AFL Under 17 Futures Game: News, scouting notes on top 2024 AFL Draft prospects
Exciting father-son prospects are emerging for next year’s AFL Draft – including two for Carlton. See full scouting notes and SuperCoach points from the Under 17 Futures game.
Carlton is set to have priority access to two of next year’s top AFL draft prospects, who both shone brightly in an important game on Saturday.
A week after the Blues’ preliminary final exit, the club and its supporters had reason to smile again after twin brothers Ben and Lucas Camporeale lit up the MCG in the AFL under-17 futures match.
Ben collected the best-on-ground medal after a dominant display for the victorious Team Naitanui side, logging 30 disposals playing a range of roles.
SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL SCOUTING NOTES + SUPERCOACH POINTS
Playing on the opposing Team Selwood, Lucas racked up 19 disposals and nine marks to also catch the eye.
The twins are the sons of Carlton 1995 premiership player and 233-game Blues hero Scott Camporeale, making them eligible to join the club as father-sons in 2024.
The brothers spent a week training with Carlton during pre-season last December as part of the club’s father-son and academy program and the Blues have kept a close eye on their progress since.
Both boys played 13 games for Glenelg in the SANFL under-18 competition this season.
Ben averaged 25.3 disposals, 5.4 marks and 3.9 clearances, while Lucas averaged 23.9 disposals, 5.4 marks and 1.8 clearances.
Carlton has had some success with father-son selections in the past, including Stephen Silvagni (son of Serge), Lance Whitnall (son of Graeme), Jarrad Waite (son of Vin) and Jack Silvagni (son of Stephen).
Next year’s draft class also includes some highly-rated father-son prospects linked to other clubs including Levi Ashcroft (Brisbane Lions), Tyler Welsh (Adelaide) and Rome Burgoyne (Port Adelaide).
SCOUTING NOTES FROM UNDER-17 FUTURES MATCH
TOP PROSPECTS TO WATCH IN 2024
Josh Smillie (Team Naitanui/Eastern Ranges/VIC)
21 disposals, 5 marks, 1 clearance, 1 inside-50, 3 rebound-50s
A big-bodied midfielder at 194cm, Smillie has clean hands and great stoppage craft and is expected to be one of the top few picks in the 2024 draft. He spent time in the middle and in defence on Saturday and caught the eye in his return from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the Coates Talent League grand final the previous week.
Finn O’Sullivan (Team Selwood/Oakleigh Chargers/VIC)
21 disposals, 6 marks, 2 clearances, 5 inside-50s, 4 rebound 50s, 4 tackles
A highly-rated midfielder heading into his draft year in 2024, O’Sullivan found plenty of the footy once again on Saturday to continue his rise. The boy from Koroit spent time forward and in the midfield and showed his ability to win the ball on the inside and outside of the contest. O’Sullivan won the Kevin Sheehan Medal as the best player of the under-16 national championships last year and was named on the bench of the under-18 All-Australian team this year after a strong national championships campaign with Vic Metro.
Jagga Smith (Team Naitanui/Oakleigh Chargers/VIC)
21 disposals, 5 marks, 3 clearances, 4 inside-50s, 1 goal
Widely expected to be a top-10 pick in next year’s draft, Smith spent time through the midfield and playing as a forward on Saturday. He particularly impressed early – logging 12 touches to halftime – before reading the flight of the ball beautifully to take a mark and convert a set-shot goal from 35m early in the third quarter. Smith is a creative player who makes good decisions and has a well-rounded skill set.
Sid Draper (Team Naitanui/South Adelaide/SA)
25 disposals, 3 marks, 2 inside-50s, 2 rebound 50s
Shaping as one of the top draft prospects for 2024, Draper has been a consistent performer across his bottom-age year and produced another strong game to finish. He spent time through the midfield, on a wing and coming out of defence and finished with the third-most touches of any player on the ground. The younger brother of Collingwood’s Arlo Draper, he won South Australia’s MVP award as a bottom-age player in the under-18 national championships this year.
Leonardo Lombard (Team Naitanui/Gold Coast Suns Academy/QLD)
24 disposals, 3 marks, 3 clearances, 4 inside-50s, 2 rebound-50s, 5 tackles
The Suns Academy machine is really firing up, with Lombard looking like being another good prospect in 2024. The hard-at-it midfielder spent time through the midfield and on a wing on Saturday and brought some real intensity in what was a largely bruise-free game. Lombard had featured for the Suns in their VFL Grand Final win the previous week, kicking one goal from 10 disposals in the decider.
