CRAFTY and clever, Harrison Wigg helped lift South Australia to the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships division one title with a consistent display in defence.
He was named an All Australian – one of only four representatives from his state – and showed his traits as an attacking small defender capable of shifting into the midfield.
Wigg returned to his local club, North Adelaide, after the carnival hoping to build on his form, but woke up one day with a pain in his right foot after a game of school footy.
Scans showed a stress reaction in his third metatarsal, which ruled him for eight weeks and saw him sidelined for the draft combine.
In a nutshell, Wigg can use the ball and he can find it, two qualities that don't go out of fashion.
Wigg is under consideration having proved across the season he's more than adept at both getting the ball and delivering it.
Playing mainly as a small, rebounding defender for South Australia during the championships, he averaged 19 disposals a game and used the ball at 80 per cent efficiency.
It was also about his speed of ball movement – Wigg has the conviction to go for long kicks and doesn't waste too much time doing it. When he's got the ball, he's looking forward and one recruiter said he was close to the best kick in the draft.
In four games with North Adelaide's under-18 team he averaged nearly 30 disposals and five clearances, showing he can also shift up the ground if required.
At 178cm and 77kg, Wigg isn't big. For some clubs that won't matter too much, because the things he does well are desirable, but for others who already have his type of player on their lists, they might not be searching for another.
Because of his largely uncontested role and being used in that sweeper position, his ball winning is also something he can keep improving. Unfortunately for Wigg, his foot injury came at a bad time and just as he was ready to take his game further.
There's a little bit of Matt Suckling in the way Wigg wheels onto his left side and streams out of defence, but he's slightly shorter and at the next level might be suited to a back pocket instead of a flank or wingman role.
It's hard to see Wigg breaking into the top 40, but like a number of this year's even South Australian prospects, he could be picked anywhere after that.
A neat and tidy player who you can trust with the ball, Wigg's weapon is his left foot. Give him the ball and he'll find a target.
