AFL Draft 2022: Climbers and sliders from U18 national championships
The draft range of key position prospects has changed dramatically across the year — particularly post nationals. Here’s how they sit now.
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All but one game of the 2022 AFL under-18 national championships has been played and clubs are beginning to get their draft boards in order ahead of November’s national draft.
Here are some players who have moved up the order on their back of their performances on the national stage, as well as some players who remain strong draft chances but have slid down the order just a little.
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CLIMBERS
Lewis Hayes (Vic Metro/Eastern Ranges)
A 197cm intercepting defender, Hayes hit some red-hot form at the right time of year during the national championships. A finger injury on the eve of Round 1 meant he had a slow start to the NAB League season, but AFL clubs had kept a close eye on him over the past two years and were excited by what they saw when Hayes lined up for Vic Metro. The younger brother of Port Adelaide ruckman Sam Hayes, he was particularly impressive against Western Australia in Vic Metro’s second game, when he logged 19 disposals, five marks, eight rebound 50s and six intercepts. Across three championship matches so far, he has averaged 15.7 disposals, 5.3 rebound 50s, five marks and 7.3 intercept possessions.
Matthew Jefferson (Vic Metro/Oakleigh Chargers)
Jefferson was marked as a promising draft prospect late last year when he was included in the initial NAB AFL Academy squad. However, the 194cm key forward has pushed himself up into top-10 calculations after a sizzling national championships campaign with Vic Metro. Jefferson has drawn comparisons to young Essendon forward Harrison Jones – who is an AFL player that he looks up to. His marking ability in the air has been a feature of his year, while his goal kicking has also improved and recruiters have been impressed with his ability to keep himself in games. Jefferson has averaged 10.3 disposals, four marks and kicked 12 goals from three national championships games.
Mattaes Phillipou (South Australia/Woodville-West Torrens)
A damaging midfielder-forward who stands 191cm, Phillipou stamped himself as a first-round draft prospect after he was one of South Australia’s top performers in the national championships. Phillipou was best-on-ground in his state’s first match against the Allies, logging 23 disposals, six marks, five clearances, six tackles and two goals to catch the eyes of recruiters. The son of Sam Phillipou – who played with the Western Bulldogs and was a prominent player in the SANFL – he is a strong contest player and good overhead mark. Phillipou is viewed as South Australia’s best prospect in this year’s draft pool.
Aaron Cadman (Vic Country/GWV Rebels)
A lead-up key forward who has drawn comparisons to Geelong’s Jeremy Cameron, the Darley product made an up and down start to the year in the NAB League but showed what he is capable of on the big stage in the national championships. He logged 19 disposals, took eight marks and kicked 3.3 among nine score involvements in Vic Country’s third game against Western Australia. Standing 194cm tall, Cadman is a strong runner with good speed, marks the ball well and has a damaging left-foot kick. Some recruiters have Cadman pinned as the best key position prospect in this year’s draft and a potential top-five selection in a pool stacked with midfielders but short on talls.
Josh Weddle (Vic Metro/Oakleigh Chargers)
A 191cm defender, a significant growth spurt over the past 18 months has seen Weddle jump into the frame as a potential top-30 draft prospect this year. He is a good interceptor down back – generally used as a third-tall – and uses the ball well when he wins it back. Weddle is athletically very strong, has explosive speed and can play on talls or smalls. He has also shown an ability to play forward and even have a run through the midfield. Weddle has averaged 14.7 disposals, 4.7 marks and 6.7 intercept possessions across three under-18 national championships games.
Olli Hotton (Vic Metro/Sandringham Dragons)
A 181cm small forward, Hotton has great footy smarts and has emerged as a top-30 draft prospect after a strong national championships campaign for Vic Metro. Hotton did not start the NAB League season on fire for the Dragons by any stretch, but showed a few glimpses of his potential. He is clean around stoppages and has good speed. Hotton has averaged 19.3 disposals, 3.3 marks, 6.3 score involvements and two goals across three national championships matches, including 24 disposals and 3.2 in the third of those games against South Australia. He is the son of former Collingwood and Carlton forward Trent Hotton, who played 78 AFL games in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Reuben Ginbey (Western Australia/East Perth)
One of Western Australia’s top draft prospects, Ginbey had primarily been a medium-sized defender before being used through the midfield during the under-18 national championships. Recruiters were excited by what he was able to show as a big-bodied onballer. Standing 188cm, he is a player with elite speed and endurance but is also a bull in the content. Across four national championships games, he averaged 20.8 disposals, 2.8 clearances, 5.5 score involvements and four tackles to win his state’s most valuable player award and stamp himself as a first-round draft prospect.
Tom McCullum (Allies/Clarence)
A 192cm defender, McCullum shot up the rankings in the eyes of recruiters with what he was able to do down back for the Allies during the under-18 national championships. Known for his intercept marking, the Tasmanian averaged 7.3 marks including 3.8 intercept marks across his four matches. He also showed great composure with ball in hand when he won it back, rarely wasting a disposal by hand or foot. An elite runner, McCullum also has the ability to break the lines with bursts of speed and averaged four rebound 16.8 disposals and four rebound 50s during the tournament. He sits as one of Tasmania’s top draft prospects, alongside fellow defender Lachie Cowan.
SLIDERS
Harry Lemmey (South Australia/West Adelaide)
A 199cm key forward, Lemmey was a strong performer for West Adelaide as a bottom-age player in the SANFL under 18s last year and made a good start to this season which included a taste of senior football. However, he did not perform as he would have liked for South Australia in the under-18 national championships. Across three games, the AFL Academy member averaged only 5.3 disposals and kicked one goal. Recruiters are still confident Lemmey will find a home in November’s national draft, but just not as the top-30 selection he might have been earmarked for at the start of the year. At the end of the day, though, where you are picked is just a number.
Tom Scully (South Australia/West Adelaide)
A 202cm key forward, Scully was added to the AFL Academy squad in May after a super start to the season in the SANFL under 18s which saw him kick 22 goals from his first four games. However, his form has not been quite so good since and he was picked for only one of South Australia’s four games in the under-18 national championships. Scully managed just eight disposals, two marks and two behinds in that match. Big men take time and there is no doubt there is some talent there. Like Lemmey, recruiters are still confident Scully will be picked up in the national draft, but just not as high in the order as he was tracking early in the year.
Jackson Broadbent (Western Australia/Peel Thunder)
There was a bit of excitement about the 204cm ruckman leading into the under-18 national championships, but unfortunately he was picked for only two games for Western Australia and didn’t produce the kind of performances he is capable of. Broadbent averaged only eight disposals and 11 hitouts from his two matches, well short of his eye-catching efforts in the WAFL Colts competition this year. Broadbent was, however, a strong performer for the Australian under-18 team in its match against Collingwood’s VFL side in May, recording 17 disposals and 15 hitouts. That match won’t be forgotten by recruiters when they sit down to assess where he stands in the order.
The Sidelined Stars (Various)
Injuries robbed a number of players of the opportunity to show what they’ve got against the country’s best in the under-18 national championships.
But many might not be too greatly affected by their absences.
Vic Metro pair Elijah Tsatas (foot) and George Wardlaw (hamstring) are still in calculations to be top-three picks in the national draft.
However, recruiters are keen to see some more of other highly-rated prospects including Luke Teal (collarbone), Jack O’Sullivan (collarbone), Brayden George (knee) and Bailey Humphrey (knee) to assist in working out where they sit in the draft order.
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