2008 draft talent analysis: Jason McCartney (afl)

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In his role as the AFL's youth and high performance coordinator Jason McCartney has worked extensively with the elite footballing talent eligible for the 2008 NAB AFL Draft.

Tall Defenders
 
Michael Gugliotta
DOB: 26/6/90
State league: NT
Club: Nightcliff

JM: Googs was in our AIS/AFL Academy two years ago and he's an extremely athletic player and presented outstandingly well in most of the physical components of Draft Camp.

I think there will be a fair bit of interest in him from clubs, probably not on what he's delivered yet, but just because of his size, shape and athleticism.

He's been a bit of a project player for us at the academy over the last couple of years. He didn't win a lot of the footy at the under-18 championships, but what was pleasing was the way he stood up under pressure when required.

I saw him go back with the flight with his hands above his head, which is extremely brave because he knew the pack was coming, and he marked it and in the same game he ran with the flight and marked it Jonathan Brown-style. He's improved his kicking and he's still got a bit to do there, but he's a player who, in a really good quality development program, could end up being a midfielder."

Matthew Broadbent
DOB: 1/8/90
State league: SA
Club: Woodville-West Torrens

JM: Broady was with us at the AIS/AFL Academy this year and actually played a bit of senior footy with the (Woodville-West Torrens) Eagles. He's a player that you look at and he's a solid all-rounder and someone you'd love to have in your team. He's probably not going to be one of the stars, but he runs hard, he runs straight and he's disciplined.

I know Vossy (ex AIS/AFL Development Coach Michael Voss) encouraged him to take the opposition on a bit more when he gets the footy and you could see in games where he was actually trying to act on that.

He was probably one of SA's better players in the first three games of the under-18 championships and he came over to Melbourne and finished off playing a really good brand of footy.

He was playing half-back, and at times through the midfield, attacking the ball hard with clean hands and then running and breaking the lines. He's a good disciplined kid who had a run-with role in one game and played very well.

Jordan Jones
DOB: 29/6/90
State league: VIC
Club: Geelong Falcons

JM: Jordan was the centre half-back for the Vic Country side and the games I saw him in he was a solid contributor who was very good in one-on-one situations. He provides a lot of rebound and wins the contested footy well in a marking situation.

He's not a defender who will just try and nullify an opponent – he is able to win the footy and run off and create.

Michael Hurley
DOB: 01/6/90
State league: VIC
Club: Northern Knights

JM: Michael's one of our AIS/AFL Academy boys and to me he is just a natural defender who I think can just walk into an AFL club and play.

There haven't been many players in the last couple of years who have been able to come in through the NAB AFL Draft and play straight away and I don't want to put those expectations on Hurls, but I think as a key defender he wouldn't be that far off it.

He played a bit of footy as a forward this year with some success – I think he kicked seven goals in one game for the Knights – and I think that's great for his development as a backman.

The ball just doesn't get past him in the back line. He's strong and he's physically intimidating, even though he's not huge at 192 cm, and he's a beautiful kick of the footy. Whether he's at full back or centre half-back when he gets the football in his hands he disposes of it well.

He's not super quick, but reads the ball well and does something that I haven't seen many kids do or even many players at senior level, and that's have the ability to spoil the ball well with either hand. So if he's caught out of position a bit he can very naturally get his left or right fist in. On a fast flat track at Telstra Dome his speed wasn't an issue and he played very well.

He'll be a good pick-up and you'd have to think that Port Adelaide, Essendon or Carlton would look at him in the first round (in the draft).

Casey Sibosado
DOB: 13/10/90
State league: NT
Club: Northern Territory Thunder

JM: Casey is actually from up in the Kimberley region in WA, but he ended up playing for NT at under-18 level because they get a few concessions for their small population.

One of the best things Casey did this year was play for Oakleigh Chargers after his commitment with Xavier College which really helped his development. He moves really well, has great athleticism and is real rangy in his movements and covers the ground well. He did a couple of things in games which made you say; 'yeah, he can play'.

