AFL Draft Combine: Full results, who caught recruiters’ eye
Who enhanced their draft prospects at this year’s combine? See who made the top 10 in the 2km time-trial, vertical jump, agility test and more.
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A pair of athletic wingman, an emerging utility, a mobile ruckman and a gut-running key forward all enhanced their credentials at the AFL draft combine over the weekend.
While many of the top-10 prospects for next month’s national draft were sidelined through injury, a host of lesser names put their strong athletic abilities on show in front of a raft of AFL recruiters.
Sandringham Dragons wingman Tarkyn O’Leary was first across the line in the 2km time trial on Friday, clocking a time of 5min 48sec.
It was the second-fastest 2km time trial ever recorded at the combine, with the record having been set by Harry Sharp in 2020 with a time of 5min 28sec.
Murray Bushrangers wingman Darcy Wilson – a first-round draft prospect – finished just behind O’Leary in a time of 5min 52sec.
Gold Coast Suns Academy ruckman Ethan Read (5min 56sec) and Calder Cannons key forward Jordan Croft (6min 5sec) – who both measure 200cm tall – rounded out the top-four in impressive displays.
Croft, who is a father-son prospect for the Western Bulldogs this year, had been hoping for a time of under 6min 30sec and clearly passed that mark.
While he finished runner-up in the time trial, Wilson had a win in the running vertical jump test on Sunday with a leap of 98cm, as well as finishing sixth in the standing vertical jump with a result of 76cm.
However, it was a West Australian draft bolter who caught the most attention during Sunday’s sprint, agility and jump testing.
Claremont utility Zane Zakostelsky – who stands 196cm tall – finished sixth in the 20m sprint, fifth in the agility test, first in the standing vertical jump and equal-fifth in the running vertical jump.
The combine results came after Zakostelsky won the best-on-ground medal in Claremont’s WAFL Colts grand final triumph last month.
Zakostelsky was a late call-up for Western Australia’s under-18 national championships side, playing the last two games for his state as a key defender.
But he featured as a ruckman in Claremont’s finals campaign and logged 22 disposals, 18 hitouts and six clearances in the grand final to virtually be another midfielder.
Fellow West Australian Aiden O’Driscoll – the younger brother of Fremantle’s Nathan – also caught the eye on Sunday as he finished first in the 20m sprint as well as top-10 in the agility, standing vertical jump and running vertical jump tests.
Top prospects Harley Reid (knee), Daniel Curtin (hamstring), Colby McKercher (foot), Nick Watson (ankle) and Jake Rogers (back) were among those to sit out testing at the combine.
Meanwhile, Melbourne father-son prospect Kynan Brown finished third in the 2km time-trial at the Victorian state combine.
Brown, the son of former Demons defender Nathan, had a strong finish to the year for the Oakleigh Chargers.
Speedy Dandenong Stingrays and Vic Country defender Billy Wilson showed off his impressive athletic make-up, finishing first in the 20m sprint (2.938 seconds), first in the vertical jump (75cm), equal first in the running vertical jump (91cm) and fourth in the agility testing.
Eastern Ranges product Ry Cantwell also blitzed the state testing with top-two finishes in the running vertical jump (equal first, 91cm), vertical jump (second, 75cm), agility (second, 8.237 seconds) and 20m sprint (2.95cm)
Giants Academy small Harvey Thomas ran the 2km time trial in a blistering 5:55 minutes – putting him in third place nationally behind Tarkyn O’Leary (5:48) and Darcy Wilson (5:55).
AFL VIC STATE DRAFT COMBINE RESULTS
VERTICAL JUMP
1. Billy Willson (Dandenong Stingrays) – 75cm
2. Ry Cantwell (Eastern Ranges) – 72cm
Jacob Grant (Dandenong Stingrays) – 72cm
Lachlan McArthur (Western Jets) – 72cm
Geordie Payne (Tasmania Devils) – 72cm
5. Cooper Trembath (Eastern Ranges) – 70cm
RUNNING VERTICAL JUMP
1. Ry Cantwell (Eastern Ranges) – 91cm
Jacob Grant (Dandenong Stingrays) – 91cm
Billy Wilson (Dandenong Stingrays) – 91cm
4. Cooper Trembath (Eastern Ranges) – 88cm
5. Geordie Payne (Tasmania Devils) – 86cm
6. Patrick Snell (Lions Academy) – 86cm
AGILITY
1. Kristian Ferronato (Northern Knights) – 8.108 seconds
2. Ry Cantwell (Eastern Ranges) – 8.237 seconds
3. Geordie Payne (Tasmania Devils) – 8.357 seconds
5. Billy Wilson (Dandenong Stingrays) – 8.357 seconds
5. Oskar Smartt (Bendigo Pioneers) – 8.413 seconds
20m SPRINT
1. Billy Wilson (Dandenong Stingrays) – 2.938 seconds
2. Ry Cantwell (Eastern Ranges) – 2.950
3. Geordie Payne (Tasmania Devils) – 2.981
4. Lachie Charleson (GWV Rebels) – 2.991
5. Kobe Shipp (Dandenong Stingrays) – 3.010
2KM TIME TRIAL
Harvey Thomas (Giants Academy) – 5:55 mins
Tom Anastasopoulos (Geelong Falcons) – 6:11
Kynan Brown (Oakleigh Chargers) – 6:12
Oliver Poole (Bendigo Pioneers) – 6:16
Michael Rudd (Geelong Falcons) – 6:17
Croft weighing up Dogs father-son call
Exciting key forward Jordan Croft is still weighing up whether to nominate as a father-son for the Western Bulldogs as the AFL national draft quickly approaches.
