ED ALLAN knew he didn't have time to waste. The Claremont draft prospect had missed the first half of this year with a back stress fracture and sat out three of Western Australia's under-18 championships games. When he returned to the field in July, he knew his time to impress would be limited.
Nearly three months on, Allan, the son of former Hawthorn star and Fremantle's inaugural captain Ben, shapes as one of the draft's biggest late-season risers, is viewed among his state's most exciting talents and is a contender for the top 15 on draft night. It wasn't always heading this way, when his back soreness in February developed into something more serious.
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"It quickly progressed and got a bit worse. I just had scans and didn't need surgery, but it was set to be a two-month injury and it became a three-month time on the sidelines in the end," Allan told AFL.com.au.
"I was pretty lucky as I was able to keep fit by going on the bikes and be in the gym the whole time, so I was able to do that. I made a focus on having to impact straight away as soon as I got back. I didn't really have time to build into my season, I just had to have a crack straight away."
Allan succeeded with that. The 194cm midfielder played five games for Claremont's Colts side and averaged 25 disposals, excelling as an inside option as well as being able to play on the wing.
"I just wanted to show my running ability, my ability to impact the game. I wanted to hit the scoreboard and be consistent in all of the games I was able to play. That was my main goal, to be consistent and work hard," he said. "I was happy I was able to impact fairly quickly."
The 18-year-old's size and shape makes him a unique midfield option for clubs as a potential first-round pick, but Allan hasn't always been a taller onballer.
"The last two years I've probably grown about 20cm and probably put on about 20 kilos. I've grown a fair bit and that probably helped me go into an inside midfield role as well putting on more weight. I've got two older brothers as well so mum's spent a fair bit at the grocery shop," he said.
"I was pretty small and skinny in my junior career so going onto the wing and playing against bigger bodies has definitely helped."
Clubs became more aware of his exciting athleticism at this month's NAB AFL Draft Combine. Allan blitzed the testing, claiming the best run in the 20-metre sprint at 2.81 seconds (after previous runs at 2.85 and 2.82 seconds). He was also fifth in the agility test (8.255 seconds) and inside the top 10 for the vertical jump (68cm). It topped off a strong end to the season that made Allan one of the significant late draft movers.
Not that he was a completely unfamiliar name. His father Ben Allan was a Hawthorn star who played in the club's 1991 flag and won the Hawks' best and fairest that season, before he crossed to Fremantle ahead of the Dockers' maiden season in 1995, when he was the club's first captain.
Ed counts himself more as a Fremantle fan, being based in Western Australia, and has got himself across the detail of his dad's football career.
"He doesn't speak about it much but he tells me he was a good kick and that's what he shows off a fair bit. I know he was a good player – a couple of All-Australians and a best and fairest in a premiership year so that's obviously pretty tough to do," he said.
"Being the inaugural captain at Freo, he was obviously pretty big in those first few years and he was also on the board and has had a lot of impact at the club and he's pretty proud of that. It's cool to know that Dad was in the first team and starting line-up.
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"He's probably my biggest support and I go to him for feedback more than anyone else. He's not too hard on me, he's there for feedback if I need it and he gives me stuff to work on and focus on in games."
But Allan won't get to either the Hawks or Dockers through the father-son rule. Ben played 98 games with Hawthorn before making the switch to Fremantle, where he played 47 games, meaning his son will enter the open draft as clubs weigh up how early to take him. "Dad tells me he wasn't thinking about kids when he was making that decision to leave the Hawks," Allan said.