There's a bit of x-factor about him, a bit of excitement, and he'll really benefit from a solid pre-season. I think he would be an exceptional late pick-up.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/AFL2008/News/Article/tabid/6301/default.aspx?newsid=69264

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Medium Defenders

Kade Klemke
DOB: 22/7/90
State league: NSW
Club: Gippsland Power

JM: I saw some similarities between Kade and Jack Ziebell in that he has some really good leadership qualities as well.

He reads the play well and has that ability to cut off the lead of the opposition and take the mark and, more often than not, he uses the footy well on the way out. He's a good inside player and he had a really consistent year.

Rhys O'Keefe
DOB: 8/8/90
State league: SA
Club: North Adelaide

JM: Rhys played across half-back early in the championships for SA and I also saw him play a bit more through the midfield later on.

He has a penetrating left foot and runs really hard and straight at the ball; there's never any deviation and he's a real inside player. In the first game he had 20-odd disposals but I think the thing that impressed me most was his ability to go and win the hard footy.

Tyson Slattery
DOB: 3/12/90
State league: SA
Club: West Adelaide

JM: We have a camp with the AIS-AFL Academy each December for guys who were close to getting a scholarship, but didn't quite make it and Tyson came to that and he struck me as a really impressive, good quality kid.

He played off half-back and the wing during the championships and he carried the ball really well. He wins his own footy, but what really stands out his ability to run and carry and break the lines.

Ashley Smith
DOB: 20/7/90
State league: VIC
Club: Dandenong Stingrays

JM: Ash was with the Academy two years ago as a bottom-aged lad and he plays mostly off half-back and is super quick - he won the 20m sprint test at draft camp. He's a great kick who started the year really well at TAC Cup level, but had some injury issues leading into the championships which meant he didn't play until late.

He had a fantastic game playing as a small defender in the Stingrays' preliminary final win. He has the ability to beat his man, but what I found really impressive were the strides he took this year in terms of his footy knowledge. He knows when to stay and when to leave his man and influence the play. He would have had 10 or 12 possessions in the third quarter of that prelim to really influence the outcome.

Rory Sloane
DOB: 17/3/90
State league: VIC
Club: Eastern Ranges

JM: Rory's an amazing young lad. I met him at draft camp and he wasn't a boy that was over-awed in any of the interview situations. He's really down to earth and David Parkin made the comment that it was so refreshing to see a player who, for the whole three days, was so excited to be where he was and really enjoy what is a mentally and physically taxing environment.

Toward the end, the strain was starting to show in a few of the guys and here's this kid still bubbling along. He's got good leadership qualities and is a real character."

Steele Sidebottom
DOB: 2/1/91
State league: VIC
Club: Murray Bushrangers

JM: Steele was in the medium defenders' group at draft camp, but he obviously caused a bit of a stir with 10 goals in the TAC Cup Grand Final. The great thing about Steele is his ability to win the footy in and around the clearances. He had 30 possessions, took 14 or 15 marks and had 10 clearances in that match, so it wasn't like he was playing as a permanent forward either.

He played through the midfield and up forward mostly with the AIS and he has the ability to lose his man in traffic. He knows how to create space which is a great strength and wins the contested footy. I've seen him gather 16 possessions in a quarter of footy for the Bushrangers playing as a defensive wingman.

He'll probably end up playing through the middle and up forward in the AFL, but he can also play in defence. He's very natural with his kicking to the point where when I first saw him play I couldn't tell whether he was left or right footed. He doesn't test super quick over 20m, but he's got a fantastic side step which means he rarely gets caught with the ball.

He's a potential top 10 pick and, remarkably, the longer the TAC Cup season went, when the wear and tear was showing on a few others, Steele just kept getting better and better.

