THE DRAFT is now just over three months away and clubs are getting their orders settled.
It is time for the August edition of the Phantom Form Guide, which is the second update for the year. This time, we've increased it from 20 to 25 draftees given the evenness of the group at the top end of the pool.
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With finals series still to play for many players, and then the AFL Draft Combine, expect the order to continue to take shape right up until the national draft is staged on November 20-21.
This Form Guide does not take into account where bids on Academy or father-son players will be taken and is not a mock draft – it is our rankings of the 2023 draft class.
After finishing the under-18 championships in top form, Reid was named a back-to-back All-Australian at the level. There's been a couple of fixture breaks since then, which allowed him to play a final game for his local club Tongala in the Murray League and then dominate for Essendon's VFL side against Southport. He competed strongly in the midfield, won clearances, collected 24 disposals, took a big hanger and was a level above. Reid's excellence over a long period now shouldn't be underestimated – he is a huge talent who has ridden the wave of hype this year with a smile and managed to maintain his form and grow his game. Everything the midfielder/forward does is about impact and he'll be staying at No.1 in the Form Guide.
He's been called scary, unique, dominant – there are many exciting elements of Walter's game and Gold Coast is set to be the beneficiary. The Suns Academy talent claimed All-Australian honours for the second straight year after spearheading the Allies' title win at the carnival. He kicked 11 goals from four games and hit packs, crashed into opponents, tackled, chased, hunted and was a threat throughout in the forward line. Walter's point of difference is his athleticism at ground level and defensive work for a player his size – he tackles like a smaller type but is 195cm. He was a chance to play for the Suns' VFL side but had his season cut short prematurely by a knee injury flaring up. He didn't require surgery, having found he had actually played the championships while carrying it.
It's been a super month for Duursma that has really established his chances of being a top-three pick at the end of the year. After finishing the carnival with Vic Country by booting four goals against Vic Metro, the medium forward/midfielder played another game with the Casey Demons and also turned it on for Gippsland, booting six goals against Bendigo, and the previous week kicking two goals from 24 disposals and 12 marks. Duursma can make the difficult look effortless, he has outstanding skills, he is a penetrating kick, he floats for marks and changes games. He's fun to watch.
What do you do after you've averaged 33 disposals across the national carnival with the Allies and blitzed every game? You keep going. That's what McKercher did after the championships, going back to play with Tasmania against Oakleigh and putting in one of the games of the season – 41 disposals, 2.3, seven clearances, eight inside 50s, 12 marks. One of the goals came after a brilliant fend-off and run, once again underlining his class and zip. The left-footed midfielder is not just an accumulator, he is damaging and polished and has a nice inside/outside blend. As good as many of the top midfielders to come through recent drafts.
'The Wizard' returned to school footy with Caulfield Grammar after Vic Metro's under-18 carnival, where he was the leading goalkicker in the championships with 14 from four games. An electric small forward, Watson has proven himself as one of the best of his kind to come through the draft in many years. Despite his size, he flies for his marks and is a handful in the air, he is crafty with the ball in his hands and creates opportunities while rarely missing his own, and only takes a second to size up a goalkicking chance. Watson will be back for the Eastern Ranges in their run to the end of the Coates Talent League and shapes as a very early draft pick given his amazing highlights reel.
After a run of strong performances at colts level with Claremont, Curtin two weeks ago made his league debut and immediately impressed. Playing as a tall defender, Curtin had 21 disposals and four marks in a confident display as many clubs rate him very close to the top of the draft pool. He backed it up with 20 disposals over the weekend. Curtin's versatility as a key defender who can play in the midfield and in attack makes him an appealing player for clubs, with Curtin's leadership also a key trait. The West Australian showed his capacity all over the ground during the championships, including going head to head against Jed Walter, but will stay settled in the backline for the rest of the season.
You know what you're getting with Sanders, who turns up every week and plays with the same strength and consistency. The ball-getter couldn't have done any more this year – he won the Larke Medal as the best player in the carnival after averaging 35 disposals, five clearances and a goal, and he averaged 32 disposals and a goal in the Coates Talent League for Sandringham. North Melbourne is looking to get access to Sanders as a Next Generation Academy player, with the draftee having an Indigenous background, and he studies the likes of Lachie Neale, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Jason Horne-Francis for their midfield smarts and power.
Caddy last week booted four goals from 15 disposals against the Greater Western Victoria Rebels in another showing of his prowess inside 50. He's booted 19 goals from six games for the Northern Knights this year in a season that has included some challenges, including a leg fracture earlier in the campaign and then some illness mid-season. Caddy has spent some time inside the centre square as a big, bullocking midfielder but is largely a key forward who goes for his marks and has a presence.
Read played his first game for Gold Coast's VFL side over the weekend, having 12 disposals and kicking 0.4 against Sydney's reserves team. The 18-year-old is an ultra-exciting prospect. The ruckman of the All-Australian team is so mobile and athletic that he can roam the field like an extra midfielder, and his foot skills are also of a high quality. Read can float forward and be a marking option as well, with the Suns set to snare him as another highly rated member of their Northern Academy.
O'Sullivan cemented his standing as a potential top-10 pick through the national carnival, when he was an intercepting star for the Allies. The athletic centre half-back showed his aerial strengths with a big game against Western Australia, when he gathered 21 disposals and took 10 marks. He was named the Allies' MVP and in the All-Australian team. O'Sullivan has played as a midfielder and forward too, and shown he likes the ball in his hands as a backman – he has averaged 25 disposals over his past four games for the Murray Bushrangers.
