AFL Draft 2020: Central District’s Corey Durdin on how he’s turned to a North Melbourne legend to help forward his career
Central District jet Corey Durdin has sought advice from AFL games record holder and North Melbourne legend Brent Harvey to take his game to the next level. He is one of SA’s hottest 25 draft prospects for 2020 – see the rest here.
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Central District pocket rocket Corey Durdin has revealed how he has turned to a Kangaroos legend to help silence the doubters.
Winner of the Kevin Sheehan Medal as the best player at the AFL under-16 championships two years ago and a star in three league games with the Bulldogs last season, Durdin has heard all the noise about him being too small, at 173cm and 72kg, to make it in the big league.
But time spent with VFL-AFL games record holder Brent “Boomer’’ Harvey last year has given the pacy Durdin the confidence he needed to continue to chase his dreams.
Dubbed “mini-Boomer’’ by former St Kilda and North Melbourne star midfielder Nick Dal Santo when he was with the Australian under-17 team last year, Durdin reached out to 432-game Kangaroos small forward/midfielder Harvey, who was an assistant coach with the national side that played New Zealand.
“Boomer’s been a big inspiration for me,’’ Durdin, 18, said.
“Nick called me ‘mini-Boomer’ in training camp, so I took that as a bit of a compliment and it gave me the confidence to approach ‘Boomer’ and talk to him about his career and ask if he could give me any advice.
“He was great and told me not to let my size define me and if I continue to play the game like I do and use my speed and skills then I’ll shine.
“To see what he did throughout his career, at his height, I’m definitely aspiring to be like him.’’
Durdin started his career in Central’s under-age development squads as a midfielder but has begun to focus more on his forward craft, partly because of his short stature.
“This year has been a lot about improving my forward line work, causing damage inside 50, tackling pressure and crumbing at the front of packs,’’ he said.
“I had mainly been a midfielder but the State under-18 coach Tony Bamford said it would be good if I could increase my versatility and play a bit more up forward.
“I played there in my league games last year and our new coach Jeff Andrews has been really big on our forward pressure and wants me to play a key role with that.’’
Long-time Bulldogs chief executive Kris Grant is a big admirer of Durdin, describing him as “an excitement machine’’.
He takes exception to those who question his AFL credentials because of his height.
“We’ve seen what similar types in Eddie Betts and Caleb Daniel have done in the AFL and Corey has the same explosiveness,’’ Grant said.
Durdin believes he could make a similar early impact to his former State under-age teammate Kysaiah Pickett, who was a draft bolter last year, going to Melbourne at pick 12 and shining in round one against West Coast.
The nephew of Port Adelaide’s 2004 Norm Smith Medallist stands at just 171cm and 71kg but is a forward line/midfield wrecking ball.
“I’ve seen plenty of small blokes get through the system and ‘Kossie’ (Pickett) is the latest, so I don’t think my height should be a factor at all,’’ said Durdin, who kicked three goals in his league debut against Norwood in round 17 last year.
He said he was “shocked’’ when the SANFL season was shut down in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic but had not wasted time waiting for matches to start.
“I quickly adapted and got stuck into improving myself,’’ Durdin said.
“I was running three times a week with a couple of mates, did some online leadership and business marketing courses, and started helping around the family house more, including cooking dinner.’’
Now, with the SA Government and SANFL giving the green light for clubs to start training again in groups of 10 from next Monday, Durdin can see light at the end of the tunnel.
“I can’t wait for footy to start again,’’ he said.
“Obviously it’s a big year for me draft wise but my focus at the moment is to play as many league games as possible and, if there is a national under-18 championships, to excel there, try to help SA win the title and hopefully earn an All-Australian position.’’
Do that and the rest will take care of itself.
Meet Riley Thilthorpe
Riley Thilthorpe means business.
While football’s COVID-19 shutdown has kept players off the ground and left the AFL’s best draft prospects in danger of having their development stalled, the potential No. 1 pick says he is one of the “lucky ones’’ and will emerge an even better player.
Declaring he wants to be the best player of his age group in the land, the West Adelaide giant has in the past two months taken full advantage of a home gym set-up that would be the envy of most AFL players, nonetheless school kids.
“Mum (Claudine) used to be a personal trainer and she kept a lot of equipment – a bench-press table, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, boxing gear, big ropes, a whole variety of stuff,” Thilthorpe said.
“We’ve basically turned our backyard into a mini gym, which has been incredibly handy.
“It’s meant I’ve been able to push hard and keep bettering myself while no games are being played.
“I feel stronger, faster, fitter and better than I was before the shutdown, so I feel very lucky to be in the position I’m in.’’
Thilthorpe, 17 and standing at an imposing 201cm, has put on 2kg of muscle since the SANFL announced in mid-March that its season was on hold until at least May 31.
The key forward/ruckman now tips the scales at 102kg and has been undertaking 10 intense sessions a week – three gym, three running and four skills.
While his mum’s gym equipment at their Everard Park home has been a godsend, so has a trampoline that Thilthorpe has taken off its stand and turned into rebound net.