I've never seen him down either – he's always got a silly Anthony Stevens-type grin on his face all the time – he's like a Labrador pup; he's got a lot of energy and is a really good kid.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/AFL2008/News/Article/tabid/6301/default.aspx?newsid=69263

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MEDIUM MIDFIELDERS

Dayne Beams             
DOB: 12/2/90
State league: QLD
Club: Southport
JM: Dayne was extremely good for Queensland in division two of the under-18 championships. He just kept winning the footy and he runs the lines well. Dayne could easily play a few AFL games next year because he's had a year or so of senior footy at AFLQ level.

He chose not to go with the Gold Coast franchise because he is a bit more mature than some of the guys who did sign with them and he perhaps would have done himself out of some senior experience waiting for 2011.

I'm not sure whether he'll be a star in your team, but he's one of those guys who will be a real solid contributor on a regular basis.

Hamish Hartlett          
DOB: 12/8/90
State league: SA
Club: West Adelaide
JM: When you look at sheer talent alone, Hamish is probably in the top three or four in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft; he has exquisite skills and balance.

In South Australia's first game against Tasmania at the Adelaide Oval I remember the ball being loose at half-forward and, with opposition players around him, he somehow reached in and grabbed it away from two Tassie players, did a blind turn and nailed the goal from 50m off two steps.

It was actually a bit frustrating watching him in those first two games of the championships because everything he did was quality, but he just wasn't getting enough of the ball. It was no coincidence that when SA did better later in the tournament, Hamish had two really good games.

He's very laid back and he's a great kid, but he's just needs … to be a little bit more meticulous in his preparation. He's a super talent though; he's a ripper and he'll be a great pick-up for someone.

Mitch Robinson         
DOB: 07/6/89
State league: TAS
Club: Tassie Mariners
JM: Along with Stephen Hill and Ryan Schoenmakers, Mitch really jumped out for me at this year's championships. He won the medal for best player in division two and then stepped up into division one and kept playing the same sort of football.

He carried the ball extremely well, took the game on and any time he got the ball he'd do something good with it. He's got great penetration on his kicks and he would have averaged in the high 20's for possessions in every game. Mitch was a real standout – there's no doubt about that – and he ended up being named All-Australian.

The good kids in division two, sometimes there's a bit of a question over how they would handle the better quality opposition, but Mitch – and most of his teammates for that matter – played well in division one after they qualified. Click here to watch Mitch Robinson in action - http://bigpondvideo.com/AFLTV/64036


Jack Ziebell                
DOB: 28/2/91
State league: VIC
Club: Murray Bushrangers
JM: Jack Ziebell is potentially an AFL captain. He was in our AIS/AFL Academy this year and he was one of the five nominated leaders of the group. He doesn't say a lot around the place, but when he's on the track or on the field he leads by his actions and he gives great direction and is very instructional.

Jack won the Ben Mitchell Medal at the academy which is voted on by the 30 scholarship holders [based on a core set of values and key qualities] and he won it with 34 votes and the next best was 17.

A game that stands out for me was for the AIS team in Perth after we'd just flown back from South Africa the day before. It's a bit of a test for the boys with the travel and the changing time zones and it was pouring rain as well.

We played West Perth and Jack was one of the standouts. He isn't the quickest player, but he reads the play extremely well, he's great around stoppages, he's a good kick and he sees the game so well. That day when guys were falling over left, right and centre, he was strong at the footy didn't get knocked off the ball and showed outstanding leadership.

He marks going back into packs, he smothers, tackles – the whole package – and he just reeks of leadership. Click here to watch Jack Ziebell in action - http://bigpondvideo.com/AFLTV/64069


Matthew DeBoer        
DOB: 10/3/90
State league: WA
Club: Claremont
JM: Matty chose not to nominate for the draft last year and he just accumulates lots of the footy. He probably lacked a bit of penetration in his kicking early on, but he's got a great attitude and he's worked his backside off to address that. I think it's a good sign when you've got a guy who is willing to do some hard work to make a change.

