The 7 young stars who have climbed up AFL club draft boards
The best young talent across the country squared off against Geelong’s VFL team over the weekend. See which top prospects handled the jump in class.
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Giants Academy ace Josh Fahey proved he can match it with the big boys as the rebounding defender further enhanced his AFL draft prospects on Saturday.
Fahey was a standout performer in the NAB AFL Academy squad’s clash with Geelong’s VFL team at GMHBA Stadium, winning the best-on-ground medal under the watchful eyes of a raft of AFL club recruiters in the stands.
However, a host of other players also helped lift their names on the draft boards of clubs with good games — or at least good moments — despite a 130-point loss.
Here are seven players from the game who caught the eye — and what NAB AFL Academy coach Tarkyn Lockyer thought of their performances.
JOSH FAHEY
GIANTS Academy/NSW/ACT
17, 186cm, 76kg
Followed in the footsteps of the likes of Matt Rowell, Ben King and Angus Brayshaw in winning the MCC Chairman’s Medal as the NAB AFL Academy’s best player in the annual exhibition match. A rebounding defender with pace and a booming left-foot kick, Fahey recorded 23 disposals, nine rebound 50s and two marks. He is a versatile player who can also play on a wing and is strong in one-on-one contests. Fahey had been considered a late first-round pick, but might climb a few spots on the draft boards of some clubs after the impressive showing. The Giants will be hoping he gets to pick 21 or later, though, given the first 20 picks are now protected from Academy bids being matched.
Tarkyn Lockyer says: “I thought he did really well. He gave us some really good drive off half. The one thing I really like about Josh is his willingness to organise teammates and his direction. His leadership stuff was fantastic and he’s been like that all week.”
NICK DAICOS
Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro
18, 183cm, 72kg
Widely considered the best player in this year’s draft pool, Daicos did that reputation no harm with another solid performance against the bigger bodies of Geelong’s VFL side. Playing primarily in an onball role, Daicos was the shining light of a midfield group that was soundly beaten overall. The son of Collingwood great Peter and brother of current Magpies ace Josh, Daicos logged a team-high 26 disposals, 19 of which were kicks. He also accumulated six clearances, four marks and five inside-50s. However, he was not able to hit the scoreboard, missing two shots on goal. A player with a high football IQ, Daicos has silky skills, a serious goal sense and good workrate.
Tarkyn Lockyer says: “Daics was Okay. He mostly played midfield, with a little bit of time forward. It wasn’t his best game, but he’s got really high expectations of himself and everyone else as well. But it was a learning experience for him to play against a VFL opposition.”
JASON HORNE
South Adelaide/SA
17, 184cm, 78kg
Recruiters have Horne alongside Nick Daicos as the two standout players in this year’s draft and while it was not the midfielder’s best game in Geelong, he showed some good attributes. Horne had only 11 disposals in the lopsided contest, but managed four clearances from those and showed a good leap with one of his two marks. Likened to Adelaide skipper Rory Sloane, Horne also showed a strong workrate with his ability to work up and down the ground and laid a game-high seven tackles. Horne does not turn 18 until June but has been playing senior SANFL football since mid-last year, where he has made a big impact.
Tarkyn Lockyer says: “He had his moments, and I think a lot of the players were like that. They had their moments where they showed what’s to come in the future. But it also just showed they’ve got work to do because they’re not there yet.”
MATTHEW JOHNSON
Subiaco/WA
18, 191cm, 80kg
The West Australian midfielder certainly caught the eye of some recruiters, particularly with a strong first quarter. Johnson had five disposals to quarter-time and showed run and carry, composure and good ball use. He finished with the third-most touches for the AFL Academy team with 14, as well as four marks. Johnson played in the WAFL Colts premiership for Subiaco last year, a game in which he recorded 22 disposals and 143 KFC SuperCoach ranking points. He has been touted as a potential top-10 draft pick and showed class against the Cats to back that up.
Tarkyn Lockyer says: “I thought Matty was really clean. I thought his marking stood out and his clean hands. He did pretty well.”
NEIL ERASMUS
Subiaco/WA
17, 192cm, 80kg
Primarily played as a forward in the WAFL Colts last year, Erasmus was shifted into a midfield role to start this season and quickly shot up AFL club draft board rankings. His late call-up to the AFL Academy squad was little surprise, after he had averaged 28.3 disposals, 8 marks, 6.7 clearances and 168 KFC SuperCoach ranking points from his first three WAFL games. Erasmus spent more time as a forward rather than a midfielder against Geelong, at an attacking end that did not see much of the ball. However, he still managed to catch the eye of recruiters and finished with 12 disposals and five marks. His overhead marking is a clear strength – displayed by two strong contested marks – as well as his follow-up work.
Tarkyn Lockyer says: “He was good, Neil. He found the footy and made some really good decisions. He just did the basic stuff really well, which is half the game.”
NED MOYLE
Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro
19, 205cm, 87kg
One of nine additions to the initial AFL Academy squad in April after a bumper start to the NAB League season, Moyle showed himself to be a competitive young ruckman against the Cats. Recruiters liked what they saw in the giant, who worked hard both in the ruck and with his follow-up work at ground level and around the ground. A member of Collingwood’s VFL Development List, Moyle finished with 11 disposals, three marks and three clearances to go with his 13 hit-outs as the side’s No. 1 ruckman for the game. Moyle primarily went up against Geelong AFL-listed ruckman Darcy Fort during the clash. Like most big ruckmen, Moyle is expected to be a slow burn but has worked hard on his game since missing selection in last year’s draft.
Tarkyn Lockyer says: “They (Geelong) have got some big boys, so I thought Ned competed really well, did some nice things around the ground and marked the ball pretty well.”
MAC ANDREW
Dandenong Stingrays/Vic Country
18, 200cm, 70kg
A Melbourne Next Generation Academy member, Andrew started the game against Geelong in a forward line that wasn’t seeing much ball before being pushed to a backline that was being picked apart for much of the game. However, he was given a run in the ruck in the last quarter and showed what he can do. The mobile big man covers the ground effortlessly, possesses a giant jump and becomes an extra midfielder once the ball hits the ground out of the ruck contest. He’s got a nice kick and is being talked about by recruiters as a top-20 draft prospect having “come out of nowhere” this year to earn a late AFL Academy squad call-up. Andrew finished the clash against the Cats with nine disposals, three marks, five hit-outs and two clearances.
Tarkyn Lockyer says: “We gave him that opportunity (in the ruck) in the last quarter. We knew that we had to fill a couple of spots so he played forward, back. But we put him in the ruck and he showed what he’s capable of.”
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