SA youth proving a tall orderafl.com.au
By Katrina Gill
Wed 26 May, 2010SOUTH Australia is home to the best talls, while Victoria is the place to look for smalls in this year’s draft talent pool, according to Adelaide recruiting manager Matt Rendell.
Almost half of the players in the Croweaters’ 45-man squad are 185cm or taller, with at least four - Sam Day (195cm), Scott Lycett (202cm), Daniel Gorringe (198cm) and Jamie Solly (190cm) - expected to be snapped up within the first 25 picks of the 2010 NAB AFL Draft to be held on the Gold Coast on November 18.
Glenelg defender Sebastian Tape (189cm) and forward Patrick McCarthy (194cm), who almost ended up at Gold Coast last year, are also attracting plenty of attention from recruiters
Day, 17, is expected to follow in former Sturt and Prince Alfred College teammate Jack Trengove’s footsteps and be the first South Australian selected in the draft, but Rendell said he expected several other locals to be high up in the pecking order.
“South Australia has five top-line talls that could all get drafted early,” Rendell told afl.com.au.
“There’s a bit of a spread of players this year, but it seems to go by the states. Victoria has most of the midfielders and South Australia has most of the talls at this stage.
“Western Australia don’t look to have as many draftable players as in the past three years, but they do have a habit of surprising us at the championships.”
Woodville-West Torrens wingman Jared Polec is considered South Australia’s best midfield prospect, while Western Australian onballer Harley Bennell has also been touted as a potential top-five draft pick.
The new Gold Coast club, which has picks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 in the first round of this year’s draft, has committed to taking another WA player in David Swallow, but there’s no doubt that Victoria boasts the best midfield depth.
Dandenong’s Luke Parker and Murray Bushranger Shaun Atley are rated as two of the best ball winners in the draft crop, while Thomas Liberatore (son of Brownlow medallist Tony) and Mitch Wallis (son of Steve) could prove to be handy father-son acquisitions for the Western Bulldogs.
Last year, Gold Coast was granted access to 12 of the country’s best 17-year-olds born in the January-April window in 1992.
The concession netted the AFL’s 17th team fancied players like former Calder Cannon Josh Toy and Tasmanian pair Maverick Weller and Luke Russell, but Rendell said there would still be plenty of talent on show at this year’s NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, which kicked off in Blacktown last weekend.
“The depth of talent isn’t bad this year considering that 12 of the good kids got taken out of it last year by Gold Coast. This draft would’ve been a fantastic one, if those kids were there so it’s actually not too bad.”
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