AFL Draft 2022: An early look at the top prospects
Elite father-son talents went top four at this year’s AFL draft. Next year Essendon has twin sons of a former gun player on its radar. Where do they rank in the 2022 talent order?
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The 2022 AFL Draft is set to be ruled by the big boys.
After midfielders dominated the top-end of the this year’s draft - Jason Horne-Francis, Finn Callaghan, Nick Daicos and Josh Ward in particular - the next crop is stacked with tall talent.
South Australian key-forward Harry Lemmey is the leader of the pack, with his West Adelaide teammate Harry Barnett and Oakleigh Chargers forward Will Elliot, the son of Australian cricketer Matthew, close behind.
The Bloods also have another first-round contender, with prolific midfielder Kobe Ryan putting his name up in lights during a standout bottom-age season in the SANFL.
But, at this stage, he sits behind early No. 1 pick contenders, Brisbane father-son gun Will Ashcroft and Oakleigh Chargers star Elijah Tsatas in the midfield pecking order.
Ashcroft and Elliot aren’t the only famous name in next year’s draft, either, with Alwyn Davey Jnr, Oliver Hollands, the brother of highly-rated Gold Coast midfielder Elijah, and Crows father son-prospect Max Michalanney, whose dad Jim played 211 SANFL games, also on the radar.
Here are some of the names to watch next year (in alphabetical order).
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Will Ashcroft
Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro
Midfielder, 183cm, 74kg
Brisbane has first dibs on arguably the most highly-touted prospect in the 2022 draft, who is the son of three-time premiership Lion Marcus Ashcroft. The father-son gun tore the Under-17 Championships clash against Vic Country to shreds in a best-on-ground display. He amassed 33 disposals, 20 contested possessions, 12 clearances, nine inside 50s, 180 Champion Data ranking points and two incredible goals on the run from outside 50. Ashcroft always seems to have time with ball in hand, with his skills by foot, contested ball-winning and goalkicking threat making him an extremely accomplished midfield prospect. Once eligible as an academy prospect with the Suns - living on the Gold Coast while his father was their football manager - a move to Melbourne in 2018 ended those ties to the club.
Harry Barnett
West Adelaide/SA
Ruck/key forward, 202cm, 93kg
Barnett is isn’t far behind West Adelaide teammate Lemmey when it comes to the big men of next year’s draft. The strong-marking 202cm talent gives his midfielders first use in the ruck and has a strong presence as a forward. But it’s Barnett’s follow-up work at stoppages and hands at ground level that have really caught the eye.
Judd Busslinger
East Perth/WA
Key defender, 195, 83kg
Busslinger looms as a backman to watch next year. He shone in two under-17 carnival games against South Australia, averaging 23.5 disposals, 13 marks and six intercept possessions. The East Perth product is strong aerially and at ground level. He also played one under-19 game versus SA.
Jackson Broadbent
Peel Thunder/WA
Ruck, 202cm
Broadbent showed enough promise as a bottom-ager this year to earn three senior games for the Thunder, debuting at the age of 16 and kicking Peel’s opening goal in his first match. He also played once for Western Australia’s under-19s. In eight colts games this past season, Broadbent averaged 12.4 disposals, 22 hit-outs and 2.3 marks.
Jhye Clark
Geelong Falcons/Vic Country
Midfielder, 180cm, 76kg
Clark has an array of traits as a midfielder, possessing speed, precise skills by foot, tackling pressure and the ability to win contested possessions. The Geelong Falcons product took his chance at NAB League level this year, featuring in six matches and averaging 17.5 disposals, 4.7 tackles, 4.0 marks and 81 rankings points per game. His performances improved as the season went on, culminating in 25 disposals, 10 marks, five tackles and a goal in his final game against Bendigo. Clark also impressed for Vic Country with his inside ball-winning and accurate kicking, tallying 17 touches, 10 contested possessions and five clearances.
Adam D’Aloia
Eagles/SA
Midfielder, 184cm, 84kg
This year’s top pick Jason Horne-Francis aside, D’Aloia was just about the best performed junior midfielder in South Australia this year. The teenager, who is strong, clean around the ball and boasts exceptional leadership qualities, was best-on-ground in the Eagles’ under-18 grand final win and exploded onto the national scene, finishing with ranking-point tallies of 135 and 177 in his first two under-19 carnival games for SA.
