By Marc McGowan
By now, anyone who follows the draft at all knows that Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd sees Jeremy Cameron traits in teenage forward Harry Armstrong.
Lloyd, one of only three AFL players this century to kick 100 goals in a single season, also rates the 18-year-old as the best contested mark of any young tall forward he has worked with – including the King twins, Max and Ben.
Harry Armstrong (middle) has starred for Haileybury, Sandringham Dragons and Vic Metro this year.Credit: AFL Photos
Armstrong – under Lloyd’s tutelage at Haileybury, as well as Rob Harding at Sandringham Dragons and Vic Metro – has blossomed this year to the point recruiters universally view him as the best key forward prospect in the 2024 class.
One of Richmond or St Kilda, who could both do with more aerial help in attack, are a good chance to snap up the talented left-footer inside the top 10.
North Melbourne would also consider him if they trade down slightly from No.2.
What is less known are the “scary” circumstances in July last year that led to Armstrong undergoing two surgeries, then spending a few weeks on crutches, after unwittingly developing a staph infection in his right hip.
“We had a bye that week, and over the weekend, my hip got really sore,” Armstrong told The Age.
“I had a couple of nights where I got zero sleep and there was a constant ache and sharp pain, then by the third day, I felt really sick, started vomiting and had a massive fever, so I went into hospital pretty quick after that, and they operated on it.
Armstrong puts in the hard yards at the AFL draft combine.Credit: AFL Photos
“I had a staph infection, so they had to wash it out, and the first surgery didn’t get it all, so I ended up spending a couple of weeks in hospital, and they did another surgery.
“It was scary for my parents, to be honest, because they’re sending me to hospital, straight into surgery, and they didn’t really know what’s going on. Looking back on it, I was pretty lucky that I got the surgery I needed.”
Armstrong’s season was over at that point, including missing Haileybury’s APS grand final victory over Caulfield Grammar. He was so desperate to support his schoolmates that he begged to be discharged from hospital for a few hours, to watch them in their biggest game of last year.
Armstrong got his way, and dressed in full Haileybury uniform, complete with school blazer, he watched Haileybury triumph from the back of a ute.
“He’s a great teammate, and that sums him up,” Lloyd said.
“They took him straight back to hospital after that, and it shows how invested he is. Even through his champs with Vic Metro, he was training in the holidays, and always there. He was like another coach for us.
“He is a man of few words at times, but very much a team player.”
Shoulder and ankle setbacks curbed Armstrong’s impact in the early stages of this year, but a 10-goal performance for Haileybury against Melbourne Grammar preceded his All-Australian selection at the AFL under-18 championships, where he stamped himself as a likely top-10 pick.
He improved in each of his three matches at the mid-year carnival, taking seven marks and kicking three goals in the second of them against South Australia before a towering display at Vic Country’s expense.
That day, Armstrong booted five goals – three in the second quarter – but also produced a highlight-reel moment in the dying minutes when he soared between two defenders to snatch a great contested mark.
“We had the ball in the back pocket, and it was probably four or five minutes left, so you knew he was going to slow it down and kick it long, and I knew it was coming to me,” Armstrong said.
Champion Essendon goalkicker Matthew Lloyd has worked closely with Armstrong.Credit: Getty Images
“It landed at that perfect spot, where I could run and jump at it. It felt pretty good at the time because it was right in front of most of the crowd who were there, and it was also good just playing at Marvel Stadium.”
Lloyd watched that game, in particular, with a quiet satisfaction, after telling everyone from recruiters to media and AFL talent ambassador Kevin Sheehan how highly he thought of Armstrong.
He has watched Armstrong gobble up almost every ball that went his way in Haileybury colours since year 10, even jokingly feeling for his team’s “poor crumbers, who had nothing to crumb”.
“I’ve always said he’s the best mark I’ve seen come through in my time, which is a big call … but since joining us as a year 10, he’s shown some amazing signs,” Lloyd said.
“He’s very unselfish, hits the ball hard and times his leads really well. Some [developing] key forwards can be quite placid, but he is aggressive as well and brings everyone down with him.
“He’s worked extremely hard on his goalkicking, too. He used to be probably a 50-50 proposition, or even worse, but now he’s closer to seven or eight out of 10.”
Armstrong smiled when reminded about Lloyd’s Cameron comparison.
He grew up supporting Geelong and idolising Cameron, but said he felt he played more like fellow Coleman medallists Jesse Hogan and Charlie Curnow.
“A good game for me is when I can get deep and be dangerous, but also work up the ground, take pressure off and take a mark up the ground,” Armstrong said. “If I don’t, I’ll rip back hard, and try and lose my defender.”
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.