The 200cm marking forward – who is the son of former Bulldogs 186-game defender Matthew – is widely viewed as a first-round pick in this year’s draft class after enjoying a breakout season with the Calder Cannons and Vic Metro.
Croft met with the Bulldogs for a second time in as many weeks at the AFL draft combine over the weekend, but also spoke with eight other clubs.
He is continuing to consider his options, with the help of his manager Tom Petroro from TLA.
“We haven’t really made a decision yet,” Croft said.
“There’s still plenty of time to make that decision. I’ve still got to have a chat with Tom and Dad as well and see what route I want to take.”
Croft said there were a range of considerations that he had to take into account before making his decision.
“I think how confident they (the Bulldogs) are in me is one and I still have to have meetings with other clubs and see what they see in me as well and the potential I have and the role I can play for their club,” he said.
“That’s something I have to take into consideration.”
The Bulldogs already have a host of key forwards on their list, including Aaron Naughton, Rory Lobb, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Sam Darcy.
However, Lobb can also assist in the ruck and Naughton and Darcy have shown they can be deployed in defence.
“They’ve got a lot of tall players, but if they’ve got the ability to be versatile and throw people around, who wouldn’t want to have some 200cm-plus players everywhere?” Croft said.
“It would be a good asset to have.”
A power runner, the 18-year-old performed strongly in the 2km time trial at the draft combine on Friday afternoon.
It came as little surprise after Croft showed an ability to work hard up the ground this season and provide a target, while also taking marks and kicking goals when inside-50.
“That’s probably one of my strengths,” he said of his running.
“Also I think just my ability to crash packs and make a contest, making sure the backs aren’t intercepting and we can get our smalls involved. That’s probably the biggest strength in my game.”
Will Ashcroft nominated as a father-son for the Brisbane Lions in early August last year, before being taken at pick 2 in the 2022 national draft.
However, Max Michalanney did not officially nominate for Adelaide until mid-October.
Twins Alwyn and Jayden Davey nominated for Essendon in late October, while Cooper Harvey also made a late nomination for North Melbourne.
The first round of this year’s national draft is being held on November 20.
COMBINE RESULTS REVEALED
Suns talent turns heads
– Dan Batten
AFL Talent Ambassador Kevin Sheehan believes Gold Coast Academy talent Ethan Read and the brother of an emerging AFL player boosted their draft stocks at the national combine.
Read, a 202cm ruckman in the mould of Tim English, defied his height to finish third in the two-kilometre time trial on Friday with a time of 5:56 minutes – a testament to his outstanding endurance.
The result will give clubs with selection inside the top 10 plenty to think about with fellow Suns Academy prospect Jed Walter also set to receive a bid inside the first few selections.
West Australian Aiden O’Driscoll, the brother of Fremantle wingman Nathan, took out the 20m sprint on Sunday with a blistering time of 2.87 seconds.
It was a three-way tie for second with potential first-round prospect Caleb Windsor, West Coast academy forward Lance Collard and Will Graham - another Suns-linked product - all running it in 2.92 seconds.
Sheehan is impressed by O’Driscoll’s elite speed-endurance mix, having also performed strongly in the two-kilometre time trial.
“Big Ethan Read the boy who is over 200 centimetres, that 2ker in under six minutes just shows the levels that some of our best young athletes are getting to,” Sheehan said.
“And he was a dominant player in national championships, you go back to how they play the game and he was the All-Australian ruckman who can run like that.
“He’s going to get a bid fairly early – I’m sorry Gold Coast. And they’ve already got Jed Walter way up there as well.
“Aiden O’Driscoll really pushed himself up as a boy that – we could see that he had speed the way he played out on the wing.
“He had a wonderful combination of speed and endurance and that’s the beauty when you’ve got both you’ve got a couple of athletic traits to hang your hat on. That really pushes a boy right up into contention of being a draftee.”
O’Driscoll wasn’t the only WA prospect to turn heads at the combine with livewire Collard winning the agility test (8.156 seconds) and coming equal second in the 20m sprint (2.92 seconds).
Collard, a member of the Eagles’ Next Generation Academy, is only available to the Eagles if he receives a bid outside the top 40 selections.
WA draft bolter Zane Zakostelsky put his exciting athletic make-up on full display, with the 194cm prospect taking out the standing vertical jump test (80cm) and running a 2.95-second 20m sprint.
His enormous leap has seen him used in the ruck at WAFL Colts level, winning the best-on-ground medal in the grand final for Claremont last month.
South Australian ruckman Taylor Goad was arguably the most impressive in the 20m sprint with a 2.96-second run - a staggering feat for a player standing 205cm.
Playmaker Darcy Wilson showed he is more than just a running machine, finishing first in the running vertical jump event (98cm) ahead of potential top-five prospect Zane Duursma (97cm).
Wilson, who has pushed his claims as a first-round draftee this year, also came second in the 2km time trial on Friday behind Sandringham Dragons wingman Tarkn O’Leary.
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