Alex Woodward, Kyle Dunkley and Josh Deluca among the top mid-season draft midfield candidates
Is your club in the hunt for a major ball-winner in the middle of the ground? Or how about a Deadeye Dick who never turns it over? Look no further than these eight mid-season draft hopefuls who are absolutely dominating.
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The mid-season draft is absolutely loaded with midfielders.
Of the 22 players asked to undergo AFL medical testing, 14 have made their names playing in the guts.
And that list doesn’t even include the likes of two-time Sandover Medallist and former Magpie Jye Bolton or Collingwood VFL gun and former Hawk Alex Woodward.
But in the most well stocked position heading into the draft, who has hit the 2019 season in the best form?
With the help of Champion Data, SuperFooty has broken down the top midfield draft prospects who should be on your club’s radar come May 27.
ALEX WOODWARD (COLLINGWOOD VFL)
In 2018 Alex Woodward nearly won the VFL best and fairest despite playing just eight games. If he keeps his current pace up, he might poll enough votes to lap the field in 2019. In statistically career best form, Woodward is rated the premier midfielder in the VFL who is not already on an AFL list.
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He is leading the league for disposals with 31 per game and among midfielders, his average of 122 Champion Data ranking points is behind only Collingwood listed teammate Rupert Wills. After four knee reconstructions, it would take a pretty big gamble from a club to read his name out on draft night. However, it’s worth noting he sits well above the likes of Carlton’s Matthew Kennedy and North Melbourne’s Paul Ahearn in Champion Data’s VFL midfield rankings.
KYLE DUNKLEY (GIPPSLAND)
The difference in Kyle Dunkley’s NAB League numbers from this year to last year are astonishing. Through four matches in 2018 he averaged just 65 ranking points, 13 disposals, 4.8 tackles and his kicking efficiency was at 34 per cent. In four matches this year, he is averaging 123 ranking points, 18.5 disposals, eight tackles and his disposals efficiency has climbed to above 60 per cent. Of NAB League midfielders to have played at least four games, he is rated eighth by Champion Data’s ranking points. Meanwhile, in his one hitout with Footscray VFL, he was clearly among his side’s best players in a fighting draw with Box Hill. His brother Josh won a premiership with the Western Bulldogs when he was 19. Also aged 19, what fairytale will Kyle get the chance to live out?
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JOSH DELUCA (SUBIACO)
Since being delisted by the Dockers at the end of the 2017 season, Josh Deluca has been a ball magnet for Subiaco. Through the opening six games of the year he is averaging 27.2 disposals, 12 contested possessions, 5.2 marks and 127 ranking points. In all four of those categories, he is sitting above what Geelong gun Tim Kelly posted in his final state league year before being drafted. While Deluca’s sample size this year is only five games, if you extend that to combine his 2018 and 2019 seasons, he is averaging 120.5 ranking points,
which is still three more than Kelly. He is clearly among the best midfield prospects in the WAFL.
DECLAN MOUNTFORD (CLAREMONT)
He’s only played five games but Declan Mountford has already established himself as one of the best midfielders in the WAFL. Through the opening month of the season, he has averaged 124 ranking points and broken the 30 disposal barrier twice — the second time coming right under some key recruiters’ noses when Claremont tackled West Coast. Champion Data rates Mountford in the top 10 for WAFL midfielders and his 12.4 contested disposals are certainly intriguing.
JYE BOLTON (CLAREMONT)
He’s won two of the last three Sandover Medals (presented to the best player in the WAFL) and if he doesn’t get picked up in the mid-season draft, Jye Bolton is every chance of making it three out of four. The former Magpie’s numbers have been absolutely outstanding in 2019, with the already prolific ball winner taking his domination to another level. Bolton is averaging 34.4 disposals per week, almost four ahead of any other WAFL midfielder. His ranking points average of 146 is seven ahead of his nearest rival. He is also leading his midfield counterparts in contested possessions and sits second in clearances.
MITCH HIBBERD (WILLIAMSTOWN)
Delisted by North Melbourne at the end of last year, Mitch Hibberd has done everything in his power to ensure his stay in the VFL is as short as possible. Few state league midfielders have made more impact in 2019, with the Williamstown ball magnet rated elite among both his AFL listed and VFL listed positional counterparts. Among players not on an AFL list, Hibberd is rated the second best midfielder in the VFL, behind only Magpie Alex Woodward. Williamstown coach Andy Collins was full of praise for Hibberd when talking to the Herald Sun earlier this month. “We have been playing Mitch as a mid-forward and he’s just an endurance running beast. We wanted to use him as an attacking running player and if he does get picked up again an AFL club will have a really good player.”
LOCHLAN DICKSON (COBURG)
From Norwood in the Eastern Football League, is the big stage of the AFL next? It could certainly happen for Coburg midfielder Lochlan Dickson, who continues to go from strength to strength. Last year, in his first season in the VFL, Dickson averaged 83 ranking points and 20.8 disposals per game. His numbers have spiked in 2019, with his ranking points average jumping to 102 and his disposals average climbing to 23. He is also averaging a goal a game and 5.4 score involvements.
MATT NUNN (NORWOOD)
Is Matt Nunn the best kick in the SANFL? Through the start of the 2019 season, it is certainly hard to argue anything else. Nunn is averaging a tick under 16 kicks per game, 80 per cent of which are hitting the target. That is clearly the best of any SANFL player to be taking at least 15 kicks per game. Even more impressive, of his 25 overall disposals per game, 84 per cent of those are effective. When you combine that with 6.5 tackles and 6.5 score involvements, it is easy to see why he was asked by AFL clubs to complete medical testing.
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