Emma Quayle's guide to the 100-plus players invited to the AFL Draft Combine 2014. The draft expert looks at the medium midfielders.
MEDIUM MIDFIELDERS
Paul Ahern (Calder Cannons)
Born 1.8.96, 181cm, 77kg
AFL biography: Smooth-moving midfielder with excellent balance and running capacity. Has an innate ability to make the difficult look easy, is dangerous when he pushes forward and can kick long goals on the run. Has an excellent mix of speed and endurance and can play inside or outside. Selected in the NAB AFL Under-18 All-Australian team.
Ian Kyte, Calder Cannons: "Paul has elite speed and agility. He's a really good mark for his size and he's the one who can kick the goal to finish things off. He needs to work on becoming more consistent from week to week and even during games but I think he's come in a long way. He had a really big test in the TAC Cup grand final when he got a pretty heavy knock. If that had happened 12 months ago it would have been the end of him, but he's really matured and he handled that well and came on and really tried to get us back into the game."
Billy Stretch (Glenelg)
Born 8.9.96, 180cm, 69kg
AFL biography: Medium midfielder with elite running capacity, using his speed and endurance to great effect. Generally uses the ball effectively, has courage and is a consistent ball-winner. Has excellent leadership and football character. Won All-Australian Under-18 honours, played senior football at Glenelg. Son of former Demon Steven.
Brenton Phillips, SANFL: "Billy's the most professional athlete I've ever coached. His attention to detail is something i haven't seen. I keep saying to people, what I like about Billy is that he rolls out the same game week in, week out, with the same work ethic and work rate. Sometimes that equates to 12 touches and sometimes is equates to 25, but you know exactly what you'll get from him in terms of effort. His disposal is improving and he's not a crash and bash player, but he's inside stuff is improving."
Jarrod Pickett (South Fremantle)
Born 3.5.96, 177cm, 74kg
AFL biography: Small forward/midfielder with electrifying pace who can set the game alight. Smart around goals and has elite endurance. Played senior football in WAFL this season.
Raff Guadagnino, WAFL: "Jarrod can do some really special things, he just has to find a bit of consistency, but he some some exciting talents. He's really switched on off the field and he's a versatile player in that he'll kick goals in the forward line but be able to go into the midfield like a Cyril Rioli does and make an impact."
Isaac Heeney (Cardiff Hawks)
Born 5.5.1996, 185cm, 82kg
AFL biography: Hard edged medium midfielder who excels in the one on one and contested situations. Very good clearance player averaging five per game together with 23.7 disposals at 73.2% efficiency and 4.7 tackles. Won Harrison Medal for Best and Fairest in Division Two of the under-18 championships. Swans Academy player.
Jason Saddington, NSW/ACT Rams: "I can't fault Isaac. He's just a competitive beast who hates losing. He's a leader, he's well liked and he's just crying out to be playing at the next level already. I'm not sure he'll go straight into the midfield, but he's someone who could be thrown onto a half forward or even half back flank and play a bit more outside, at least initially, while he's being groomed for that inside midfield role."
Jack Hiscox (NSW)
Born 23.3.1995, 184cm, 74kg
AFL biography: Athletic player that continually runs hard through the midfield. A former national 800m champion that in January 2014 ran an elite time of 9.04 for a 3km time trial as well possessing elite leg speed. Is continuing to learn the game however thrives in the defensive areas of the game where he is not afraid to put his head over the ball. Averaged 18 disposals in his two games for NSW/ACT at the under-18 championships.
Jason Saddington, NSW/ACT Rams: "Jack has the elite speed and endurance combination, he's an absolute running machine. I'm looking forward to seeing him test at the combine, hopefully he breaks the 3km record. His running is good enough for the AFL already, and he's developed his kicking and clean hands a lot, but he needs to put on some size now to be able to match it physically at the next level."
Tyler Roos (Sandringham Dragons/NSW)
Born 24.3.1996, 185cm, 73kg
AFL biography: Medium midfielder whose athletic traits allow him to continually out work his opposition. Uses the ball very well by foot and has good game sense. Averaged 19.3 disposals, at 69% efficiency in three matches at the under-18 championships. Plays for the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup but was eligible under State of Origin rules to play for NSW/ACT. Son of former Fitzroy and Sydney star Paul Roos.
