AFL youth and high performance coordinator and former AFL star Jason McCartney shares his thoughts with afl.com.au on the players who caught his eye on the final day of the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
Here are his assessments after the match that saw South Australia smash New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory by 80 points to open the triple-header at Telstra Dome on Wednesday.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA v NSW/ACT
South Australia
Hamish Hartlett – Hamish backed up against NSW/ACT. He had 24 disposals, four clearances and kicked one goal, but he also set up a couple of majors. His ball use is exquisite – it's just amazing. He also has a great side step and it was great to see his quality shine through after struggling a bit early in the carnival. It will be interesting to see if he is All-Australian.
Lewis Johnston – Lewis played a fantastic game. He was leading up, taking contested grabs and quick on the burst. He booted four goals, is mobile, has great hands and a high work-rate. I think Lewis will be a big chance to be All-Australian this year. He's a lovely kid and been a pleasure to work with at the AIS/AFL Academy – it's great when you see these kids put in the hard work and reap the benefits at the end.
Rhys O'Keeffe – Rhys was named South Australia's most valuable player. I saw him earlier in the carnival play off half-back and he was really neat. He doesn't waste the ball by foot, but he pushed into the midfield in the back end of the carnival and he was great. His work inside and run-and-carry helped the likes of Lewis Johnston, Ryan Schoenmakers and Paul Cahill in front of goal.
Ryan Schoenmakers – He only had it 12 times, but he looks a class act with the way he moves. He is a left-footer and has a good set of hands and agility. Ryan played as a defender early in the championships, but moved forward in the later stages, forming a strong attack with Lewis Johnston and Paul Cahill. He's got a really bright future.
New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory
Scott Reed – I've been really impressed by Scott. He got 16 disposals, but 12 were contested. I know Alan Richardson from Collingwood has been working with him, as Scott is a scholarship holder there. I spoke with Alan and he said they've been very happy with Scott across the carnival. His disposal by foot has improved and I see him as a perfect fit for Collingwood. There is no doubt they will list him at the end of the year.
Daniel Spiteri – Wearing the helmet, Daniel is only 173cm. But for a little fella, the left-footer has got tremendous heart and courage. He's an in-and-under player and won the ball 17 times. He gets his fair share of contested football and rebounds and is a penetrating kick. He plays as a high half-forward/midfielder. You've just got to commend the way he goes about it, because he's one of the smallest players in the carnival, but he sets such a standard
Jeremy Kirkwood – Without getting high stats, Jeremy has been very consistent throughout the championships. He has predominantly played as a run-with player on the wing. He's pretty athletic; he's worked on his kicking – although it is still marginal – but he's a quality kid and it was really pleasing to see him win 15 touches with a mix of contested and uncontested footy. He's very, very disciplined, having kept Daniel Rich quiet earlier in the championships.
