Throughout the 2008 NAB AFL under 18 championships, afl.com.au will speak to a key recruiter/official about the players they thought shone on a particular day's play.
On Saturday, we spoke to AFL youth and high performance coordinator Jason McCartney.
His comments came after the second day's division two matches at the MCG in the lead-up to the Australian Football Hall of Fame Tribute Match between Victoria and the Dream Team, where Tasmania held off the Northern Territory by 13 points and NSW/ACT defeated Queensland by 31 points.
NSW/ACT
Ranga Ediriwickrama - He was really good. He had a high work-rate and won a lot of the footy - he won 32 possessions. Ranga was good in game one, but he was cleaner with his ball-use and gathering. He really led from the front and was outstanding.
Scott Reed - I thought Scotty Reed was super. He played wing and centre half-back in game one and played as a key defender in game two. He was not beaten in the one-on-one contests. He ran hard, provided contests and his ball movement and penetration inside forward 50 was good. Scotty had a really positive game and has been solid in both matches.
Nathan Gordon - Nathan has not been named as a scholarship player yet, but I'm led to believe Sydney will claim him. He was really good overhead for a smaller player. He's 184cm, plays up forward and is really smart around goals. He's an opportunist and can push up into the midfield as well. Nathan also kicked a couple of goals in the second quarter and was really impressive.
Max Wilson - A strong, big aggressive ruckman, he adds so much to this team. He really leads the way with his physicality.
Jordan Foster - His contested marking - he took three in the first five minutes of game one - is fantastic. He's also a good finisher in front of goal and although he didn't get a lot of the ball in game two, he marked everything that came his way. He's one player who has really jumped up, so that's a real positive.
Northern Territory
Peter Rolfe - Has been around for a while, but he kicked five goals against Tasmania and you know what you're going to get from him each week. He also had 17 possessions, so he was a real shining light.
Patrick Heenan - I've liked what I've seen of him in the last two games - I haven't seen him much since he was in under 16s - and he's now at Melbourne Grammar. He played a loose role in the back-pocket and he's got a license to free up and attack, but he makes good decisions. What I like about him is that he's got great balance and takes the game on. He's been good.
Robert Hale - He's had a couple of solid games, playing off the wing. He's also at Melbourne Grammar now. He didn't play under 16s last year, because he had groin surgery. Robbie was good overhead, he won his own ball and it looks like his disposal has improved a bit from a couple of years ago.
Curtly Hampton - The one I really liked was Curtly Hampton, who is a 14-year-old boy. He's not 15 years old until October and he's been in our Kickstart program. He went to South Africa this year and he'll be in the program later this year. He's been really well managed. There is no great expectation on him. He's just lively and every time he's on the ground, he makes things happen. He's got some real bounce about him. His thought process is always to get the ball and play on - I think we've got a good one on our hands there. Most guys are 17 or 18 years old, but the Northern Territory is the exception, due to the smaller population.
Queensland
Matt Thomson - A ball-winner, he's not the biggest kid going around, but he finds the footy and he uses it well - he's now had a couple of solid games. He got 28 touches against NSW/ACT.
Joey Daye - He was really good. We know he can provide run-and-carry and that's when he's at his best, so it was really pleasing to see him get it inside the corridor. He got his hands on the footy and used it well.
Jessie Haberfield - He's a really tough, disciplined player in the contested situations. He wasn't outstanding, but his hardness always keeps him in the game.
Justin Myers - He came under my attention - I haven't seen a lot of him - and he looks a really neat player. He won the ball 22 times and his finishing was really good too. He followed up, kicked a couple of goals and was good in the corridor.
Lachlan Keefe - Although he didn't have a lot of the ball, he is now tied to Collingwood under the non-registered for three years rule. He was at our AIS camp in December, through our rookie search program and he showed fantastic athleticism. What impressed me against NSW/ACT is the work that Collingwood has already put into him. You can just see he has developed, as he has improved since we last saw him. He looked really clean and there has already been a transformation in him. So there is some real upside to him.
Tasmania
Mitch Robinson - He was one I hadn't seen or heard much of until today, but he played off the wing and half-back and won 21 possessions. His athleticism, the way he found space all day, his run-and-carry and the way he used the ball impressed me. I didn't see much of him the other day, but he bobbed up against the Northern Territory.
Tom Salter - He got 24 possessions in game one and got 19 in his second match. He was good, in and around the contests, and started the game really well. I had a question mark against him in game one - he turned it over a couple of times - but he didn't miss a target in game two, so that was really good.
Aaron Cornelius - A lot is expected from Aaron, but I thought he was okay. Every time he went to the contest, he had three guys around him - he's going to get that a lot because he is a super overhead mark - but he still managed to take some good contested marks. I thought he worked really well and as a key forward, it can become frustrating playing against three players. He took six marks, three contested and finished with three goals.
Bart McCulloch - Bart didn't get a lot against the Territory but I was impressed with him in game one. He has good agility for a big bloke and makes good decisions. He could be okay.
