AFL draft: Dandenong Stingrays put up a strong hand for the AFL draft

While Hayden Young, Sam De Koning, Cody Weightman, Ned Cahill and Biggie Nyuon are tipped to feature in the national draft, the club believes Blake Kuipers and Lachie Williams are worthy candidates too.

Blake Kuipers is as raw as anything you’d find wrapped in butcher’s paper.

But Dandenong Stingrays talent manager Darren Flanigan says he’s also “extremely talented’’ and well worth taking in the AFL rookie draft on Friday.

Kuipers was a star volleyballer before switching his sporting focus to football this year.

He played 12 games for the Stingrays and was called up to make one appearance for Vic Country at the national Under 18 championships.

“I hope someone has a go at him, because that I reckon that if he continues to improve the way he did in the back half of this year, he could well go in the mid-season draft next year,’’ Flanigan said of the Rosebud 19-year-old.

“If a club is half-smart, it could pick him as a rookie and continue that development and maybe get a cheapie. You’d have to play the long game with him.’’

Kuipers trained with the Stingrays last Friday and Flanigan said he was “lean-fit’’.

“He’s raw but extremely talented. He’s 196cm, he’s got an enormous leap, he’s got great closing speed as a defender,’’ he said.

Blake Kuipers is a draft prospect but also a gun volleyballer.

“He’s played 10 games of high-level, competitive footy. That’s it. Put him in a good VFL system and put him in a gym for two years and teach him how to play and I think you’d get a good result.’’

There is speculation Geelong is keen on Kuipers

The Stingrays are also holding up Lachlan Williams as a rookie contender.

Williams was one of the club’s Vic Country representatives this year.

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“He’s a beautiful kick, he’s a good mark for his size, he tested well as far as power went, he can play back, he can play mid,’’ Flanigan said.

“If you look at the clubs that really rate kicking and possession, they’re the ones with an interest in him.’’

The Stingrays are expected to have a strong hand in the national draft through their captain and top-10 fancy Hayden Young, Sam De Koning, Cody Weightman, Ned Cahill and Biggie Nyuon.

Cody Weightman at Marvel Stadium on Monday.

St Kilda has nominated the tall and athletic Nyuon as a Next Generation Academy player.

Flanigan said Weightman had been the club’s 2019 surprise package.

“I think he exceeded even his own expectations,’’ he said.

“To be touted top 20 … at the start of the year he was just going because of various injuries. He’s been a real success story. He’s a really good one-on-one player deep forward. He’s strong overhead. He’s got power. He’s got a motor – he won our yo-yo (run) at the start of the year. He’s a really good finisher. He only needs half-a-dozen opportunities and he’ll kick three or four goals.’’

Flanigan said there was a lot of interest in the crafty Cahill.

“We rate him very highly. We don’t think there’s much difference between him and Cody,’’ he said.

“Cody is obviously a little bit dynamic as a deep forward. But Ned has the ability to go up the ground and his 2km (time trial) was super.

“I like Ned as a player. He’s got quite a few strings to his bow. He can go up the ground, he can go through stoppages, he creates turnover, he’s a goal-assist player as much as a goalkicker.’’