Listed: The early guide to this year’s top South Australian AFL draft hopefuls
The SANFL’s under-18 coaches have had their say on the state’s best AFL draft chances. See who made the list and the attributes they bring to the table.
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Sons and grandsons of guns, AFL National Academy stars, a giant Australian junior basketballer and a high-flyer who this season took one of the greatest marks ever seen are among South Australia’s top 2024 draft prospects.
While the names Draper, Camporeale and Welsh are high on AFL clubs’ recruiting radars, there are another batch of teenagers who have already caught the eye this season and been earmarked as possible draftees.
SA boasts four players in this year’s elite AFL National Academy squad, including three with famous football surnames.
Glenelg’s Ben and Lucas Camporeale are the twin sons of Eagles SANFL product and Carlton premiership wingman Scott Camporeale and are eligible to be drafted by the Blues under the father-son program.
Imposing Woodville-West Torrens and Adelaide forward Tyler Welsh, who is the son of four-times Crows leading goalkicker and North Melbourne premiership forward Scott Welsh, can be claimed by Adelaide under the same draft rule.
South Adelaide sensation Sid Draper, the younger brother of current Panther and former Collingwood midfielder Arlo Draper, is tipped to be selected before them all.
He is expected to be the first Croweater picked and is in top-five draft contention overall.
But there are a host of other highly-talented young SA dynamos making waves.
So who are they and how good are they?
The Advertiser asked the eight SANFL under-18 coaches to nominate their most exciting, 2024 draft-eligible players and give an insight into just why they are catching recruiters’ eyes.
Most have been selected in this year’s SA under-18 state squad but a handful haven’t.
Ace Panthers key forward Noah Howes, 19, has been named as SA’s over-age player for the AFL under-18 boys national championships, which start on May 26, and has therefore been included in The Advertiser list.
Here are SA’s top 35 draft candidates, listed in alphabetical order.
NED ATKINSON
(Sturt/Sacred Heart College)
Midfielder/forward, 17, 182cm
“The son of Brodie Atkinson (Sturt 1997 Magarey Medallist), Ned has been a midfielder but has been plying his trade up forward for us this season. We’ve basically been playing him as an undersized key forward. He’s strong overhead, keeps his feet at every contest and does good work both in the air and on the ground. He’s always on the move, providing the team with an option, and has a really strong presence in the forward line. He kicked seven goals against South Adelaide in Round 4, including four in the last quarter when the game was there to be won. He’s also showing good leadership. I liken him to a Toby Greene (GWS star) type.’’ – Sturt under-18 coach Scott Prebble.
BENNY BARRETT
(South Adelaide)
Small forward/midfielder, 17, 174cm
“Benny is a Port Adelaide Next Generation Academy prospect who is a classy left-footer. AFL clubs will probably look at him as a small forward but he plays a little bit on-ball for us as well and his centre square work is really good. He has great speed and agility. Benny is self motivated, works really hard and is sharp around goal, finishing off well. He’s very hard to catch.’’ – South talent manager and under-18s coach Mark Clayton.
RYAN BORLACE
(South Adelaide)
Ruck, 17, 197cm
“Ryan rucks for us and will probably ruck for the State team at the under-18 nationals. He has come on a lot this year, taking some more marks around the ground. He can also go forward and mark the ball and is a good set shot at goal. He is improving all the time.’’ – South talent manager and under-18s coach Mark Clayton.
NED BOWMAN
(Norwood/St Peter’s College)
Half-forward/wing, 17, 186cm
“Ned’s key attributes are his aerial capacity, which was highlighted by his extraordinary mark against the Eagles in Round 3, speed – he’s a very quick operator who covers the ground very fast – and agility to move in and out of stoppages. He also has great endeavour and hunt and offensively is really strong. I see some similar traits to (Port Adelaide’s) Connor Rozee, with his wiggle and fishtail and ability to read the play exceptionally well. The son of Norwood premiership player Lachie Bowman, he kicked 10 goals for us in the first four rounds, illustrating his high scoreboard impact. Ned has X-factor traits and is someone that you love going to the football to watch.’’ – Norwood under-18 coach Alex Newell.