Ryan O'Connor, Sandringham Dragons: "Tyler's a developing midfielder who obviously is the son of Paul and has come to us from outside the Victorian pathway having grown up in New South Wles. He needs to develop some overall power and a change of pace, but his football knowledge is really, really good. He has a really good feel for the game so if he can continue to develop some power I think he's good enough to get an opportunity whether that's this year or he has to come back next year asa 19-year-old. He's improved out of sight since the start of the year, he had some lower back issues before Christmas but ever since he's been back on the track he's just kept improving. In terms of footy smarts and seeing the game, there's definitely something there."
Jack Steele (ACT)
Born 13.12.1995, 186cm, 82kg
AFL biography: Strong and powerful midfielder/forward that can create something out of nothing. Shows excellent poise and balance when in possessions and is a clever user by hand or foot. A very effective lead up player that once going can be hard to stop. NSW/ACT's MVP in the under-18 championships, averaging 20.7 disposals at 79% efficiency, 5.7 marks and two goals on his way to winning All-Australian Under-18 honours.
Jason Saddington, NSW/ACT Rams: "Where do I start? Jack missed most of last year after having surgery on his knee. He's a medium sized forward who takes a good overhead mark and is clever around goals. He's strong through the hips, he doesn't get tackled often and he doesn't fumble. He's been really good and looking back, I really wish someone had taken a punt on him as a rookie last year."
Connor Blakely (Swan Districts)
Born 2.3.1996, 186cm, 81kg
AFL biography: Medium Midfielder who excels at stoppages and is a prolific ball winner. Runs all day using his impressive endurance base and has good speed. Averaged 21 disposals at 79% efficiency, seven clearances and 5.5 tackles during the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships and was rewarded with All-Australian honours. Plays regular senior football for Swan Districts in the WAFL.
Raff Guadagnino, WAFL: "Connor is one of the most rounded people and players we've had this year. He watched him as a 16-year-old playing half-back and half-forward but he's turned himself into a really good inside midfielder since then which is a really good achievement. He's very professional, an intelligent kid who has that bit of presence about him in the group."
Peter Bampton (Norwood)
Born 15.4.1996, 182cm, 83kg
AFL biography: Hard running, strong bodied medium midfielder with an appetite for the contest. Has played senior football over the past couple of seasons for Norwood before injuring his ankle and missing the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships. Has an excellent ability to extract the footy from the stoppage and run hard forward. Averaging 19 disposals and three clearances at senior SANFL level.
Brenton Phillips, SANFL: "He just hasn't been able to get going because of injury, unfortunately. He had a bad shoulder and a bit of a foot or ankle problem so he couldn't get a run at the national championships and he would have been in our leadership group if not our captain. He's a quality individual who has a real team and club focus. He's worthy of a spot on a list. The question mark is his ability to cover the ground and spread from a contest, but he's a very good inside player."
Dean Gore (Sturt)
Born 26.6.1996, 183cm, 86kg
AFL biography: Medium midfielder who reads the game very well and is very strong in the contest. Has good burst of speed and elite endurance and played a pivotal role in South Australia's NAB AFL Under-18 Championships winning team averaging 15.3 possessions (7.7 contested) and 6.5 tackles across all 6 matches. Has played senior football with Sturt.
Brenton Phillips, SANFL: "I like him. He's played a fair bit of league footy now, and as an inside midfielder is really strong in the contests with a penetrating kick."
Alex Neal-Bullen (Glenelg)
Born, 9.1.1996, 182cm, 77kg
AFL biography: Damaging Medium Midfielder particularly around stoppages uses his quick, clean hands to great effect. Key player in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships averaging 18.7 disposals (10.2 contested) and 4.2 tackles. Is a courageous footballer with elite endurance and has played senior football for Glenelg.
Brenton Phillips, SANFL: "Alex is an outside midfielder who can get hold of the ball, he has a bit of Trent Cotchin about him, some of the same moves. He didn't kick the ball as well during the national championships as I've seen him kick, but he was under instruction to clear stoppages and get the ball forward as quickly as he could, and that meant ramming it onto his foot and getting it out of there. His efficiency rating would be low because of that, but he can kick and he played some really good senior football at Glenelg this year and showed good leadership there. They were pretty ordinary this year but he was in there controlling stoppages and getting guys into the right positions."
