MOVE over Jeremy Howe; there could be a new high-flyer on the AFL horizon.

Jordan Houlahan, an 18-year-old forward from the Adelaide Hills, could be set to take the competition by storm if he finds a home on draft night.

The Sturt prospect soars for big marks so often, his coaches and club staff have come to expect a highlights reel-worthy moment in nearly every game he plays in. 

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"Jordan every week takes one or two big marks; that's his go, that was last year and this year as well," Sturt football manager David Oatey told AFL.com.au. 

"If his opponent doesn't defend him on the ground, he will certainly jump up and over them. 

"Whether he worked on that as a kid marking in the backyard I'm not sure, but he's certainly a stand-out even in men's footy with his ability to read the ball above his head. 

"He's got brilliant vertical jumping judgement. 

"He's very much like Jeremy Howe, that's exactly the type of player that he is."

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It's been a big year for Houlahan. With year 12 out of the way in 2016, he's been able to focus on his football after overcoming a shoulder reconstruction from October last year. 

He's got a taste of life away from school, having worked five days a week at his brother-in-law's Lenswood cherry and apple orchard. 

He also capped off a season where his form got better and better with the perfect conclusion; two flags in one week with the Double Blues.

"I played reserves all year and we won 10 in a row after starting from the bottom," Houlahan said.  

"At the start, we weren't really playing well as a team … I think we just started gelling. 

"I played the first two finals, went straight into the reserves Grand Final and then I had the week off … our under 18s played their Grand Final in the week off, so I was allowed to go back and play.

"We won that at Adelaide Oval, and then I played in the reserves the week after … and we won that, too."

Houlahan did some nice things in his second NAB AFL Under-18 Championships mid-year, and then showcased his strengths at the Combine in Melbourne in October, exactly 12 months after he went under the knife to fix his left shoulder. 

He was one of four participants to score 30/30 on the goal-kicking assessment, where players are asked to demonstrate their skills on the run, in set shots and on their non-preferred side.

Then, he recorded 28/30 in the kicking test and placed fifth overall in both the standing and running vertical jump. 

It's not just Houlahan's jump, which was developed during his junior years when he juggled football and basketball, and precision that have impressed. 

He's also got sticky hands, which AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan believes has made him a standout across this year.

"His X-factor extends beyond the vertical leap; it's his hands up in the air as well," Sheehan said. 

"That's his real point of difference. He took some brilliant contested marks, and that along with his rapid development late in the year makes him a pretty appealing prospect." 

The only knock on Houlahan is his endurance, which was affected again this year by his shortened pre-season. 

Showing his maturity and determination to make things happen at AFL level, he asked his coaches at Sturt for help.

"He understood it was a problem; all the AFL clubs made that pretty clear to him," Oatey said.

"So, in the second half of the year, he'd get on the GPS once a week at training and again on match day … he wanted to make sure his speed efforts were getting up there as well as his total distance running. 

"He certainly made in-roads in improving his endurance. He's been really diligent in his efforts to keep getting better. 

"He's always been a lovely fella to deal with both as a school kid and a man out of school, but his football understanding and work rate on the oval really improved this year. 

"One club just needs to choose him now, and we are hopeful for sure – he deserves his opportunity."