EFL 2019: Frank Anderson invited to test for AFL mid-season draft medical

Northern Blues midfielder Frank Anderson could be on an AFL list at the end of the month after receiving an invite to undergo a medical test ahead of the mid-season draft.

Frank Anderson in action during last year’s EFL finals series. Picture: James Ross/AAP

Four games in and four mentions in the best players.

It’s easy to see why Frank Anderson has been touted as an AFL mid-season draft chance.

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Anderson, 21, has been in sparkling form for Northern Blues this year in his first season in the VFL.

He established himself as a young star of Eastern league club South Croydon, helping lift the Bulldogs to the 2017 Division 1 premiership.

Frank Anderson was a star at South Croydon. Picture: Valeriu Campan

The strong-bodied midfielder was named in the EFL Team of the Year last year, and his form in the state league has kept him on the radar of AFL recruiters.

He attended the state combine last year and is one of 22 players invited to attend an AFL-run medical screening ahead of the mid-season draft on May 27.

Anderson could be one of four EFL products to land on an AFL list by the end of the month.

Coburg pair Sam Lowson (East Ringwood) and Lochlan Dickson (Norwood) have also been invited to the screening.

South Adelaide ruckman Michael Knoll has also been linked with Essendon.

Knoll played at Vermont last year, including six games in the reserves.

Northern Blues coach Josh Fraser said Anderson had been quick to make an impression at the club.

“His professionalism and determination to get the most out of himself was the thing that probably struck me straight away,” Fraser said.

“Having not seen a lot of his local form, it was really going off his character and the way he applied himself to get his body right.

“When you observe that, we knew pretty quickly we were going to have a serious player on our hands. He certainly hasn’t disappointed us.”

Anderson didn’t play in the TAC Cup football, spending two years on the sidelines due to a genetic hip condition.

He had a stint in Casey Demons’ VFL development team in 2016 but returned to South Croydon under then coach Leigh Adams.

Northern Blues coach Josh Fraser. Picture: David Smith

“I couldn’t run after consecutive days, I’d get too sore, I couldn’t sit down for more than 30 minutes at a time without getting too sore,” Anderson said last year.

“It hugely impacted how I was playing sport so I just threw it away, concentrated on my studies.

“We finally got it (surgery) done during my Year 12 year at the end of the year (2015), got it all fixed so it has just started recovering.

“Now it’s all back together and finally, finally playing how I used to back in the juniors.”

Fraser said Anderson had the attributes to play at the next level.

“He’s really well balanced, he’s hard at the contest, he’s got an ability to find space and we’ve actually given him a couple of run-with roles that he’s done exceptionally well,” he said.

“Frank is one of a number of guys who would be attractive to an AFL club. It’s position and role specific, depending on what that club wants.

“There would definitely be a club out there that would need someone of his skill set.”

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