Star youngster Matt DeBoer ticked all the boxes one could hope to leading into the NAB AFL Draft in November.
His state coach, Andrew Lockyer, and club coach at Claremont, Roger Kerr, agree the 18-year-old is a ripper.
Perhaps the only doubt on DeBoer is his kicking, although selectors at this year’s NAB AFL U18 Championships didn’t think that was too shabby when naming him in the centre of this year’s All-Australian line-up.
But draft day brought only disappointment for the University of Western Australia student.
Kerr, the father of West Coast star Daniel, said DeBoer was shattered at having been overlooked on November 29.
Kerr believed the young midfielder had been contacted by Fremantle and Melbourne since the national draft in regards to possible rookie positions. But he has continued to train with Claremont and must again wait anxiously next Tuesday to see if he will earn a chance at AFL level. Kerr certainly believes DeBoer is worthy of one.
“He’s been a regular in our league side and an All-Australian in the under-18s … and he was averaging about 20 touches a game for us and doing fairly well when he was at senior level,” Kerr said.
“His kicking’s maybe the only knock on him because it’s maybe a bit of an awkward style, but he can certainly pick the ball up and [he ticks] every other box.
“He gets a lot of the footy.”
DeBoer’s absence from an AFL list at the conclusion of draft day emphasised the strength of this year’s talent pool.
Lockyer, who coached him in the 2008 national championships, was shocked when the name DeBoer was not called out on draft day.
DeBoer also enjoyed a superb 2007 but didn’t nominate for the national draft then, which may have cost him on November 29.
“Last year, the way he played as a 17-year-old, he would have been [a] top-20 [pick],” Lockyer said.
“I look at some of the kids that were taken in the draft [this year] and I think Matty’s definitely up there with them.
“He’s a smasher of a kid and he works hard at his game. I reckon he’d be worth a go at one of the clubs and I think the kid deserves an opportunity.”