EVAN BRADLEY
(North Adelaide/Adelaide High School)
Small forward, 18, 174cm
“Evan is your crafty small forward type who is super dangerous around goal. In the past six-to-eight months he has got fitter and can now play up at the contest a little bit more, in a high forward role where he can get up the ground and try to turn his defender inside out. The opposition wouldn’t want to give him too many opportunities because he is so dangerous around goal. He has very good skills and a bit of X-factor about him, which is probably what AFL recruiters are looking for. I’ve been throwing him on-ball for four-or-five minutes a quarter as well because every time he touches the footy something happens. There’s a bit of (Crow) Izak Rankine about him with the way he plays in that things happen when he gets hold of the ball and he can have a big impact on games. Most clubs are talking about him at the moment.’’ – North Adelaide talent manager and under-18 coach Mitch Clisby.
SAM BURBRIDGE
(West Adelaide)
Midfielder, 18, 186cm
“Sam’s a strong inside midfielder who is very combative, a strong tackler and wins plenty of the ball. He’s very clean with ground balls and is a player that AFL recruiters are watching. He has a couple of little growth areas to his game that he’s working on but he’s our main prospect. He had a really good bottom-age under-18s season last year and now it’s about him making the step up with a bit more of an outside game.’’ – West talent manager and under-18s coach Russell Godson.
ROME BURGOYNE
(Woodville-West Torrens/Prince Alfred College)
Small defender, 17, 182cm
“The youngest of the Burgoyne brothers (sons of 2004 Port Adelaide AFL premiership midfielder Peter Burgoyne), Rome didn’t play a lot of footy last year because of knee and ankle injuries. But he has started this year in really good fashion and I’ve been really happy with his work. He’s a small defender who is a really good user of the ball, making excellent decisions and being a beautiful kick. We generally get a (defensive) exit when he gets the ball in his hands because he finds his targets. In his first three games of the season he averaged 24 possessions and his kicking efficiency was 74 per cent, which is pretty high.’’ – Eagles under-18 coach Shane Reardon.
BEN CAMPOREALE
(Glenelg/Sacred Heart College)
Midfielder, 17, 186cm
“The son of Scott (Camporeale) and eligible to be drafted by Carlton under the father-son rule, Ben possesses a really good workrate and is very good around stoppages. He has some excellent stoppage craft, his best work is done as an inside mid, and he’s an absolute workhorse. A right-footed kick, he runs hard and has also shown some good leadership traits this year.’’ – Glenelg under-18s coach Ben Kane.
LUCAS CAMPOREALE
(Glenelg/Sacred Heart College)
Wingman, 17, 185cm
“Lucas is a different type of player than his twin brother Ben. He’s a left-footer who is more of an outside player, being a very good winger. Like Ben, he is really professional, a very hard worker and very competitive. The boys share those traits. While Lucas’s game is a little bit more outside, we have exposed him to some more inside stuff this year, which I think he has really enjoyed. He has the tool kit to play what we call an M3 role around our stoppage, a bit like a quarterback-type position. He’s played that role well but he’s a very, very good wingman.’’ – Glenelg under-18s coach Ben Kane.
ANGUS CLARKE
(Glenelg/Tenison Woods College)
Defender, 17, 188cm
“Clarkey’s a country boy from Mount Gambier and has been really impressive so far this season. He’s been playing down back and has some good offence to his game, setting us up well from the back half. But he also defends really well and is pretty good in one-on-one contests. He’s a bit of a raw talent who has a lot of upside, having to travel from Mount Gambier to get up to our training sessions. He’s a very committed and professional player.’’ – Glenelg under-18s coach Ben Kane.
TOM COCHRANE
(Central District/Henley High School)
Midfielder/half-forward, 18, 181cm
“Tom’s been really good for us in a mid-forward role. He has the unique ability to be able to find the footy, no matter what role he is playing. He is good overhead, hits the scoreboard and has been one of our standout players. The son of Stuart Cochrane (dual Central premiership player and former North Melbourne and Port Adelaide AFL midfielder), Tom loves a clearance and going hard at the ball but his forward craft is really good too.’’ – Central Centre of Excellence and under-18s coach Kyle Jenner.
TATE DELMENICO
(Woodville-West Torrens/Henley High School)
Defender, 17, 190cm
“I’m a big fan of Tate’s. He is a good size, really athletic, covers the ground really well and is an excellent intercept mark in defence. His marking ability is really strong. Last year as a bottom-ager in the under-18s he averaged six marks and four spoils a game. In one game against South he took 14 marks and 10 of them were intercept marks. He doesn’t turn 18 until December and I think he is going to be a Tom Doedee (Brisbane) or Jake Lever (Melbourne) type of player because of his ability to intercept so well.’’ – Eagles under-18 coach Shane Reardon.
