Potential first-round pick, father-son prospect among Northern Knights’ draft hopes
The Vic Metro combine will see 30 of the best young footballers in Melbourne showcase their athletic ability in front of AFL recruiters with the Northern Knights getting four players invited.
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A potential first-round pick and Western Bulldogs father-son prospect headline Northern Knights draft hopes.
The NAB League club had four players – Nik Cox, Ewan Macpherson, Liam Kolar and Liam McMahon – invited to the Vic Metro combine on Saturday and potentially more on AFL clubs’ radars.
Cox has been forecast as a top pick with an unique combination of height, athleticism and skill, while Macpherson is eligible to be picked up by the Bulldogs as the son of 188-gamer Stephen, having impressed across half-back in 2019.
Developing talls Kolar and McMahon are also firmly on the draft radar with both possessing impressive athletic traits at 195cm.
Just 30 players have been invited to the combine and outgoing Northern Knights coach Justin Wenke said it was a credit to the players after a difficult year.
Cox, who stands 199cm and ran an elite 6.05 in a pre-season 2km time trial, averaged 12.5 disposals and five marks for the Knights last season, made two appearances for Vic Metro in the National Championships and featured in the Under-17 Future Stars match.
He was set to play centre half-back this season to showcase his intercept marking but can also move forward and spent time on the wing as a bottom-ager.
“Coxy, I was just saying to his parents the other day, he was primed to really take the competition apart this year,” Wenke said.
“At that size, to be able to run as well as he does and kick the ball, he’ll be creating some interest very early on because there’s not many like him.
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“If you look at how important (Mark) Blicavs is to Geelong now, he can go into the ruck, play on a wing or go down back.
“When Nik fills out and grows into his body, he’s got the running capacity and makes really good decisions, he’s a very likely type.”
Macpherson captained Vic Metro at the Under-16 National Championships and has trained with the Bulldogs.
In 15 NAB League games last season he averaged 15 disposals, four marks and four tackles a game with Wenke rating him one of the most committed players he’s seen.
“He’s a boy we challenged on his running and he came back and smashed his 2km, knocked something like 40 seconds off in our first time trial, so he got himself in real good shape,” Wenke said.
“He played back last year as a bottom-ager and he was one of the most determined players in the whole competition.
“He’s able to play on someone and has a unique ability to catch the ball for his size, he’s super competitive a bit like his old man.
“One thing that sets Ewan apart is he’s super driven, he wants to be an AFL player.”
Kolar was a late addition to the Knights squad last season after starting the season with St Mary’s in the Yarra Junior Football League.
Despite playing just three NAB League games his athletic traits have caught the attention of AFL recruiters and earned him a combine invite.
“Liam Kolar is an elite runner … I think he ran the 2km at about 6.08,” Wenke said.
“He’s a bit of an unknown because the season never got away but in the practice match against Oakleigh he was in the best three or four players on the ground that day.
“Speaking to him, he’s had a number of clubs speak to him, so it was a shame the season didn’t get away because the more he played at the level the better he would have got.”
Fellow tall forward McMahon is seen as a more traditional forward who has a quick first step and attacks the ball in the air.
He took the Murray Bushrangers apart last season with 11 disposals, seven marks and three goals and still has plenty of development in him.
“Liam’s got some elite forward craft, he launches at the ball in the air and is a beautiful kick for goal,” Wenke said.
“He got a lot of exposure as a bottom-ager last year … after that experience he asked where he needed to get better and realised he probably needed to get moving and probably run a bit better.
“As soon as he was invited to the Vic Metro program it gave him some real confidence to take his game to the next level.
“Even as a bottom-ager there were a couple of games he took apart, kicked a good number of goals, so he was probably another one that needed the season to show that improvement from bottom-ager to top-ager.”