Interesting to see where Darling goes in the draft. He could end up a bargain if he falls down the draft order yet lives up to what some people rate him. The question mark is his in-betweener height of 190cm.Recruiters' Darling or draft drifter?richmondfc.com.au
By Paul Daffey
Wed 04 August, 2010OF ALL the players considered likely to be picked up in November’s NAB AFL National Draft, none are as divisive as West Australian forward Jack Darling.
Some clubs are certain he’ll go in the top dozen. Others aren't as convinced. Just where Darling goes in the draft will be one of the stories of the day.
Darling has uncommon magnetism. Whether or not you rate his ability, you watch him. At 17, it’s wrong to compare him to Wayne Carey, but he certainly bullocks and blusters around the forward line like the King in his pomp. He commands your attention like few other young footballers in memory.
The issues for recruiting managers are Darling’s height and weight, and his potential for development. Given his bullish build, it’s likely that he’s stopped growing.
At 190 centimetres, he’s too short to play as a key forward, but he could make a strong contribution in a role in which he’s the third forward and a crunching midfielder.
At 94 kilograms, he’s solid enough to make an impact in his first season but Western Australia’s fourth match at the recent NAB AFL Under-18 Championships against NSW illustrates the conundrum for those trying to rate Darling’s draft prospects.
Of course, he was the dominant presence. He took marks and attacked the ball with trademark zeal. Perhaps the most impressive part of his game was that he gathered more possessions than most midfielders while playing as a key forward.
But his kicking for goal was poor. Darling had no problem booting the ball 60 metres, but he did have a problem with his radar. His return was 1.4. Scouts were left to scratch their heads about not only his development prospects, but his wonky kicking.
Brad Wira, the coach of Western Australia’s Under-18 squad, points to his team’s final game of the carnival, when Darling kicked two goals and created another two. The Sandgropers kicked only eight for the match.
“He’s a great talent,” Wira said. “The critics judge him too harshly.”
Darling is not the only under-18 player who scouts might struggle to peg. The other main one is Tasmanian captain Josh Green.
In an era of stringy, athletic types, Green is squat, like Greg Williams. Just as well he’s got Williams’ sleight of hand. His ability to grab the ball and plop it on to his boot in one movement is exceptional.
Green was outstanding during Tasmania’s opening four games. His ability to extract the ball from stoppages or find a teammate with a canny kick or handball was a joy to watch. Here was a smart footballer. You hoped his dimensions might be ignored.
In the fifth game, Green broke his wrist early in the first quarter. He was devastated, but later impressed Tasmanian officials with his attitude to recovery. He’s now looking forward to aiming for his second senior premiership at AFL Tasmanian club Clarence.
Tasmanian coach Matt Armstrong described Green as “a little ripper”.
“The example he set was first-class,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong said the only thing Green could work on is his outside play. He wants Green to add the capacity to receive to his ability to farm the ball out from packs.
“I would have liked a few more loose-ball gets during the carnival,” Armstrong said.
Green’s Tasmanian teammate Jacob Gillbee also poses curly questions because of his size. In the match against South Australia, he took several strong marks and kicked four goals, all during a golden patch in the second half. But he’s going to struggle to do that in the AFL because he’s only 183 centimetres.
Players who can judge the ball in the air usually offer other advantages, like the ability to read the play and see possibilities. Scouts might just take a punt on Gillbee late on draft day.
Vic Metro’s Dion Prestia is another whose size poses a problem, albeit a minor one. A midfielder with Calder Cannons and Assumption College, he has the ability to run and carry. He’s also a penetrating kick. On occasions during the first game of the carnival, against Vic Country, teammates were left flat-footed when Prestia’s driving drop-punts sailed over their heads.
Vic Metro coach Rohan Welsh likened Prestia to Daniel Kerr. “He’s inside, really strong, and a really good penetrating kick,” Welsh said.