HARRY DODD
(Woodville-West Torrens)
Midfielder/forward, 18, 184cm
“Harry has great endurance, is a really good runner who breaks lines with his run and kick and he finds the footy well. I love his ability to move the ball forward. He missed a fair chunk of his under-16 year with a bad ankle injury but is coming into his own now and playing some really good footy in our midfield. He can also go forward and kick goals.’’ – Eagles under-18 coach Shane Reardon.
ALEX DODSON
(Sturt/Glenunga International High School)
Ruck, 17, 203cm
“Alex is a giant ruckman who comes from a basketball background. He’s been away in Germany playing for Australia in an international basketball tournament. He’s obviously very tall, is athletic, moves around the ground really well, has good game sense and takes a nice overhead mark. We’re looking forward to seeing him string a few games together for us .’’ – Sturt under-18 coach Scott Prebble.
SID DRAPER
(South Adelaide/Cardijn College)
Midfielder, 17, 181cm
“Sid has great speed and power and works really hard. His speed from stoppage is elite. The younger brother of (current South and former Collingwood player) Arlo Draper, I expect him to go quite high in the draft. He reminds me a bit of Chris Judd (dual Brownlow Medallist) with the way he goes about things and his work around the stoppages. Sid is very professional and diligent and wants to do everything well. He’s first class. He ticks a lot of the AFL attributes athletically, professionally and personality wise.’’ – South talent manager and under-18s coach Mark Clayton.
ISAIAH FADDOUL
(Sturt/Mercedes College)
Forward, 17, 185cm
“Isaiah is a hybrid forward who is very fit and athletic and works hard up and down the ground. He is a good contested mark, has a high football IQ and is our captain, which shows his good leadership skills. He plays primarily as a high half-forward because of his excellent running power and ability to cover plenty of territory.’’ – Sturt under-18 coach Scott Prebble.
PHOENIX HARGRAVE
(South Adelaide/Reynella East High School)
Midfielder, 17, 182cm
“Phoenix is a strong inside midfielder whose contested work is very good. He also makes good decisions with ball in hand and can go forward and impact the scoreboard. Phoenix did all the pre-season training with the State under-18 talent hub and the feedback I got was that he was the most professional player with pre-training craft and that his workrate at training was very good. And at the testing day, he improved the areas that some people had concerns over, which shows how hard he has worked.’’ – South talent manager and under-18s coach Mark Clayton.
JETT HASTING
(Woodville-West Torrens/St Peter’s College)
Midfielder/forward, 17, 182cm
“Like Harry Dodd, Jett is an elite runner. He works really hard and can break lines with his run and carry, possessing great speed and power. Jett is a prefect who has outstanding leadership qualities. He also is a qualified pilot, showing how much he has going for him. Has averaged 22 possessions in his games this year.’’ – Eagles under-18 coach Shane Reardon.
KADE HERBERT
(Woodville-West Torrens)
Midfielder/forward, 18, 184cm
“Kade’s a natural footballer, that’s his greatest strength. He’s primarily a midfielder/forward but he could play anywhere really. He has a great workrate and is one of the hardest working players I have ever coached. His ability as a mid to get back and defend and then work back the other way is incredible. He averaged 14 disposals in five league games at the back end of last year, which was a pretty good effort for such a young player. He reminds me of (Melbourne’s) Tom Sparrow at the same age because of his willingness to work back as a midfielder.’’ – Eagles under-18 coach Shane Reardon.
NOAH HOWES
(South Adelaide)
Key forward, 18, 196cm
“Noah’s a key forward who has got a lot stronger and bigger over the past eight months or so and is playing some good league footy after finally overcoming some injury issues. He kicked five goals for us as a 16-year-old in an under-18s game against the Eagles and then as a 17-year-old he was nominated as an over-ager for the State under-16 team before suffering stress fractures in his back and missing the rest of the season. Then last year he kicked seven goals in two weeks before breaking his collarbone and missing a fair chunk of the season. Noah got back just before the under-18 finals and had six shots at goal (kicking 3.3) in our grand final win against Sturt. It might feel like he’s come from nowhere this year but it’s just a case of him finally getting a good run at it and having a big pre-season with our senior team. He has a lot of good qualities and upside.’’ – South talent manager and under-18s coach Mark Clayton.
