AFL Draft 2021: Murray Bushrangers have high hopes for Cam McLeod

Three talls and a forward unlucky not be selected in the mid-season draft are the Murray Bushrangers’ best draft hopes outside of the gun first rounders.

Cam McLeod is rated as a strong chance of being selected. Photo: Stephen Hicks.

If the Murray Bushrangers can deliver more talented players to the doors of AFL clubs it will be another successful year according to coach Mark Brown.

The Bushrangers have already had three players make the move to the top level in 2021 after Sam Durham (Essendon), Patrick Parnell (Adelaide) and Daniel Turner (Melbourne) were selected in the mid-season draft.

Two players in Josh Rachele and Tom Brown, son of former Cat Paul, are both expected to be taken in the first round.

But Brown insists clubs shouldn’t be forgetting about Cam McLeod who had been on the fringe at the time of the mid-season draft.

Unfortunately for the 19-year-old, lockdowns on both sides of the NSW-Victoria border limited his ability to play in the back half of the year.

“He’s first half of the season was absolutely outstanding,” Brown said.

“Unfortunately he had no continuity after that which really hurt his ability to push his case even further. But everyone associated with the Bushrangers program know just how talented he is.

Cam McLeod performed strongly as a high half forward. Photo: Stephen Hicks.

“As a high half-forward, Cam links the ground as well as anyone. He played a really vital role for us in the limited opportunity our players had.”

Brown said a trio of talls in Fletcher Hart (Albury), Ryan Eyers (Corowa-Rutherglen) and Toby Murray (Wangaratta Rovers) could also entice some clubs across the AFL.

“As 18-year-olds those three guys gave us a really good glimpse of what they are able to produce when given the chance,” he said.

“If it wasn’t for Covid, they would have all played a lot as 17-year-olds in 2020 but they went away and put the work in themselves.

“The beauty of the changes to the NAB League rules is that they can come back next year and try again if the opportunity doesn’t arise next week.”

Josh Rachele is tipped to be selected inside the top 10. Photo: Michael Klein.

Other Bushrangers to put their names forward for selection include Benjamin Bath, Tom Bracher, Declan Bren, Charlie Byrne, Kade Chalcraft, Hunter Gottschling, Jake Hodgkin, Tyler Norton, Jett Smith, Rhys Venturoni and Ethan Warburton.

“Josh (Rachele) and Tom (Brown) look like they will be selected so if we can snag another one or two late it will be a great year for us,” Brown said.

[e-mail]