Prestia’s carnival was hampered by a hamstring injury early in the second game, against Tasmania. He also missed the last game, against Western Australia, through illness. But he did enough during limited appearances to show his pace, agility and strength.
The mark against him is that he’s 175 centimetres and, given his solid frame, there appears to be limited scope for development. He’ll be drafted higher rather than lower, but it’s hard to know just where.
South Australia’s Sam Gray is another player whose size counts against him. He’s 174 centimetres.
Gray was creative throughout the carnival as a small forward who had the occasional run on the ball. South Australian coach Brenton Phillips was especially impressed with his game against Vic Country, in the match to decide the winner of the carnival.
“It was a tough contest,” Phillips said. “He led all day.”
Gray’s South Australian teammate Jamie Sholly is 190 centimetres. During the carnival, Sholly showed the ability to take a mark on the lead and then calmly slot the ball through the goals.
The problem was tapering performance. In the opening two games, Solly kicked five goals against Western Australia and six against Northern Territory. In later games, he struggled to get a kick. Perhaps a limited pre-season was the reason he tailed off.
Queensland ruckman Tom Hickey was a player who greatly enhanced his prospects over the carnival.
Queenslanders this year are tied to the Gold Coast if the Suns want them, but the Suns’ superb stock of young ruckmen might prompt them to overlook Hickey. He would then be available to all clubs.
Hickey, 199cms, is a former volleyballer who began to concentrate on football only last year. It was his competitive drive, his willingness to collide with other bodies (not often a trait among converts), that most impressed.
A club might take him late if the Suns do overlook him.
The remaining three players to be mentioned here are hard to slot for different reasons—yet there’s a chance all three will end up as first-round picks.
Vic Country’s Jayden Pitt warranted little attention before the under-18 carnival. Even Vic Country coach Robert Hyde admits that.
But Pitt stood out in the first game, against Vic Metro, and kept going from there. His strengths were his poise and his pinpoint kicking of the type to make scouts drool.
He tired towards the end of the carnival, which was not unexpected considering his reed-like build, but he still earned an All-Australian guernsey.
“He was a bit of a surprise packet,” Hyde said. “His highlights package would be the equal of anyone in the carnival.”
West Australian Reece Conca was unlucky to miss out on an All-Australian guernsey. Perhaps it was his unobtrusive playing style. He’s even understated when he draws away from a pack.
In Western Australia, where he’s playing seniors for Perth, Conca is considered a first-round pick. Scouts from other states are yet to rate him as highly, but his under-18 coach Brad Wira is in no doubt about Conca’s capabilities.
“He’s the ultimate utility,” Wira said. “He plays midfield, half-back, and he kicks goals from half-forward. Whoever drafts him is getting the full package.”
Conca’s West Australian teammate Ben Newton had less opportunity to shine during the carnival because he had his appendix removed on the eve of the first round.
The stylish left-footer made an impression off half-back in the final two games, but scouts are more likely to note his performances with South Fremantle and at the draft camp.
“He’s a genuine 80-metre player,” Wira said. “He carries the ball for 20 metres and kicks it 60.”
Draft conundrumsJack Darling, 16 June 1992, 190, 94, West Perth/Sacred Heart College/Sorrento-Duncraig
Josh Green, 24 August 1992, 179, 78, Clarence
Jacob Gillbee, 13 September 1992, 183, 76, Lauderdale
Dion Prestia, 12 October 1992, 175, 81, Calder Cannons/Assumption College
Sam Gray, 1 February 1992, 174, 77, Port Adelaide Magpies/Rudall
Jamie Solly, 27 July 1992, 190, 88, Port Adelaide Magpies/North Pines
Tom Hickey, 6 March 1991, 199, 88, Morningside
Jayden Pitt, 7 October 1992, 187, 70, Geelong Falcons/St Albans
Reece Conca, 12 August 1992, 179, 70, Perth/Victoria Park
Ben Newton, 8 August 1992, 182, 70, South Fremantle/Centrals
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/99558/default.aspx