“The trampoline wasn’t being used much, so I convinced mum to let me turn it into a bit of a net,’’ he said.
“We hung it off the balcony, put some ropes on it, so I can kick and handball into it.
“I’ve used it heaps, it’s been a bit of a life saver for me.
“When I get bored I even hit golf balls into it. It’s really helped me get through this isolation period.’’
Thilthorpe, a Year 12 student at Adelaide High School who chose football over the two other sports he was good at, cricket and ice hockey (his dad Ben represented Australia), said while he was missing footy he had used the shutdown period to try to take his game to the next level.
“I have focused on areas of my game that were lacking, particularly strength,’’ he said.
“If you are going to go head-to-head with SANFL ruckmen, who are strong and physical, you need to be pretty strong yourself, so I’ve worked hard with the weights.
“Running has been another focus, particularly the burst sprint work.’’
Thilthorpe is one of Australia’s most exciting young talents.
So athletic for a big man that he wants to spend some time playing as a pure midfielder this season, he kicked three goals in his second league game for the Bloods against Sturt in round 14 last year and finished with eight goals from six appearances.
His strong performances came after an injury-affected campaign that saw him hurt both shoulders and miss the AFL under-18 championships with an ankle injury.
With the SANFL season close to getting the green light to start next month as South Australia controls the spread of the coronavirus, Thilthorpe is “itching to get back out there and play’’.
“I’ve been watching the Michael Jordan documentary (The Last Dance) and it’s got me even more excited at the chance to show what I can do,’’ he said.
Thilthorpe, who spent a week training with Port Adelaide during summer as a member of SA’s AFL Academy Hub, is hopeful a national under-18 carnival also can be staged, even if the format is altered.
“Playing against the best kids your age is always really exciting and I want to show that I’m the best out of all of them,’’ he said.
Thilthorpe is expected to go high in the draft, but who are the best of the rest in SA?
The Advertiser asked the eight SANFL clubs, not including AFL-affiliated Adelaide and Port Adelaide, to nominate their top draft-eligible teenage prospects, with a minimum of two and a maximum of five.
Here’s the rest of the top 25.
CENTRAL DISTRICT
(Chief executive Kris Grant)
LACHLAN GRUBB
17, wingman
175cm, 70kg
“He’s very quick with his blistering pace being the real key to his game. He is a long distance runner too and he has good skills, with the ability to use both sides of his body.’’
GLENELG
(Head of football Paul Sandercock)
LUKE EDWARDS
18, halfback/midfielder
187cm, 78kg
(Crows father-son prospect)
“Luke has an exceptional ability to read the play and get in the right spots. His peripheral vision is such that he can see things that others don’t. He is well balanced, good in traffic and while he has played mostly as a playmaking defender he’ll probably end up as a midfielder with the potential to go forward and kick goals. We’d like to see him play senior football this year.’’
KAINE BALDWIN
17, key forward
194cm, 93kg
“We haven’t seen a lot of Kaine play recently because he missed all of last season following a knee reconstruction but he’s a real talent. He has strong hands, can take a pack park, leads and competes well and is very good below his knees for a big bloke. He’s an impressive kid with leadership qualities.’’
CALLUM PARK
19, wing/halfback
190cm, 74kg
“Was very unlucky not to be drafted last year and was really impressive in the pre-season, including in a league trial against the Eagles. He’s grown a bit more and while he needs to put on some weight he has plenty of fine attributes, including his kick and running ability. He can play in various positions, halfback, wing and up forward.’’
JORDAN MOORE
18, key defender
196cm, 92kg
“He was a late comer to football and has only been playing for three or four years but he’s really emerging as a tall, athletic defender. He needs to get stronger but he’s a good decision maker, good for his size at ground level and has a big upside.’’
REID KULLER
18, midfielder
178cm, 78kg
“Reid’s a tough, in-and-under midfielder from Mount Gambier who we also thought would be drafted last year. He has really good vision, reads the game well and has a penetrating left-foot kick.’’
NORTH ADELAIDE
(Football development manager Neil Sanders)
JAMISON MURPHY
17, midfielder/defender
181cm, 82kg
“Jamison’s only this year concentrated on football, as he was an elite-level cricketer, so there’s a fair bit of upside. He’s a long, penetrating kick, who is strong over the ball and reads the play exceptionally well. He’s a great leader. He’ll captain our under-18s and if the State program got going, I imagine he’d be in the leadership group there too.”
TARIEK NEWCHURCH
17, Midfielder/forward
185cm, 72kg
(Crows NGA prospect)
“It was Tariek’s first year with us last year. From where he’s come from, he’s got plenty of upside, he’s got plenty of traits. He’s very fast, elusive and has great goal sense. He’s moved to Adelaide to go to Henley High so he’s been training with the under-18s as well as doing a bit of work with the seniors. We’ll play him on-ball in the under-18s but at State level, he’ll be a forward-wingman.”
NORWOOD
(Football operations manager Mark Ross)
HENRY NELLIGAN
18, midfielder/small forward
171cm, 70kg
“He’s really clever, finds a lot of footy. He’s your old (Brownlow Medallist) Sam Mitchell type. He’s not very quick but he’s really smart and has no trouble finding the ball. He also uses it well and is clever around goal.’’
