Sky’s the limit for former basketballer and draft prospect Jay Rantall

Everyone young footballer hits the AFL draft combine looking to break a testing record. But how in the world did Jay Rantall smash a full 14 seconds of one? Take a look at one of the draft’s best athletes.

Jay Rantall leads Finn Maginess in the 2km time trial at the draft combine. Picture: Michael Klein

At the beginning of the year Jay Rantall’s chances of landing on an AFL list were up in the air.

The former Australian junior basketballer had spent several seasons with the Greater Western Victoria Rebels, but commitments with the national team took up the majority of his time.

The endurance machine had been a member of the Australian Institute of Sports under-18 basketball team, but opted to go all-in with footy in 2019.

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“He’s certainly an endurance beast and he loves the hard work,” Rebels talent manager Paul Partington said.

“He’s got very good vision and very good game sense so a lot of basketball traits come into his game, but he’s got some grunt about him as well.”

Trading the basketball for the Sherrin has seen the midfielder thrive, taking out the Rebels best and fairest award and representing Vic Metro in the National Championships in just his first year of full time footy.

Rantall registered well rounded numbers across the season, averaging 25 touches, 6.5 tackles and just under a goal a game in the NAB League.

But it was the AFL Draft Combine where Rantall put his name up in lights. The midfielder clocked a staggering time of 5:50 across 2km – blitzing the previous combine record by 14 seconds – and finished equal first in the yo-yo test, reaching level 21.8.

Partington, who has had front row seats to his development, expects Rantall’s rapid rise to continue.

“He’s had an outstanding year for someone who hasn’t played much footy over the last five years,” Partington explained.

“The players he’s competing against; they’ve probably been playing full time footy for six or seven months before he’s even started footy, so I think there’s great scope for him to improve.

“You look at other players who have gone on to play AFL footy, endurance players, and Jay’s beaten their records by 14 seconds. It certainly shows he has elite endurance which AFL clubs really look at into the draft.”

That endurance base and his improvement has come through sheer hard work. Rantall is a natural competitor who strives for perfection in all walks of life, with Partington saying he is the best high performance athlete he has worked with in his 14 years at the Rebels.

“Jay’s got a very high performance mindset, he’s very determined to be the best that he can be and you can see that with his schoolwork and also his sporting aspirations,” he said.

“He wants to be the best at everything he can do so I think that’s a great step up into the AFL world, it’s a competitive world and he’s a competitive young man.”

Jay Rantall leads the way in the 2km time trial at the AFL Draft combine. Picture: Michael Klein

There was no better example of this than the 2km time trial. The Warnambool product was neck-and-neck with potential father-son prospect Finn Maginness, edging him out by a single second when the pressure was on

“I think I was more excited about his mindset on the day, just never going to get beaten. He was challenged a few times in the run and just didn’t want to give up,” Partington said with a smile.

Despite his fitness prowess, he remains a raw draft prospect. The gut-runner worked tirelessly on his kicking throughout the season – improving his kicking “immensely” – but Partington says it is something he will have to continue to work on.

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“Jay knows himself his kicking needs work and he hasn’t had the work in his kicking like other players,” Partington said.

Considering his exceptional development and his drive to succeed, you would expect him to improve that and more at the top level.

“He’s got a bit to work on, there’s no guarantee he’ll get drafted but we’re quietly confident that he’ll be on an AFL list at some stage.”

Originally published as Sky’s the limit for former basketballer and draft prospect Jay Rantall