AS WILL Sutherland prepares to play his first game for Vic Metro this weekend, the time is coming for the talented teenager to make a decision on which sport he will pursue professionally.
The 195cm key forward is expected to line up for Metro in its NAB AFL Under-18 Championships clash with Vic Country on Saturday at Punt Road Oval, which will be broadcast live on AFL.com.au from 11:55am.
Sutherland, the Australian under-19 cricket captain and son of Cricket Australia boss James, has been playing for Scotch College in Melbourne's APS competition and training with Metro in recent weeks.
Regardless of his performance at the championships, Sutherland is expected to be among the prospects invited to the NAB AFL Draft Combine in October, when clubs submit their lists of preferred players for the week of testing at Etihad Stadium.
But under AFL rules, if a player is invited to attend a national or state carnival and does not go, they are ineligible to be drafted. It means Sutherland will need to make a call on his future before the end of this season, with the Combine being held days after the AFL Grand Final.
Listen to the Road to the Draft podcast with Cal Twomey
Clubs are hopeful he will play at TAC Cup level for the Sandringham Dragons after the championships and his season with Scotch finishes, with many believing he is among the top key-position players in this year's draft pool. Some think he could even be a top-three pick should he choose football.
Recruiters believe the higher standard of school football this year means they can still get a good guide on the 17-year-old's form.
"We rank him on all the criteria we rank every player we watch: his footy smarts, how he carries himself on the ground, his competitiveness, his skills, his athleticism," one recruiter said.
"Obviously the only insight we're getting now is watching school footy, but the standard of that this year, I'm sure most will tell you, has been OK and there's been lots of good players playing. So that's not been too much of a concern."
The AFL has been careful not to place too much pressure on Sutherland as he weighs his future, but he took up its offer for him to train with Metro despite not being a part of a TAC Cup club.
He didn't play for Metro in its win over Western Australia on Sunday at Domain Stadium.
Clubs have tracked Sutherland more closely since the start of this season, when it emerged that he could look to the football pathway despite his strong cricket links. Going to the NAB AFL Draft Combine would allow clubs to interview him as well as get him medically checked.
"There's been no testing done on him, so it's just a subjective opinion at this stage," one scout said.
"We're assessing his talent on what we've seen, but we need more data to do that fully. That's why it's important for him to play in the championships and then go to the Combine. He's definitely on our board, which shuffles and moves all the time, but he's on it."
What they're saying about Will Sutherland
Should he play in the TAC Cup?
Recruiter: "Not necessarily if it's going to deter him from nominating for the NAB AFL Draft. If he is going to nominate, he has to go to the Draft Combine."
Recruiter: "I don't really care too much. There's no law that says you have to, so his case would probably be that he has strong school footy commitments and is busy with cricket as well. He may not need or want the extra pressure of playing in the TAC Cup."
Recruiter: "I would like to see him play, but I don't think he has to. Jayden Hunt and even Easton Wood didn't play TAC Cup and were drafted so there's a precedent for others who haven't. It would be good to see him do it."
When do you think he needs to make a decision?
Recruiter: "The timing of the decision has to be more about him than us. But he needs to do it as quickly as possible for himself. The sooner he decides, the better he'll be at that sport. We'd probably want him to make his call by the end of the season, because a couple of championships games and a month of TAC Cup would be enough footy for us to see."
Recruiter: "The AFL industry should get him in somehow and I wouldn't be against a bending of the rules and test after the combine if that's what he wants to do, or if he wants to decide after his exams. But he has to be open to clubs speaking to him and being medically checked and so on. They could allow for a bit of leeway when another sport is competing. It's a perfect example why we should keep the draft age at 18, because if he had to wait another year he'd definitely choose cricket."
More on this week's Road to the Draft podcast:
- The guys wrap up round two of the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships
- Who boosted their stocks and who needs to lift their game? We look at how the draft board is shaping up
- All the latest news and updates involving this year's top prospects
- All your Twitter questions are answered
