A TWENTY-CENTIMETRE growth spurt has done wonders for the draft prospects of West Australian Tim English, with many observers believing he could be a top-10 pick.
English, now 204cm, was playing school football three years ago for Christ Church Grammar in Claremont, as a 184cm midfielder.
Last year he was captain of that same side and towering over his classmates at 200cm.
The traits English displayed as a mid-sized midfielder – his ability to cover the ground and use the ball well – have been widely apparent for Western Australia at this year's NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
To see the athletic big man, considered the top ruckman in this year's draft pool, nonchalantly taking three bounces down the outer side of Domain Stadium in Western Australia's game against the Allies two weeks ago, underlined English's unique skillset.
"It (playing like a midfielder) almost counts as a point of difference so I've been trying to use that to my advantage," English told AFL.com.au.
It's not often a player that size can leap over opposing ruckmen at centre bounces and then scrap on the ground for a loose ball with the onballers and those attributes will be on show against Vic Metro at Simonds Stadium, as the Championships conclude on Wednesday.
"I don't have the physique to body out some of the bigger guys yet so I'm really trying to improve on that," English said.
"That's one of my strengths as a ruckman that I'm able to move around the ground relatively well.
"I've been trying to use that and get on the end of a few offensive chains and set it up in the forward line."
Tim English rucking for WA against Vic Country. Picture: West Australian Football Commission
English, who turns 19 in August, could already be on an AFL list, if not for a snafu when he was looking to register for last year's draft.
As part of his requirement for attending Christ Church Grammar, a member of WA's Public Schools' Association, English represented his school in football, rather than playing in the WAFL colts competition.
A few recruiters noticed English's potential at school level and tried, without luck, to have him registered for the Claremont colts' second last game of the season against Swan Districts.
To be eligible for the NAB AFL Draft, players must have been registered and played at least one game in the colts.
Here's where the confusion kicked in.
Despite being part of Claremont's under-14s, 15s and 16s squads, English's WAFL registration was rejected after it was determined he was actually zoned to South Fremantle.
English's parents have one residence in Claremont and another in Pingelly, which is part of South Fremantle's country zone.
By then it was too late to have English registered for South Fremantle, ruling him out of the 2015 draft equation.
"I was a little bit disappointed but I couldn't really do too much about it, so there was no point being worried about it," English said.
In some ways, an extra year playing colts football has given English more of a chance to refine his game and work on a few areas he needed to address, including his contested marking.
The attention he has received this season has come as quite a shock.
"Late last year I would have had no idea that this could have all taken off like this," English said.
"I'm enjoying it quite a bit and I'm loving my footy at the moment."
Want more draft news?
• Listen to this week's Road to the Draft podcast
• The draft pool: Cal Twomey analyses this year's best prospects
• NAB AFL Under-18s: 2016 fixture, news and video