FATHER-SONS
Ben Camporeale (Team Naitanui/Glenelg/SA)
30 disposals, 8 marks, 1 clearance, 5 inside-50s, 8 rebound 50s
A smooth-mover, Camporeale was able to break the lines coming out of halfback and was all class with ball in hand. He also spent some time on the wing, on his way to earning the best-on-ground medal. He is the son of former Carlton star Scott and is eligible to join the Blues as a father-son in 2024.
Levi Ashcroft (Team Selwood/Sandringham Dragons/VIC)
26 disposals, 2 marks, 5 inside-50s, 1 goal
While he normally plays onball with the Sandringham Dragons, Ashcroft spent most of his time as a forward in this match but was still able to impact. He is a real competitor who wants the footy, gets to the right spots and works hard up the ground. Ashcroft missed an easy opportunity in front of goal in the third quarter, but went on to slot one from 40m on the run later in the term. He is the younger brother of Brisbane’s Will Ashcroft and is eligible to join the Lions as a father-son in 2024 as the son of three-time premiership player Marcus.
Lucas Camporeale (Team Selwood/Glenelg/SA)
19 disposals, 9 marks, 5 inside-50s, 2 rebound 50s
The twin brother of Ben, Lucas played on the other team and spent time through the midfield, in defence and forward. While he did not win quite as much of the footy as his brother on the day, he similarly showed nice composure and quality ball use as an outside player. While Ben is a right-footer, Lucas is a neat left-foot kick. He is the son of former Carlton star Scott and is eligible to join the Blues as a father-son in 2024.
Tyler Welsh (Team Selwood/Woodville-West Torrens/SA)
10 disposals, 4 marks, 2 inside-50s, 1 goal
In his previous game in Melbourne, Welsh booted five goals for South Australia in an under-18 national championships match against Vic Country at Ikon Park. He was kept a little quieter in this match, but is still a real talent to watch over the next 12 months. The key forward is a good size and attacks the footy in the air and at ground level. He nailed a goal from 40m in the last quarter, after cleverly intercepting a kick out. The son of former North Melbourne, Adelaide and Western Bulldogs forward Scott, he is eligible to join the Crows as a father-son in 2024.
Rome Burgoyne (Team Naitanui/Woodville-West Torrens/SA)
7 disposals, 3 marks, 1 clearance, 2 rebound 50s
Another emerging talent from South Australia, Burgoyne spent the game in defence where he reads the play well. Burgoyne didn’t find a lot of the footy, but used it well when he did. All seven of his disposals were effective. He is the younger brother of Port Adelaide’s Jase Burgoyne and the son of 240-game Power premiership player Peter, making him eligible to join the club as a father-son in 2024.
FULL SUPERCOACH POINTS
TEAM NAITANUI
136 points – Ben Camporeale
129 – Leonardo Lombard
123 – Sam Marshall
119 – Jagga Smith
97 – Tom Gross
90 – Nash King
88 – Zak Johnson
86 – Josh Smillie
84 – Sid Draper
81 – Joel Cochran
81 – Tom Gillett
76 – Luke Trainor
75 – Taj Hotton
75 – Harry O’Farrell
55 – Bo Allan
50 – Lucca Grego
40 – Archer Day-Wicks
39 – Rome Burgoyne
34 – Ricky Mentha
31 – Clay Shadforth
29 – Jobe Shanahan
22 – Mitch Woods
TEAM SELWOOD
134 points – Xavier Lindsay
115 – Finn O’Sullivan
110 – Levi Ashcroft
95 – Christian Moraes
92 – Isaac Kako
91 – Harvey Langford
90 – Sam Lalor
88 – Murphy Reid
85 – Tobie Travaglia
82 – Flynn Penry
73 – Malakai Champion
65 – Lucas Camporeale
65 – Joshua Murphy
63 – Oliver Warburton
62 – Jonty Faull
61 – Thomas Luck
57 – Kade Herbert
54 – Phoenix Hargrave
48 – Joe Harrison
42 – Noah Mraz
38 – Tyler Welsh
37 – Austin van der Struyf
12 – Oliver Dean
Injury-hit Demons stun Crows in Norwood thriller
Struck down by a host of injuries across their team, the Dees have managed to keep their AFLW season alive by pulling off a thrilling victory over the Crows.
Make me a Giant: The deal that will make Stringer’s wish a reality
Jake Stringer wants to play for GWS next season, but how can the Bombers and Giants get a deal done? One young gun at GWS could be the key. Recap day three of the trade period here.