CAMERON KELLY
(Sturt)
Defender, 18, 180cm
“Cam is a super competitive, defence first type of player. He has good skills, is strong at ground level and while he works very well defensively he also provides good offence. He’s a real team-first player who does all the one percenters and is very hard to beat one-on-one.’’ – Sturt under-18 coach Scott Prebble.
RYAN LANE-ELLIS
(Central District/Xavier College Gawler)
Midfielder/half-back, 17, 177cm
“Ryan is a hard-running midfielder/defender. He hadn’t played as a defender until this year but we’ve played him a fair bit there this season. He has great skills and decision making to play that half-back flank role well. He’s still learning the role and working out when to attack and when to defend but he has great assets. Ryan has really good skills and kicks well with both feet. He runs hard off half-back and has really excelled in the position. Until he got injured (foot) and missed the game on the weekend, he was leading the under-18 competition in disposals, averaging 31 a game. Unfortunately he’ll miss a couple of weeks with his injury.’’ – Central Centre of Excellence and under-18s coach Kyle Jenner.
JACK MICHALANNEY
(Norwood/Rostrevor College)
Defender, 18, 188cm
“Jack is the younger brother of Adelaide’s Max Michalanney and is eligible to be picked by the Crows as a father-son player. He’s a skinny, gangly, rangy type defender who can play as a third tall in the backline or as a running defender. He is by far the cleanest player I have ever coached. He’s exceptional with his ability to win ground balls and in traffic so cleanly. Jack has some similar attributes to his brother, although I think Max is a bit more physical and more of a one-on-one type defender whereas Jack is more the running type. But with his dad (four-times Norwood premiership player Jim Michalanney) and brother’s genes, Jack is certainly one to watch out for. Obviously the Crows can claim him under the father-son bracket but I know there has been some interest in him from other clubs too.’’ – Norwood under-18 coach Alex Newell.
LOUIE MONTGOMERY
(North Adelaide/Prince Alfred College)
Defender, 18, 184cm
“The son of (Port Adelaide AFL premiership player) Brett Montgomery, Louie is primarily a running half-back. He is strong bodied, a solid young man who is really good in one-on-one contests and uses the ball well. He is flexible and can play tall or small. I think he also has the ability, with his size, to be able to play as an inside midfielder at times as well, so he has a few roles up his sleeve. He is composed and has a really good football brain, having the ability to understand different scenarios really well. He makes good decisions by foot and I see some similarities with Brett in terms of his craftiness and game sense.’’ – North Adelaide talent manager and under-18 coach Mitch Clisby.
JACOB NEWTON
(Norwood/Rostrevor College)
Midfielder/half-forward, 18, 178cm
“Jacob has been an inside mid for most of his life but because he’s only 178cm, which makes it tough to be an AFL mid, he is this year playing 50 per cent of his time at half-forward. His power and speed, including his 20m sprint, are exceptional. He wins contested ball, is a really strong overhead mark for his size and possesses a powerful left-foot kick, easily kicking 50m. Jacob has great closing speed, the ability to hunt the ball and opponents and he impacts the scoreboard. He’s a bull who reminds me very much of (Melbourne’s) Jack Viney.’’ – Norwood under-18 coach Alex Newell.
CHARLIE NICHOLLS
(Central District/Faith Lutheran College)
Key forward, 17, 197cm
“He’s a nice, developing key forward who can also play down back if required. Charlie is a good lead-up forward who is improving his contested marking every week. He’s a super easy person to coach, which was emphasised by the fact we asked him to focus on taking more contested marks (in Round 4 against West Adelaide) and he went and took six of them, which was great. He took 13 marks and had 22 disposals for the game while also kicking three goals, which was a terrific effort. He leads the comp in contested marks and has a super high work-rate, giving him the ability to get up and down the ground. There’s a bit of (Geelong star) Jeremy Cameron in the way he plays.’’ – Central Centre of Excellence and under-18s coach Kyle Jenner.
JAY POLKINGHORNE
(Norwood/Prince Alfred College)
Key forward, 17, 192cm
“Jay hails from Penong on the Nullarbor Plain and has just resumed playing after a minor knee injury. He has great weaponry, including being an exceptional overhead and contested mark. He reads the play really well and is one of the best set shot goalkickers I have seen. He has a beautiful action all the way down to the sound off the boot. He reminds me a little bit of (Adelaide’s) Taylor Walker with the way he kicks the footy. Jay is a player who has generated a fair bit of interest based on what he did last year and is one who ticks all the boxes as far as being an agile key forward is concerned. While he kicks the ball like Walker, as a player he reminds me more of (Carlton’s) Charlie Curnow.’’ – Norwood under-18 coach Alex Newell.
