A quartet of talls leads Calder Cannons’ AFL Draft hopes
The Calder Cannons has been a happy hunting ground for Essendon over the years and it could be again in 2020. Plus, the exciting young guns hoping to impress at the Vic Metro draft combine.
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Essendon will have priority access to two potential future bookends at this year’s AFL Draft.
Josh Eyre and Cody Brand are both part of the Bombers’ Next Generation Academy and are firmly on the radar ahead of December’s draft.
The pair are two of four Calder Cannons to have secured invites to draft combines, along with Campbell Edwardes and Matt Allison.
Eyre tested at the Vic Country combine last week and posted some eye-catching results.
In an incredible display of versatility, the 197cm forward came second in the 2km time trial, 20m sprint as well as the standing and running vertical leap tests.
Calder coach Ross Smith was rapt for the Kilmore junior after enduring a couple of setbacks in previous seasons.
“He’s obviously worked incredibly hard … Josh missed a couple of years of footy and missed the start of 2019 with a hand injury but he’s really blossomed since then,” Smith said.
“Particularly with Joe Daniher leaving, Josh is a similar type of player – 197cm – and he could develop into something like that.
“Josh has the capacity to play forward and back and played a bit of both last year, I think he’s got a few more strings to his bow.”
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The Cannons have been a fond hunting ground for Essendon having seen Daniher taken with pick No.10 in 2012 and Harry Jones snapped up with pick No.30 last year.
Brand, Allison and Edwardes will test at the Vic Metro combine on Sunday.
A bid for Brand is expected anywhere from the late second round to fourth round in the draft after an impressive bottom-age season.
Playing mainly at full-back on older, more developed forwards, the 195cm Sunbury junior, showcased his intercept marking skills and ability to lock down an opponent.
“He’s a ripper, Cody, he strikes me as a natural full-back but was also able to swing forward at times,” Smith said.
“It’s hard to know what they’re thinking but Cody is a great kick, rarely beaten one-on-one and played on the good forwards and I can’t remember him being beaten.
“Both those guys have been through (Essendon’s) program and I would think they’d be keen on both Cody and Josh.”
Edwardes looms as a unique talent in this year’s draft – standing 195cm but at home on a wing.
The Keilor junior was an All-Australian at under-16 level and was a part of the Vic Metro Under-18 squad as a 17-year-old.
Smith believed if a club took a chance on him on draft night they could be richly rewarded.
“I reckon Campbell’s enormously under-rated … he was in the Vic Metro squad as a 17-year-old, there were only a sprinkling of those guys, he’s got enormous talent,” Smith said.
“He played off the wing most of last year, which is unusually for a guy his size, but is just so gifted skill wise.
“The next step was for him to play inside mid, I think he’s in 195cm, which is pretty tall but most midfielders are these days.
“He plays that wing position wonderfully well, getting back to support the defence, slips forward when he can, he’s exciting to watch from the coaches box.”
Allison is another that could blossom in a professional environment.
The Strathmore junior has an elite running capacity of his size and has been working closely with Geelong premiership star and outgoing Calder talent manager Tom Lonergan.
“Matt has really come into calculations after playing half the season as a 17-year-old in 2019,” Smith said.
“He runs a 6.25 2km, so he’s got an unbelievable running capacity, and he really grew – he’s up to 195cm.
“He showed a lot in the three practice games, we played him deep forward, his capable of playing on a wing and we were going to play him across half-back this year to expand his range.
“He’s trained his guts out this year, done a power of work with Tom Lonergan through 2019 and into 2020, and with his tank and speed he’s a really interesting prospect.”