Alwyn Davey Jr
Oakleigh Chargers/Northern Territory
Forward/midfielder, 180cm
Essendon father-son prospect
Nine years after Alwyn Davey last pulled on the red and black, another is set to join the Bombers as a father-son prospect. A Darwin native boarding at Xavier College in Melbourne, Davey Jr shone in a Northern Territory All-Stats match as a 16-year-old for Team Rioli with his clean hands at ground level, forward craft, defensive pressure, and overhead marking. The lively forward/midfielder was also selected in Vic Metro’s Under-17 Championships squad and was part of Xavier College’s premiership winning APS side. Essendon fans will be following Davey Jr and his twin brother Jayden - a left-footed goalsneak – with interest next year.
Will Elliott
Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Country
Key forward-ruck, 200cm
Elliott is another Victorian prospect with famous bloodlines as the son of Australian cricketer, Matthew, who played 21 Tests for the country. A mobile 200cm key-forward/ruck, Elliott has good follow up work at ground level and covers the ground well for a big man. While Elliott’s production is low, as expected for a young tall, he booted two goals on NAB League debut for the Oakleigh Chargers, highlighting his upside.
Jed Hagan
East Fremantle/WA
Midfielder/defender, 174cm
Hagan has been a name to watch for a few years. In 2018 and 2019, he claimed the JL Williams Medal as best player at the national under-15 championships. Clean and a good decision-maker, the East Fremantle product averaged 22.4 disposals, 5.3 marks, 4.9 intercept possessions and 4.0 score involvements at colts level this year. Can play across half-back or through the midfield.
Lewis Hayes
Eastern Ranges/Vic Metro
Key defender, 195cm
A key defender with great reach, allowing him to intercept attacking forays and spoil his opponents. Hayes has the scope to play on forwards of all sizes - with his mobility and ball-winning at ground level - and is a good decision maker with the footy. The Eastern Ranges had 10 disposals at 90 per cent efficiency (seven contested) and six intercept possessions in a promising showing against Vic Country earlier this year. Hayes broke in for three NAB League games this season and looked comfortable at the level.
Elijah Hewett
Swan Districts/WA
Midfielder, 186cm, 82kg
Considered one of the best midfielders in next year’s West Australian crop, Hewett is powerful and can break lines. His running ability and tackling are among his other strengths. He averaged 22 touches and three clearances at colts level this year, starring in Swan Districts’ colts grand final win. Hewett was also WA’s best in its second under-17 carnival victory over WA with a 30-possession, two-goal showing.
Oliver Hollands
Murray Bushrangers/Vic Country
Midfielder 182cm, 70kg
The brother of highly touted midfielder Elijah Hollands – the seventh pick of the 2019 AFL Draft - shapes as another potential top-10 prospect. Hollands featured in three NAB League games for the Murray Bushrangers as a bottom-ager and fitted in seamlessly, averaging 17 disposals and five marks. There are shades of his brother in his game, sharing his burst of speed, clean hands, and ferocious attack on the ball and the man. These traits were on display for the Bushrangers and Vic Country this year, logging 23 disposals, 10 contested possessions and 111 ranking points against Vic Metro at the Under-17 Championships.
Isaac Keeler
North Adelaide/SA
Key forward/ruck, 197cm, 83kg
Adelaide NGA prospect
Described by SA Academy coach Tony Bamford as an “unbelievably naturally talented player”, the athletic Keeler is part of Adelaide’s Next Generation Academy. He’s been on the radar for some time now, and the 17-year-old, again, proved unstoppable as a forward at times at under-18 level, booting 25 goals in 15 matches last season. But his potential as a mobile ruckman, with a terrific vertical leap, is obvious, with Bamford also noting that Keeler players with more intent and effort in the ruck. Under the new NGA rules, Adelaide will not be able to match a bid for Keeler until after pick 40.
Harry Lemmey
West Adelaide/SA
Key-forward, 199cm, 93kg
The top key-position prospect of the 2022 pool, Lemmey booted 1.1 from 10 disposals and seven marks in an impressive SANFL League debut as a 17-year-old this year. Lemmey is smart, strong in the air and covers the ground well and has the ability to find space and separation from his opponent. He booted 17 goals in seven under-18 matches and impressed for SA as a bottom-ager at the national carnival, taking 13 marks and kicking four majors in three matches. Bamford expects the exciting teenager to play more senior footy for West Adelaide next season.