NED CAREY
17, ruckman
198cm, 89kg
“We love the way Ned attacks the ball, He’s super competitive and loves to crash packs and take contested marks. He had a disrupted second half of 2019 with injuries but he’s going to be well built and inspires his teammates with his hard-at-it approach.’’
SAM DUKE
18, key forward/defender
193cm, 81kg
“He’s a big forward who can also play as a defender. Sam can take a catch and is a really good, long kick. He’s one AFL clubs will look at because of his size and agility.’’
SOUTH ADELAIDE
(Chief executive Neill Sharpe)
ZAC DUMESNY
18, halfback/wing
186cm, 78kg
“Zac’s a really good, talented kid who has improved steadily throughout his journey. He’s an excellent kick, has good aerial ability and is a good decision maker. He’s your genuine utility in that he can play just about anywhere.’’
NICK KRAEMER
18, midfielder
185cm, 86kg
“He’s a steady, strong, big-bodied midfielder who is a really strong character. Nick finds a way to compete in games and find the ball. He loves crashing into packs.’’
STURT
(Centre of excellence manager Michael Higgs)
JAMES BORLASE
17, key defender
191cm, 88kg
(Crows NGA prospect)
“He’s improved out of sight in the past 18 months. He’s really good in the air, his contested marking has been a real big improvement and he’s a nice kick. Not an elite level kick but his efficiency is really high because he makes good decisions. James has extremely long arms so, even though he doesn’t have the actual height, he has the reach. He could easily play as a third-tall but I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays as a centre half-back or fullback (at the next level). He’s our best chance this year.”
TOM POWELL
18, midfielder
180cm, 70kg
“He’s been injured at lot through under-16s and under-17s and he had hip surgery in the off-season, and he’s a college boy, so we haven’t seen as much of him as we would’ve liked. But he’s a brilliant decision-maker, really clean on the inside and just racks up possessions. His vision from inside the contest and ability to flick a handball out 15 metres is fantastic. He’s a real natural footballer. He made the SA Hub off one game but he needs some footy this year.”
MANI LIDDY
18, Midfielder
183cm, 77kg
“A big-bodied inside mid who is really strong over the contest and really clean on the inside. He’s a bull, he owns his area and owns his opponent. He gives himself every opportunity, he’s the ultimate professional. As good as I’ve seen in terms of dedication to his craft.”
WEST ADELAIDE
(Talent and development manager Paul Streatfield)
JYE SINDERBERRY
18, defender
188cm, 82kg
“Had a very good under-16 year and has been very solid over the past couple of years. He’s one we expect to start in the reserves, playing down back. His pre-season was excellent – the way he’s improved his ball-use by foot, in particular. He’s one to watch.”
BAILEY CHAMBERLAIN
17, midfielder
177cm, 68kg
“Bailey played some excellent footy last year and we would’ve expected him to have an impact not only at our footy club but at state level this year. His ability to move in traffic in the midfield and get out of congestion is a massive attribute. And he’s ball-use has improved a lot. The sky is the limit in a certain sense, given the way he’s improved in the past 12 months after breaking his arm in his under-16 year.”
HARVEY BOCK
17, Defender
182cm, 84kg
“We had a few who we thought were pretty unlucky to miss out on the Hub team this year but think would’ve been a reasonable chance to be added to the squad of 40 to go to Perth before that was cancelled. Harvey Bock was one of those. He’s our under-18 captain and was the outstanding choice in our group for a leadership role. His strength across halfback is his intercept-marking and his ability to move the ball quickly of one or two steps and hit targets 40 or 50 metres away is a huge weapon. Michael Laudato and Hugo Kelly are the others.”
WOODVILLE-WEST TORRENS
(Talent manager Darren Hams)
LACHLAN JONES
18, defender
184cm, 85kg
(Power NGA prospect)
“He’s a powerful player. He’s speed from 0 to 10 is elite. And he’s solidly built to go with his power. He’s a long, penetrating pick, too. He has the ability to play on tall and smalls but I think he can develop into a pretty good midfielder long-term. A first-round draft pick every day of the week.”
TAJ SCHOFIELD
17, midfielder/forward
177cm, 74kg
(Power father-son prospect)
“Taj’s strength is his elite ball-use by foot on the outside. He’s a brilliant user and finisher. The 17-year-old showed off his clean hands and skills in the AFL grand final curtain-raiser last year.”
HENRY SMITH
17, ruckman
202cm, 82kg
“Henry is a developing ruckman but he’s an athlete. He’s actually one of the best players in our group for ground balls. For someone that tall, he’s really elite with his ground balls. He likes the contest as well, that’s his strength.”
CALEB POULTER
17, midfielder/utility
191cm, 74kg
“A smooth-moving left-footer from Ardrossan who uses the footy really well. He just looks really good, he’s one of those left-footers who can get out of trouble. He’s a nice size, a typical tall-wingman type.”
Originally published as AFL Draft 2020: Central District’s Corey Durdin on how he’s turned to a North Melbourne legend to help forward his career
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