points (133 a game), disposals (30 a game), contested possessions (14.7 a game), clearances (5.7 a game) and tackles (7.3 a game).
Originally published as The top 25 AFL draft prospects to watch in 2020 topped by the next Lance Franklin