Matt has a high work-rate on the field, has really good endurance and is really good at the clearances; he's just constantly winning the footy.

Tom Swift        
DOB: 06/7/90
State league: WA
Club: Claremont
JM: Tommy will be a really interesting one come draft day because he was in our AIS/AFL Academy last year and Daniel Rich was in that side at the time and I believe there wasn't much difference between the two of them.

What happened with Tom though was he did his knee in our first game in Perth on the way to South Africa and spent 12 months off in rehab. Coming back this year he had a setback with his opposite knee, not an ACL, but it saw him miss the under-18 championships.

He's a super intelligent kid and didn't miss a session in his rehab; he's very diligent in his preparation and has a high work ethic. So when he came to Draft Camp his speed was good and his beep test was good as well.

He didn't end up playing, not because of the knee, but he's 192 cm now and he's had some growing pains with that. He's virtually missed nearly two years of footy, but I think he might surprise a few people with how high he gets taken.

Tom sets really high standards for himself and he just wants to achieve.

Daniel Rich   
DOB: 07/6/90
State league: WA
Club: Subiaco
JM: I don't think there would be many players who have gone into the draft in recent times being a dual-premiership player at senior level. Daniel was in our academy last year and he's been All-Australian for two years.

It was interesting to watch Daniel in the under-18 championships this year. Last year he was part of a gun midfield with Chris Masten, Rhys Palmer and those guys, but this time he was a target for the opposition and he probably struggled to come to terms with it early.

He worked away at it though and he's got a left foot which is just so penetrating. If he gets his hands on it at a centre clearance he's putting it 20m out from goal lace out; it's just a thumping left foot.

Nathan Buckley hadn't seen a lot of Daniel before the final of the championships in Melbourne, but at one point he just looked at me and gave me the nod of approval which I think says a lot.

It will be great for him to get into an AFL environment now because there are some areas of his game that will really benefit. He's a terrific kid and he's obviously been touted in that top three or four pick area and he'll be a really good player for a long time.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/AFL2008/News/Article/tabid/6301/default.aspx?newsid=69265

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Small/Medium Midfielders

Chris Hall
DOB: 25/6/90
State league: SA
Club: Woodville-West Torrens Eagles

JM: Chris was very consistent during the under-18 championships for South Australia and was particularly good in the first couple of games when SA played at home. He played predominantly as a half-forward, but he's a quality mover and an excellent finisher.

Eventually you would think he will play through the midfield, but as a half-forward he really didn't need to get a lot of the footy to have an impact on the game. He's a good decision maker who uses the ball well and he was extremely prominent when SA came to Melbourne and finished off the tournament well.

Sam Blease
DOB: 2/5/90
State league: VIC
Club: Eastern Ranges

JM: Sammy has exceptional speed. He was with our AIS-AFL Academy this year and I think what he achieved with his footy this year was quite remarkable considering he had no preparation coming in. He had minor surgery on both his hips – one in December and one in January – so he had no continuity in his training, but was very diligent with the way he went about it.

His first game for the year was actually when we were in South Africa and what was great was that he didn't miss a beat. His capacity to run the lines was remarkable, he can run really hard at top pace, and he used the ball really well. He backed that up in the second match over there where he was one of our better players.

He sets high standards for himself; he was disappointed with his third game when we came back to Perth, but that's to be expected when you have no pre-season.

What really stood out for me, in a strong Vic Metro side in the final of the under-18 championships, was a passage of play that I think would have just had recruiters drooling. He ran down a Western Australian player between wing and half-back at top speed, the ball spilled free, another player gathered the loose ball and then handballed on to Blease who had run to just forward of the wing and drilled the goal running inside 50. The defensive chase, tackle and recovery and then to be able to get on the end and finish was special.

I think he'll be a first or high second-round pick.

