Harper had a superb 2009 season when he was an AIS scholarship holder. In 2010 he had only one game in which he confirmed his potential, the last game of the AFL under-18 championships, in which he kicked four sublime goals against Western Australia. The silken manner of those goals made recruiters drool, but the rest of his season left everyone to scratch their heads.
After Harper’s standing vertical jump on the first day of the draft combine, he spoke to four clubs during the first round of interviews: the Sydney Swans, West Coast, Gold Coast and Melbourne. Recruiters were keen to know why his 2010 season had been so disappointing.
Harper wondered at first whether he should fudge an answer or tell the truth. He told the truth. In an age in which players are expected to stick to structures and zones, Harper said he was an instinctive footballer. He finds it difficult to stick to strict formats and he lacked the fitness to enable him to play on his instincts.
“I just answered honestly,” Harper said.
The 187cm prospect had a hip operation in the off-season that prevented him from building a fitness base. Soon after the beginning of the season, he had an operation to remove his appendix that put him on the sidelines for five weeks. Harper said it took him until late in the under-18 championships before he was fit enough to stamp himself on a game.
When asked why he failed to keep that form going with the Eastern Ranges during the remainder of the season, Harper had no real answer. His honesty was rewarded when Melbourne coach Dean Bailey remarked on his sincerity.
“That gave me confidence,” Harper said. “It was a big compliment to come from a coach.”
Harper’s instinctiveness makes him the type of footballer who can find a way to goal when few others can. Recruiters must now decide whether he’ll develop into a player who can use his pronounced ability on a regular basis.
Guthrie, the player who finished equal with Harper in the standing jump on 65 centimetres, has no problem with structures. He’s an outstanding tagger who’s regarded among the most disciplined of the prospective draftees. He should be taken midway through the first round of the draft.
Those who finished just under Harper and Guthrie are all likely to go in the first round of the draft. Shaun Atley (64), Dyson Heppell (64), Seb Tape (63) and Billie Smedts (63) did themselves no harm in their attempts to jump up the rankings.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