Max Michalanney
Norwood/SA
Defender, 190cm, 70kg
Adelaide father-son prospect
Michalanney qualifies as Crows father-son prospect after his dad, Norwood great Jim, played 211 SANFL games for the Redlegs between 1974 and 1986. And the versatile, mid-sized defender, with a nice turn of speed, is one who will receive plenty of attention in 2022.
Michalanney, who reads the play well and is very composed, can play taller than his height suggests and was the sixth-ranked player for intercept possessions at SANFL under-18 level last season.
Paul Pascu
Calder Cannons/Vic Metro
Midfielder/defender, 183cm
Pascu is an attacking midfielder/defender with blistering speed and a raking left boot. The Cannons prospect was used as an inside midfielder and off half-back as a rebounder this season, illustrating his versatility. Pascu impressed as a defender in the Under-17 Championships clash, hitting the target with 11 of his 13 disposals and finishing with nine contested possessions, six tackles and 101 ranking points. He spent more time through the middle for Calder, where his burst from congestion and contested ball-winning caught the eye. Pascu’s strongest performance came against Sandringham, tallying 20 disposals, 11 contested possessions, eight tackles and 111 ranking points.
Kobe Ryan
West Adelaide/SA
Midfielder, 182cm, 68kg
The skilful ball magnet is another top-15 contender from West Adelaide after a dominant bottom-age season saw him rank third for Champion Data ranking points (129) and fifth for disposals (27.9) of all players to play at least five games in the SANFL under-18s. Ryan is a genuine all-round midfielder, showing clean hands and toughness at the contest, as well as a terrific ability to win the ball in space and make good decisions going forward.
Tom Scully
West Adelaide/SA
Ruck/key forward, 201cm, 83kg
Scully is yet another tall prospect from West Adelaide to watch. He worked alongside Barnett in the ruck, but the strong-marking teenager proved a strong target in attack this year, booting 23.10 in 10 matches. Highlighting his potential, Scully, in just the second under-18 match of his career, tallied 18 disposals, 12 contested possessions, four hitouts-to-advantage, two contested marks, two goals and 135 ranking points.
Harry Sheezel
Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro
Forward, 183cm, 73kg
Sheezel put his name up in lights with two standout performances, which featured highlights galore. Two of the dangerous forward’s three goals against Vic Country were opportunistic snaps from stoppages – one in heavy congestion over his head on the goal line, the other on his non-preferred left boot after bursting through traffic. Sheezel finished with 13 disposals, two contested marks and 144 ranking points, underlining his exciting traits at ground level and in the air as a marking presence. He also starred as a bottom-ager for the Sandringham Dragons with five goals in three games. Sheezel was one of the best players on the ground in his final NAB League game of the season against Calder, winning 21 disposals, six marks, six tackles and booting 3.3. One who draft watchers will love seeing in action next year.
Elijah Tsatas
Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro
Midfielder, 184cm, 73kg
Tsatas will enter 2022 as one of the No.1 pick contenders – just like fellow Oakleigh Chargers products Nick Daicos and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan in the past two years. The explosive midfielder turned heads in the under-17 national championships match against Vic Country with his evasiveness and vision by hand at the contest, coupled with his breakaway speed away from it. He tallied 25 disposals, nine score involvements 143 ranking points and a goal, which came from a blistering run with a series of bounces from the wing. Tsatas broke into a talented Chargers line-up as a bottom-ager earlier in the year, catching the eye with his clean hands and composure in traffic on the way to 11 touches.
George Wardlaw
Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro
Midfielder, 181cm, 72kg
Wardlaw is a competitive beast who wins contested ball at will at the coalface. The relentless midfielder won a staggering 75 per cent of his possessions in a contest for the Oakleigh Chargers in his NAB League debut, finishing with 19 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 10 clearances, seven tackles and 119 ranking points. Earlier in the year he stood tall for Vic Metro with 22 disposals, 14 contested possessions, seven tackles, six clearances, 163 ranking points and a goal - where he also showcased his decision-making by foot, quick hands and his burst of speed from stoppages. Wardlaw applies manic defensive pressure and has an innate ability to shake opposition tacklers, making him an extremely well-rounded midfield prospect who should feature at the pointy-end of proceedings in next year’s draft.
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