Jamie Sheahan
DOB: 11/8/90
State league: VIC
Club: Murray Bushrangers

JM: Jamie is quite a small player (178cm) but he actually uses his body really well. He's good overhead and he's good in a contested situation and is very clever around the goals. He's just very smart, keeps finding the footy and I think he'll be someone clubs will have a good look at around the third round of the draft.

He played a lot of footy this year with school commitments as well, but really acquitted himself well.

Nick Suban
DOB: 9/5/90
State league: VIC
Club: North Ballarat

JM: Nick has an outstanding couple of years having been named All-Australian in 2007 and 2008. He was in the AIS-AFL Academy this year and what stands out about Nick is that he has great leadership qualities and he's a left footer who kicks the ball well.

He also has a great flexibility to his game, he plays predominantly midfield and half-back, but for Vic Country over in Perth he actually played in a back pocket on Chris Yarran, who is a great young player, and really shut him out.

Chris is a leading forward so he was even playing full back at times and I think when you see a young player have the ability to do that it really adds strings to his bow.

David Zaharakis
DOB: 21/2/90
State league: VIC
Club: Northern Knights

JM: David was draft age last year and was overlooked. He's in the leadership group at the Northern Knights and is just a super-quality kid and is an in-and-under type player with a great work ethic. You can really see why he was one of the leaders at the club.

He sets a positive example by the way he plays and has firm values that he lives his life by. He got a kick in the guts last year in not being drafted, but he's hit back really well this year.

Mitchell Banner
DOB: 5/6/90
State league: VIC
Club: Western Jets

JM: Mitch went head to head with Daniel Rich here in the final of the Under-18s and played a really good game. Rich was pretty good as well, there's no doubt about that, but what I liked about Mitch in that game was that he wasn't over-awed by playing on a really good quality player. He went out and won a bit of the footy himself in that game.

There had been a bit of a question mark over his disposal, but he's worked really hard at it and you could see how that has improved over the course of the year.

Michael Walters
DOB: 7/1/91
State league: WA
Club: Swan Districts

JM: Michael is an AIS-AFL Academy boy who has just got exquisite skills and his balance is quite phenomenal. He's quite small (177cm), he plays in the midfield and a bit up forward and he's quite creative, but he also has a real hardness about his game.

He's great mates with Chris Yarran and Nick Natanui because they all went to the same high school. He's another left footer who kicks the ball well. We actually played him a bit down in a back pocket for a couple of games with the Academy and he really impressed. His closing speed to get a fist in and spoil was superb and then the way he set up and rebounded was quite phenomenal.

Stephen Hill
DOB: 1/5/90
State league: WA
Club: West Perth

JM: "For me this was a great story for the year. Stephen, for me, came from right off the radar and really jumped up in the championships. The first game at Subiaco for Western Australia – and you've got to remember we're only playing 20-minute flat quarters – he had the GPS on him and he ran 15 kilometres playing off half-back and through the middle.

He played with great bounce and agility and it was no coincidence that he broke the record for the agility test at the draft camp. He plays with great acceleration and for me what really stood out was that he played on Hamish Hartlett, who is a really talented young player from SA with senior experience, in a run-with role but he really impressed with the way that he went and got his own footy. Hamish actually later spoke about that as being one of the hardest games he played in the year.

Stephen was still right there with him and did the disciplined things, but it's about beating your man to the footy and he was fantastic in that role. He's not a dour player at all though; he's a super-exciting talent that can be quite creative when used in a different role.

With his performances in the champs and his testing at the camp he's one who has rocketed up the charts in my view.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/AFL2008/News/Article/tabid/6301/default.aspx?newsid=69266

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MEDIUM FORWARDS

Steven Motlop
DOB: 12/3/91
State league: NT
Club: Waratahs
JM: Steven is the brother of Port's Daniel and Shannon Motlop, who played in a premiership at North Melbourne, and he has an amazing bag of tricks like his brothers. He's very wiry and he's had some issues this year with his shoulders which meant he didn't play any under-18 football, but he's working hard to strengthen that area.

