While AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan and AIS/AFL high performance coach Alan McConnell said more would be known at the completion of the 2008 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, both men have seen enough to form an opinion of the young crop coming through the ranks.
“We can see there’s a very, very impressive group of tall players,” Sheehan said.
“We could see that from second division, the qualifying division played there, and we saw that with the opening game between Vic Metro and Vic Country the other day.”
While one of the hottest draft prospects in years -- WA’s Nicholas Naitanui -- is certain to gain attention, Sheehan was quick to point out the depth in the group.
"It’s not just all about Naitanui, put it that way,” he said.
“There’s lots of other taller key-position ruckmen type-players that are attracting a fair bit of interest.”
Quality taller players are highly prized due to their relative rarity.
“They’re harder to come by, that’s the key to it,” Sheehan said.
“They’re from a reasonably limited pool … but it’s becoming a bigger pool. We seem to have a lot more bigger blokes appearing at our championships and trials.”
Last weekend a number of taller players impressed during Victoria Metropolitan’s thrilling win over Victoria Country.
Shaun McKernan, the younger brother of former North Melbourne and Carlton star Corey, was among those to impress for Vic Metro. Jack Watts also starred in the game, his fourth goal on the final siren securing a victory for Vic Metro.
Both players are involved with the AIS/AFL Academy, which is seen as developing the crème de la crème of Australia’s top footballing talent.
The Academy was responsible for 13 of the top 14 picks at last year’s NAB AFL Draft and currently comprises more than 20 per cent of AFL lists.
McConnell gave an interesting insight when assessing the talent he believes will be on offer later this year.
“I would have thought in general there’s a larger group of just genuine footballers,” McConnell said.
“There’s perhaps not as many elite athletes as there has been in recent years but lots of very good footballers, if that makes sense.
“They’re smarter players. Certainly, the group of Academy boys have had the capacity to embrace concepts perhaps more readily than the last couple of years, which suggests to me that they’re perhaps a more innate, natural football-orientated group.”
As for the players coming through this year, McConnell says the group he has dealt with – the Academy has an intake of just 30 each year – would offer AFL clubs plenty.
“There’s a mix … there’s a bit of everything to be honest,” he said.
“I think there’s something for everybody but I guess the question is always, ‘after pick 20 what else is left?’
“But I would have thought the top end of the draft should be laced with boys with good footy brains.”