It was a great battle last week between Croft and Connor O'Sullivan in Calder's clash with the Murray Bushrangers. O'Sullivan was strong in the back half but Croft finished with 3.4 to be a commanding player in the game. Croft, a light-bodied but exciting and quick tall forward, has been a regular goalkicker all year, kicking multiple goals in his past six games and 20 goals from eight games for the Cannons. The Western Bulldogs have first call on Croft, the son of former defender Matthew, as a father-son pick and he's got plenty of upside.
The third of Gold Coast's Academy trio who shape as early picks at November's draft. Rogers is a go-getter of a player – as a smaller midfielder he buries into contests and gets his hands dirty and he's also capable of going forward and hitting the scoreboard, a bit like Touk Miller at AFL level. He has spent plenty of time with the Suns, including training with the AFL squad, and has played three VFL games with Gold Coast as well.
A leading key defender in the group who can shut down opponents as well as be an intercept and contested marker. He has had some moments in attack and the ruck at different levels this year but has been best suited to a defensive post, where he's among the top group of his kind in the 2023 class.
Wilson had one of the standout games of his season last week while playing for the Murray Bushrangers, gathering 35 disposals and kicking a goal against the Calder Cannons. Wilson played a large portion of Vic Country's under-18 carnival as a forward, but has had some big games this year as a midfielder for the Bushrangers where he can use his speed and endurance mix. He is comfortable around goal, though, and regularly chips in for a major or two (12 goals from nine games at under-18 level).
The key defender has spent a period on the sidelines dealing with a foot injury, which included being in a moonboot when he spent some time at Hawthorn after the championships. The father-son prospect – his dad Luke played for the Hawks and is now the club's football director – is an athletic backman who can fly for his marks and find the ball, which he has done this year at under-18 level for Central District.
An attacking half-back who enjoys directing the game with ball in hand. The left-footer had a solid national carnival for Vic Metro, creating play from defence, and he can break the lines with his penetrating kicking and intercept play. Roberts is a competitor and has good footy instincts that have come through in his games for Sandringham Dragons as well.
There's a bit to like about Leake, with his talents showing enough in the carnival to be selected in the under-18 All-Australian team. His championships thrust him into top-20 considerations for clubs given his athleticism and marking as a rebounding defender. He enjoys having the ball in his hands and taking the game on and averaged 16 disposals and five marks for the Allies' backline. He has played in a range of positions across the season and won his school the premiership with a late big mark and goal in attack.
Hardeman has been on the radar as a possible top-25 pick for a couple of years, having played at under-18 level last season for Western Australia as a bottom-ager. Hardeman captained WA at the carnival and showcased his run and carry from the half-back line, with his kicking and overhead marking key parts of his game. He went back to colts level and gathered 26 disposals in his return game for Swan Districts, before a knee knock the next week was an issue. But Hardeman played over the weekend and picked up 21 disposals.
Windsor is a riser in the Form Guide rankings. Ranked just outside the top 20 in our last update, he's forced his way in for this version after back-to-back quality games with Eastern Ranges. After a standout game in the carnival for Vic Metro against Western Australia, Windsor had 21 disposals and a goal against the Murray Bushrangers when returning to the Ranges and last week had 23 touches and a goal against Oakleigh. He is a smooth mover who kicks nicely and offers some class on the outside.
After dominating the colts competition earlier this season with Peel Thunder, Edwards has returned from Western Australia's championships to feature for their reserves team in recent weeks. The young ruckman has the size and frame to be an appealing long-term option for clubs looking to bolster their developing ruck stocks and his skills and mobility for a player his size are exciting. Edwards has been a part of the Fremantle Next Generation Academy, but regardless he would need to get past pick 40 to be available under those rules.
It has been a strong month for Reid, who began the year shaping as a potential top-10 pick. The tall forward finished the championships for Vic Country with a strong game against Vic Metro, when he kicked two goals, and followed it with four goals against the Sandringham Dragons and then three last game against the Bendigo Pioneers. Reid has kicked 11 goals over his past three Coates Talent League showings, with his size, kicking skills and mobility among his traits as a tall forward.
The speedy midfielder and forward has shown his dash and run at various levels this year and also comes from an elite cricket background. The Vic Country co-captain can hit the scoreboard and plays with some run, having also been thrown across half-back at stages for the Dandenong Stingrays. Having run the 20-metre sprint in 2.94 seconds, DeMattia has some power which will come through his game more and more.
Tholstrup plays in a chest-out, robust manner that will endear him to fans at the next level. His championships with Western Australia were slightly interrupted with injury, but his best game came against Vic Metro when he gathered 20 disposals and eight inside 50s. Tholstrup went back to make an impact at senior level with Subiaco in the WAFL, where he has played all season, including kicking two goals from 14 disposals against Swan Districts. A Cam Zurhaar type of player.
The developing ruckman has shown some impressive growth in his game in recent months to take the eye of scouts. Green had a couple of standout games for the Northern Knights at Coates Talent League level, including 22 disposals and 2.2 against the Murray Bushrangers, and he shapes as a long-term option for clubs looking to bolster that department.
It hasn't been the season Moir would have hoped for after he booted 30 goals from 10 games last year as a forward with Glenelg's under-18 team. But the talented dual-sided player is still a prospect of interest for clubs and can do the mercurial around goal, kicking on either foot and with a spring in his step to take marks. Kicked two goals against Vic Country in his best game for South Australia during the carnival.