AFL draft 2017, best prospects order, list, date, top 10, prospects, bolters, sliders — Draft WatchJuly 12, 2017 11:14am
Ben Waterworth
FOX SPORTSWITH the AFL Under 18 national championships concluding last week, it’s time to take a deep breath and assess the state of play ahead of the draft.
Prior to the carnival, there was no clear, Jacob Weitering-style Pick 1 standout. That all had changed by tournament’s end.
Several other bolters enhanced their prospects, while a couple may have slid down a few draft boards.
And Richmond and Adelaide fans would be thrilled with their father-son prospects.
Plus we list the first 20 indicative picks (after Round 16) for November’s national draft, which will be held on Sydney on Friday 24 November.
Welcome to AFL Draft Watch, with all numbers courtesy of Champion Data.
THE PICK 1 RACEPrior to the champs, there was no clear first-pick standout. Then
Cameron Rayner kicked 12 goals from four games and averaged 11 contested possessions per outing to surge into Pick 1 favouritism. The Dustin Martin comparisons won’t stop — and rightly so, as his explosiveness, goalkicking nous and ball-winning ability is reminiscent of the star Tiger.
The other on-baller in contention is
Luke Davies-Uniacke, who — unlike Rayner but like most of his Vic Country teammates — didn’t have a consistent carnival. The Dandenong Stingray began with a powerful, dominant display against the Allies, finishing with 34 disposals, 10 marks, five inside 50s and four clearances. But besides an excellent first half against Vic Metro, he struggled to assert his authority in the remaining three games. Word is he may have been carrying an injury throughout the tournament.
Jarrod Brander, who’s no longer attached to the GWS Academy due to a re-zoning in March, bookended his campaign superbly and proved why he’s one of the best utilities in this year’s draft class. Against Vic Country, Brander starred down back with 20 disposals, nine rebound 50s and four marks. Then in his side’s thrilling upset win over the Allies, Brander turned the heads of all on-lookers with a massive game up forward, kicking three goals from 16 disposals and nine marks.
THE BOLTERSOscar Allen had produced impressive games in the WAFL Colts, but to star on the national stage would’ve pleased on-lookers greatly. Allen won the Larke Medal as the best player of the championships and was named All-Australian full-forward after booting an impressive 11 goals. A hybrid forward at 191cm, Allen now looms as his state’s best prospect ahead of November’s national draft.
The other WA product to enhance his prospects was co-captain
Aaron Naughton. The 194cm key backman was the champs’ No. 1 ranked key defender heading into WA’s final game before finishing his campaign in fine style against Vic Country, taking 10 marks from 17 disposals.
A Vic Metro trio also took giant steps. Utility
Nick Coffield and ball magnet
Charlie Constable are both now in first-round contention after averaging 24 and 27 disposals respectively in the carnival, while captain Joel Garner starred across half-back, racking up more intercept possessions than any other player throughout the champs.
And as the season has progressed, Country’s
Paddy Dow has continued to rise up draft boards right around the country. He finished with impressive carnival numbers: 19 disposals, 12.2 contested possessions and 5.2 clearances.
THE SLIDERSSome believe he’s still in Pick 1 contention due to his size and immense talent, but
Darcy Fogarty’s 2017 carnival was well below his best. While the South Australian carried a knee injury during the champs, he wasn’t able to produce a standout four-quarter performance. Should still go in the top 10 though.
Lions Academy prospect
Connor Ballenden, however, is probably out of top 10 contention at this stage. The 199cm, 95kg big man had a patchy start to his carnival up forward before pushing into the backline to have an influence as tall intercepting defender. Ballenden is still likely to be bid on in the first round — a bid the Lions are near certain to match — but at one stage earlier this season he was in top-five contention.
It’s certainly not panic stations for Vic Country pair
Lochie O’Brien and
Hunter Clark, but both would’ve been disappointed with their respective champs campaigns. O’Brien, an outside midfielder with a lovely left-foot kick, missed the first game with a knee injury then played one and a half good matches. Like O’Brien, Clark is still a potential first-rounder, but averaged just 15.3 disposals across the four games.
