Does Richmond, Collingwood, Melbourne, St Kilda, Fremantle or West Coast have the best under 22 playersHerald-Sun
May 05, 2015 THE AFL world turned the torch onto Richmond’s list this week, with many experts suggesting the Tigers don’t have the cattle to push for a premiership.
If that’s the case, the club’s young talent will become ever more important as it attempts to build a list that can drag it to the top of the tree.
But does Richmond have the gun kids it thinks it does, or have the other clubs beaten them on that score, too?
Which AFL club has paved the way to future success by assembling the best batch of players under the age of 22?
Vote for your pick of the second six clubs in our three-part series below.
Tomorrow: Carlton, Essendon, North Melbourne, GWS, Gold Coast, Sydney.
Yesterday’s result: Bulldogs (68.32 per cent of votes) beat Port Adelaide (13.78), Hawthorn (6.24), Brisbane (4.7), Geelong (4.45) and Adelaide (2.5).
The winning team each day will feature in our under 22 final on Thursday.
RICHMONDUnder 22s: Nick Vlastuin, Brandon Ellis, Matt McDonough, Ben Lennon, Connor Menadue, Corey Ellis, Daniel Butler, Nathan Drummond, Reece McKenzie, Kamdyn McIntosh, Liam McBean
Brandon Ellis appears to have taken his game to new heights this year, while Nick vlastuin has been serviceable but is yet to show much more than he produced in his first season, and needs to step up. Former No. 12 draft pick Ben Lennon looked a likely type in his seven games last year (five of which he came on as the sub), but languished in the VFL in the first four rounds. Kamdyn McIntosh was the breakout player of Round 1 but has tapered off in his last couple of games, though still has a ton of upside.
COLLINGWOODUnder 22s: Taylor Adams, Tom Langdon, Brodie Grundy, Ben Kennedy, Jack Crisp, Tim Broomhead, Jackson Ramsay, Darcy Moore, Brayden Maynard, Jordan de Goey, Matthew Goodyear, Jonathon Marsh, Matt Scharenberg, Nathan Freeman
Not only are Collingwood’s best under 22s talented, they run deep. Taylor Adams sits behind only Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan for average possessions this season, while Tom Langdon and Jack Crisp are in the top six. Ruckmen usually don’t hit their peak until much later in their 20s, but Brodie Grundy is already punching well above his tender years, while Tim Broomhead and Jackson Ramsay are impressing.
MELBOURNEUnder 22s: Dom Tyson, Dean Kent, Sam Frost, Jimmy Toumpas, Christian Salem, Jesse Hogan, Billy Stretch, Oscar McDonald, Alex Neal-Bullen, Angus Brayshaw, Christian Petracca, Jayden Hunt
The news is both good and bad at Demon land. Dom Tyson’s output has dropped off somewhat after his breakout year last year, but other players have stepped up to fill the void. Jesse Hogan has been one of the stories of the season so far, with his Round 4 performance against the competition’s best defender Alex Rance showing that he’ll be the forward target Melbourne has been craving for years, while Christian Salem has been solid, while Dean Kent throws himself at it but needs to improve his disposal.
Former No. 4 draft pick Jimmy Toumpas has attracted plenty of scorn from Dees supporters and he’s not helped by the names that were selected after him: Stringer, Macrae, Wines, Menzel and Grundy.
FREMANTLEUnder 22s: Lachie Neale, Hayden Crozier, Tommy Sheridan, Matt Taberner, Max Duffy, Michael Apeness, Connor Blakely, Ed Langdon, Joshua Deluca-Cardillo, Lachlan Weller, Alex Pearce, Brady Grey
As expected for a team well and truly in a premiership window, the Dockers don’t have a heap of kids, but Lachie Neale as emerged as a young gun to complement superstar trio Nat Fyfe, David Mundy and Stephen Hill. Matt Taberner is starting to show good signs up forward but Hayden Crozier is struggling to break in for regular game time in the seniors. The rest are mostly a mystery.
WEST COASTUnder 22s: Elliot Yeo, Dom Sheed, Brant Colledge, Alec Waterman, Damien Cavka, Jackson Nelson, Liam Duggan, Tom Lamb, Dylan Main, Fraser McInness, Malcolm Karpany, Tomm Barrass
Dom Sheed and Elliot Yeo are the standouts in an inexperienced group of young Eagles. Tom Lamb has big wraps but will miss a third of the season with a knee injury he sustained in Round 1, while Fraser McInness did a few good things in his first game this year — a 15-possession performance in Round 4 against Brisbane that included a goal and five inside 50s — but dropped off last weekend.
ST KILDAUnder 22s: Sebastian Ross, Jimmy Webster, Josh Saunders, Jack Billings, Luke Dunstan, Billy Longer, Brodie Murdoch, Nathan Wright, Eli Templeton, Darren Minchington, Blake Acres, Spencer White, Tim Membrey, Daniel McKenzie, Hugh Goddard, Jack Lonie, Paddy McCartin, Lewis Pierce
Good signs at Moorabbin, where a key group of growing talents have been consistent contributors in the early part of the season. Former Lion Billy Longer is shouldering almost the entire ruck duty while averaging more than 10 possessions a game, and isn’t even 22 years old. The two Jacks, Billings and Lonie, have provided a spark, Hugh Goddard is yet to play but is highly touted, while Paddy McCartin is tipped to fill Nick Riewoldt’s big shoes when the veteran captain retires.
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