He's probably been pigeon-holed as a bit as a permanent small forward, but despite being injured at the Draft Camp, he ran the beep test and recorded a score in the high 13s which I think is a pretty good effort.

So he's got good endurance, but around goals he has an unbelievable sixth sense and can slot them from everywhere. I've seen him kick five goals in a game where you wouldn't have thought he was a really dominant player, but he still can have these bursts and kick a bag.

He'd be someone who will get looked at later in the draft or as a potential rookie, but with his bloodlines you'd think he would definitely be someone Port Adelaide [who have Daniel and Marlon Motlop] might have a look at as a project player.   

Ryan Schoenmakers
DOB: 08/11/90
State league: SA
Club: Norwood
JM: I didn't know a great deal about Ryan leading into the under-18 championships, but I spoke to one of the recruiters after his first game and he likened him to a Ryan O'Keefe-type player; he is of a similar build and he definitely has the blonde hair. Although he didn't do a lot a few of the recruiters really liked the way he moved.

He played a bit down back early in the carnival, but moved up forward in the last couple of games when SA played very well and he was that third tall who covered the ground really well and had a fantastic set of hands. He was a real key to his side's success here in Melbourne in those last two games of the carnival.

He's just a really good size and shape and he won the repeat sprint test at Draft Camp which tells you a bit about his running ability.

Ryan just looks like a player; he comes up and meets the ball well, he has good hands and he uses it well by foot.

Charlie Sharples
DOB: 16/2/89
State league: SA
Club: Sturt
JM: Charlie's one that I've seen a bit of over the years because he's come through our indigenous program, but he's come to a lot of other people's attention by playing a bit of senior footy at Sturt.

He played for SA against the VFL this year and acquitted himself quite well, but he wasn't at Draft Camp because he was playing in the reserves when they had finals on.

Charlie is not too dissimilar to Cameron Stokes and they played together for the Northern Territory. He's a really smooth mover is extremely hard at it.

Charlie's a little bit leaner and taller than Stokes and with the success that the Hawks had with him this year, and the same with Melbourne and Austin Wonaeamirri, you'd have to think someone would have a crack at Charlie late or as a rookie.

Nick Heyne
DOB: 22/7/90
State league: VIC
Club: Gippsland Power
JM: Nick is one of our AIS/AFL Academy boys, but he's another one who was a bit hampered early in the program late last year and earlier this year with groin pain. He overcame that to have a very consistent year for Gippsland though.

He singlehandedly nearly won the game for Vic Country against Vic Metro in the first game of the under-18 championships. He was quiet in the first quarter, but after that he took a couple of massive hangers and kicked three or four goals. Nick plays predominantly as a wing/half-forward, but he can be very dangerous deep and has a great vertical leap as well as a good set of hands.

Some of the marks he took were just fantastic and he got them in front, but then Jack Watts clunked one from four deep and won the game for Metro. There's a lot of excitement factor about Nick, there's no doubt about that, but I think his main aim would be to get a little bit more consistency across four quarters.

He'll figure pretty prominently in the upper section of the draft as maybe a second-round pick. Click here to watch Nick Heyne in action - http://bigpondvideo.com/AFLTV/64059


Tom Rockliff
DOB: 22/2/90
State league: VIC
Club: Murray Bushrangers
JM: I remember seeing a little bit of Tommy late last year at TAC Cup level being played predominantly as a small forward and he's very good in that role. He uses his body exceptionally well, and while he hasn't got the same quickness as Paul Medhurst, he has a similar ability to use his body well in a marking situation.

You can see he was a bigger-bodied stronger kid earlier at junior level so he was predominantly put in the goal square to let him work his way to the ball, but what was pleasing this year was the way he could play in spurts through the midfield and he was very good around the stoppages. He's just strong through the core, he has those footy smarts and his ability to play a different role really adds to his appeal with recruiters.