THE SURPRISE PACKETSNorthern Territory midfielder
Zac Bailey was arguably the surprise packet of the champs and was recognised with All-Australian selection. He led the Allies to victory over Vic Metro and averaged 17.3 touches per game in what turned into a consistent campaign.
Harrison Petty and
Charlie Ballard were among South Australia’s best players. Petty won his state’s MVP award and All-Australian honours as a reliable tall intercept defender, while Ballard excelled as a tall wingman to average 18 disposals per game. Teammate
Stefan Giro kicked five goals and averaged 23.8 disposals to throw his name in the mix.
WA top-ager
Brayden Ainsworth, who moved from Esperance to Subiaco at the start of the year to give an AFL career another crack, was his state’s most consistent midfielder during the champs, averaging 24 disposals, 12.8 contested possessions, 6.5 clearances and 4.3 tackles.
POSSIBLE BARGAINSOn paper,
Jack Higgins should be in Pick 1 contention. But a lack of height (178cm) plus questions over his improvement ceiling mean he could be in middle to late first-round contention. Should that come to fruition in November, whichever club picks Higgins up will have an absolute bargain, after he booted six goals and averaged more ranking points and disposals than any other player throughout the champs — all while kicking the ball at 74 per cent efficiency. There’s a lot of now-Sun Ben Ainsworth about him, but he wins more of the footy.
Also keep an eye on
Andrew Brayshaw — the brother of Demon Angus Brayshaw. The Sandringham Dragon cracked into the Metro side for the final two games of the carnival and was among his side’s best on both occasions, racking up 20 and 22 touches respectively. A natural ball-winner with great pace and a long kick, Brayshaw looms as a late first-round, early second-round steal.
Vic Country co-captain and MVP
James Worpel will likely be taken in the second round at the earliest, but he plays AFL footy in 2018. He has a ready-made frame and a knack for winning the footy, while his outside game has improved significantly over the past 12 months.
Top-ager
Ben Paton carried his excellent TAC Cup form into the carnival and thrived, winning All-Australian honours after showing off his pinpoint kicking skills and excellent intercept ability. Metro midfielder
Dylan Moore racked up huge numbers across the champs, averaging 23 disposals, 11.2 contested possessions and three clearances.
And there’s a lot to like about
Brent Daniels. A small forward who can also push up the ground, the Geelong Falcon kicked six goals from his four champs games.
THE FATHER-SON HOPEFULSBoth Richmond and Adelaide fans will be thrilled with their potential father-son picks for this year’s draft.
Patrick Naish, the son of former Tiger Chris Naish, is not just the best father-son prospect of 2017, he’s arguably in top-10 contention. An explosive runner with a booming right boot, Naish was one of Vic Metro’s most consistent performers, booting three goals and averaging 21.8 touches from his four games. Expect an early bid on Naish — and definitely expect Richmond to match it.
Crows fans would’ve been pleased with
Jackson Edwards’ very consistent carnival for South Australia. Edwards, the son of Adelaide champion Tyson Edwards, was his state’s most reliable midfielder, finishing with impressive disposal counts in all four games: 23 (Western Australia), 22 (Allies), 21 (Vic Metro) then finishing a team-high 30 (Vic Country). Doesn’t have the same class, but there’s a lot of Simon Black about how Edwards moves around a footy field.
DON’T FORGET THE INJUREDIt was a shame we only saw
Charlie Spargo play once for the Allies after picking up a season-ending shoulder injury. But Spargo, a ball-winning, goalkicking pocket rocket, has already proven over the past 18 months that he has AFL attributes and the talent to have an impact at the top level. First or second-round pick still.
South Australian vice-captain
Andrew McPherson wasn’t able to play a game for his state due to a quad injury, but the no-fuss running half-back is still worthy of at least second-round selection, potentially earlier.
A huge blow over the weekend for emerging SA interceptor
Lachie Pascoe, who ruptured his ACL playing for Norwood on the weekend and will miss the rest of the season.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-draft-watch-bolters-sliders-and-steals-in-draft-state-of-play/news-story/f179ba0e25081598177760caa2d02524