HARRY RAMM
(Glenelg/Sacred Heart College)
Key defender, 17, 199cm
“Harry’s a key back who has some really good traits. He’s very tall for a key back and defends really well but he also has the ability to come off his opponent and intercept mark. He’ll build strength as he gets into his gym craft but he already can hold his own in one-on-one contests. He also has some really good running ability and a pretty big tank for a big fella.’’ – Glenelg under-18s coach Ben Kane.
TALLAN ROSENZWEIG
(Central District/Faith Lutheran College)
Key forward, 17, 197cm
“He’s the same height as Charlie (Nicholls) but he plays a bit deeper as a key forward. He’s very good on the lead, possessing really good leading patterns, and manages to get plenty of shots on goal for us. Tallan needs to tidy up his goalkicking accuracy a bit because he had eight scoring shots against North Adelaide in Round 2 and kicked 4.4. He also booted 2.3 in the next two games against Sturt and West Adelaide, so he needs to capitalise on his opportunities a bit more. But he is developing well and can also take a strong contested mark.’’ – Central Centre of Excellence and under-18s coach Kyle Jenner.
JACOB SHEEAN
(South Adelaide)
Key defender, 18, 197cm
“Jacob is our under-18 captain and has very good leadership qualities. He’s a rangy, key defender who kicks the ball very well for someone of his size. He usually gets the job on one of the opposition’s bigger forwards and he reads the play well. Jacob’s very likeable and works really hard. He had stress fractures in his back over pre-season and didn’t do a lot of training before Christmas but he’s worked hard since to get himself back into good physical shape.’’ – South talent manager and under-18s coach Mark Clayton.
DAKOTA STERZL
(South Adelaide/Cardijn College)
Wingman, 17, 188cm
“Dakota is a left-footed winger with good speed and athletic ability. He runs all day and has excellent AFL attributes in that he is very agile, a good kick and decision maker, can take a strong mark and also impact the scoreboard.’’ – South talent manager and under-18s coach Mark Clayton.
TOM TASKER
(North Adelaide)
Midfielder, 18, 189cm
“The son of Sean Tasker (former Adelaide Crow and North Adelaide premiership player), Tom is a big, strong inside mid who is a distributor of the ball. He’s tidy below his knees and loves the contest. He also has the power to go forward and kick goals. In Round 2 against Central District he had 23 disposals and kicked four goals resting forward, highlighting his ability to impact the scoreboard. But his go-to is the contest and his stoppage work.’’ – North Adelaide talent manager and under-18 coach Mitch Clisby.
SAM WALTHAM
(Sturt)
Forward, 18, 184cm
“Sam’s a key forward who has a good launch pad. He’s very good on the lead and is a strong mark. He’s super competitive, making him good in a contest, and is a reliable set shot at goal. He also moves well, working up and down the ground to get in good positions. Overall, he’s a very solid all-round player.’’ – Sturt under-18 coach Scott Prebble.
TYLER WELSH
(Woodville-West Torrens/Adelaide)
Key forward, 17, 191cm
“Tyler’s speed and power are his greatest assets for his size. He really powers at the footy, covers the ground really well and has really nice hands. He’s eligible to be selected by Adelaide as a father-son player (son of four-times Crows leading goalkicker Scott Welsh) and his potential is untapped. He is continuing to develop further under Adelaide’s tutelage (as a SANFL Rookie Program player). Tyler has a lot of good things going for him and everyone tells me he plays in a similar way to Scott, although he is a bit stronger. He is quite imposing physically.’’ – Eagles under-18 coach Shane Reardon.
CHARLIE WEST
(Woodville-West Torrens/Immanuel College)
Key forward/ruck, 18, 195cm
“Charlie’s contested marking is his greatest weapon. He took 42 marks, including 20 contested, in six games as a bottom-ager at under-18 level last season, which highlights his marking ability. At his SANFL testing in February, he ran the 20m sprint in 2.9 seconds, which shows he has genuine speed for his size as well. He is the grandson of Wayne Jackson (former Eagles player and president and AFL chief executive) and is very much in contention for this year’s draft pool. He was an emergency for our league team in Round 1 but is carrying a bit of a groin injury at the moment. Charlie has massive upside.’’ – Eagles under-18 coach Shane Reardon.
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Originally published as Listed: The early guide to this year’s top South Australian AFL draft hopefuls
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