Chris Yarran 
DOB: 19/12/90
State league: WA
Club: Swan Districts

JM: Another of the indigenous lads out of WA who was in our AIS/AFL Academy last year. Chris played senior footy this year with Swan Districts predominantly as a small forward.

He's very quick, he's got good hands and he kicks the ball well. I could definitely see him in an AFL environment in a couple of years, once he's developed the engine and endurance base, he could be unbelievable through the midfield because he makes good decisions and uses it so well.

He was a bit underdone going into the championships this year, but he was quite creative in patches up forward and they threw him in the midfield at times, but he just didn't quite have the tank to run it out. When he is on the ball it was like he was working in another gear compared to some of the other boys.

We also threw him down back with the Academy and he just saw the game so well. Click here to watch Chris Yarran in action - http://bigpondvideo.com/AFLTV/64084

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/AFL2008/News/Article/tabid/6301/default.aspx?newsid=69267

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Draft talent analysis: tall forwards
By Jason Phelan
Wed 05 November, 2008

TALL FORWARDS

Lewis Johnston      
DOB: 03/3/91
State league: SA
Club: North Adelaide

McCartney says: "He was in my mentor group this year at the Academy and just had an outstanding season. Lewis has got fantastic hands and is a great mark whether it's on the lead or contested. He's a thumping kick, but one of the things we addressed with Lewis was his ability to spot up the short free target and I think he did that really well.

"One of the things I was really pleased with this year is we were able to change his focus a bit and impress on him that his running game needs to be his strength whether you're a centre half-forward or playing as a tall defender. He had played more of a power forward role and his focus was that he thought he needed to improve his fitness, but it was never that, it was more of a mental thing. But we did eliminate some of the weight sessions he was doing and added some cross training and we played him as a third tall defender in Perth earlier in the year and he was outstanding.

"On the wide open spaces of Subiaco he was getting the ball in the back pocket, hitting up a short option and running on to receive it back; it was just phenomenal. He showed a great running capacity and then at under-18 level he's gone back to centre half-forward and he used his new strength to great effect.

"When we first picked him for the Academy the tag was that he was a bit unfit or a bit lazy, but his running has become one of his greatest strengths now and he's able to run blokes off their feet.

"He'll go very high in the draft, there's no doubt."

Paul Cahill
DOB: 19/8/90
State league: SA
Club: Sturt

McCartney says: "Paul's a bit of a jack in the box and he came to a camp we held back in December and he's really a fantastic athlete. He played centre half-forward, full-forward in the game that SA played against Tasmania in the champs and they were in trouble in the first half, but they ended up winning the game because Lewis Johnston went to full-forward and kicked four goals and Paul came out to centre half-forward and just marked everything in sight.

"He's got a fantastic vertical leap, he's interesting, he does tend to double-take the footy, but it's always at its highest point. He troubled Michael Hurley in a game and it was because he's got great bounce and agility. He played some really good footy throughout all the under-18 games."

Aaron Cornelius      
DOB: 29/5/90
State league: TAS
Club: Tassie Mariners

McCartney says: "Aaron was in the Academy two years ago and it was an interesting situation with Aaron this year. He's a very good player, All-Australian the year before last and was in our Academy as a bottom-ager, is a really good mark and played senior footy for the Devils this year and last year. I saw this year as not super by Aaron's standards, but I saw it as a tough year because he would have got picked up last year, so it's been a bit of a holding year.

"One of his games in the Division Two qualifiers was really good, but being the main target for Tassie, he tended to get double-teamed a lot. He probably found the going pretty tough in Division One, but what was pleasing was that he came to Melbourne and his second-last game, where the team got toweled up at Casey, was just fantastic.

"He was at centre half-forward, on the move – that's his go – and he tends to take a really good contested mark where he can run and jump and float across the pack. So after what was probably a disappointing first three games he finished off really well. There will be a lot of interest around him no doubt."

Liam Jones     
DOB: 24/2/91
State league: TAS
Club: Tassie Mariners

McCartney says: "Liam was in the Academy this year and his father, Bob, played some games for St Kilda, so he's a mad Saints fan. Liam didn't play under-18's for Tassie because he was at Scotch College and he hurt his knee at training and didn't end up playing much footy for the majority of the year.

"Liam is a fantastic mark and we played him mostly as a defender at the Academy and he'd only played a few games down back, but he was terrific. He's got great anticipation and he didn't spoil the ball much because he just got in front and marked it.

"He can tend to fall off the ball a bit when he kicks, but he's got no major dramas there. What's also pleasing is that you look at him now compared to when he came into the Academy and he's grown at least three centimetres."

Jackson Trengove     
DOB: 01/11/90
State league: VIC
Club: Calder Cannons

McCartney says: "Jackson was in the Academy this year and is an outstanding young man, but unfortunately only played the one under-18 game against Vic Country because he tore his hamstring off the bone at training.

"I see him as very versatile and he's got a great leap so at a pinch he could go in the ruck, but I see him as having the ability to play most positions down the spine. The question will be how he's recovered from that injury, but all the reports have been really good.

"He's a great competitor and what sticks in my mind is during that one game at the champs he was playing at centre half-back in the third quarter when the pressure was on and he went back a couple of times into packs and just came away with the ball."     

Jordan Lisle      
DOB: 12/7/90
State league: VIC
Club: Oakleigh Chargers

McCartney says: "Jordan was good to watch at under-18's level because I hadn't seen a lot of him. I saw him play at centre half-back and be very good in the air, very good one on one and set up a lot of play. With him and Michael Hurley down there the opposition didn't have much of a chance, but I also saw him go forward a couple of times and kick three or four goals.

"His dad played some games at North and he looks to have good footy smarts." 

Tom Lynch     
DOB: 15/9/90
State league: VIC
Club: Sandringham Dragons

McCartney says: "I think Lynchy had an outstanding year from where he was coming from. He had an ACL the year before and his preparation was unbelievable throughout his time at the Academy with a real attention to detail with his training. What that allowed him to do was play his first game for us when we were on tour and because his preparation was so good he played at a good level straight away.

"I thought it might have been good to let him play at centre half-back and just let him play his way into some form, but he played at half-forward and did very well. When he does play down back I thought he read the play very well and he was good with his hands and had the ability to cut across in front of traffic.

"In one of the trial games for Vic Metro Tommy took five or six marks in the first quarter and he has great fitness and great agility. At an AFL club I could see him fitting in as a third forward type, but with his endurance he could even play through the middle."

Jack Watts      
DOB: 26/3/91
State league: VIC
Club: Sandringham Dragons

McCartney says: "Wattsy is just a super talent, but before the Academy I hadn't heard much of him. What I had heard was that he was how good he was at basketball and he had a fair bit of pressure from that side of things with an AIS Scholarship offer, and he was managing basketball camps and his footy.

"Allan McConnell had a lot of talks with him and his parents in the lead-up to the under-18's because we felt something was going to give. He was training and playing footy as well as his basketball commitments and he was starting to get sore groins and there was potential for some OP-type damage. We encourage the boys to continue other sports, but just to manage their commitments.

"In the end Wattsy made what was a really tough decision, because he's very good at basketball – that he wanted to concentrate on the footy.

"I'd seen glimpses of his talent through the AIS. He's super quick, very athletic and that's the basketball background coming through. I'd seen bits and pieces, but to see him play centre half-forward in the first game of the championships and the surety of his hands and the way he controls the footy sometimes was amazing.

"He has good decision-making, but the mark he took with a minute and a half left in that game – he was three or four deep in the pack but he just clunked it and went back and kicked the goal that won the game. Allan and I were joking that what he would have liked more is if the siren had gone while he was lining up to kick; he's got that sort of confidence.

"He's a super-intelligent kid and what we found was that what we were delivering to the other kids he finds a bit boring and mundane, so you have to challenge him.

"He's a massive talent."

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