Josh Glenn (Central District)
Born 10.3.1994, 180cm, 78kg
AFL biography: Mature age medium midfielder that has had a brilliant year with Central District averaging 20.5 disposals and 3.6 clearances per game at senior level. His consistency has become a genuine strength of his game along with his disposal efficiency, particularly his ability to use the ball by foot on both sides of his body.
Brenton Phillips, SANFL: "Josh is a smooth moving left footer. He's played some really good league football for two years now and is a no-nonsense type of bloke."
Lachlan Weller (Southport)
Born 23.2.1996, 181cm, 74kg
AFL biography: Medium midfielder with pace, poise and neat disposal by hand and foot. Always seems to have plenty of time when in possession. Averaged 18 disposals in three matches at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, going at 74% efficiency while also laying an average of 4.3 tackles. Brother of Maverick at St Kilda.
Adrian Fletcher, AFL Queensland: "He's a star. The only thing he needs to do is get his body stronger and get used to finding ways around being tagged. But he's a good player. He lifts, every time you need him and he can really hurt the opposition with his poise and his kicking. He trains as well as anybody, his character is right up there with the kids I've come across."
Angus Brayshaw (Sandringham Dragons)
Born 9.1.1996, 187cm, 86kg
AFL biography: Medium midfielder who distributes the ball very effectively by either hand and on both feet. Clearances specialist who reads the game exceptionally well using is athleticism to get to and away from stoppages. His football nous is brilliant. Averaged 21.8 disposals, five Inside 50s and four tackles during the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
Ryan O'Connor, Sandringham Dragons: "There are a lot of positives about Angus. If we're talking about how he can take his game to the next level, there's really not all that much he needs to do, except maybe use the pace he has more. He's been a tough, inside contested player for us but he's someone who definitely has the pace to take the game on and he'll do that more in time, he's tested really quick in the past but at the moment he just tends to stay inside and be the one to win the ball. He's super smart, and he has that intangible ability to influence games, he can really influence the outcome and he did that for us a number of times, he's really determined and he can will the team over the line. His foot skills are really solid, especially when he does have that bit of space and time, and all the fundamentals are there. He jarred his ankle at the end of the year but kept playing for as long as he could and was quite brave with it even though he was basically on one leg."
Damien Cavka (Calder Cannons)
Born 3.6.1996, 184cm, 79kg
AFL biography: Elite endurance player with the capacity run all day. Has shown the ability to play a variety of roles, including shutting down opponents through the midfield as well as rebounding from half back. Shows excellent football character and work ethic. Averaged 17.5 disposals and 6.5 tackles for Vic Metro at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
Ian Kyte, Calder Cannons: "Damien has elite endurance, he was an athlete playing football but he's turned himself into an athletic footballer. He's gained in confidence throughout the year and figured out that he has the ability to run his opponent off his feet, up and down the ground. He strained his groin at training on Tuesday before the grand final and won't do any of the testing because of that, but he quite possibly would have broken the beep test record, he ran a 16.7 at state testing earlier this year. And he's really matured. Missing out on a grand final would have killed him 12 months ago, he wouldn't have known what to do, but he handled that disappointment really well this year, I think that extra maturity really helped him deal with it."
Josh Clayton (Sandringham Dragons)
Born 17.1.1996, 190cm, 80kg
AFL biography: Very athletic and versatile player that reads the game very well and makes smart decisions when in possession. His aerial skills coupled with his lateral movement often sees him step through traffic with ease. Currently averaging 21.9 disposals for the Sandringham Dragons at TAC Cup Level. Son of former Fitzroy Lion and current Gold Coast recruiting chief Scott Clayton.
Ryan O'Connor, Sandringham Dragons: "Josh has really improved in the second half of the year and it's a real credit to him. His performances for Vic Metro probably weren't quite what he would have liked but he really knuckled down and the back half of his TAC Cup season was outstanding. He's a hard kid to match up on with his athletic ability and making power, he just needs to keep adding a bit of size, but he's elite above his head. He has a range of things to keep working on to move through to senior footy but I've got no doubt he'll do that work and there's a lot of upside with him, he can run, he reads the play well and he can play a variety of roles. He's taken on a pure midfield role but he's also gone forward and used his marking ability well. He'll just keep getting better."
Jordan Cunico (Gippsland Power)
Born 7.5.1996, 184cm, 72kg
AFL biography: Medium Midfielder with exciting burst of speed and can run all day. Strong overhead for his size and consistent ball winner in championships where he read the play very well, particularly at stoppages. Averaged 15.6 disposals at 74% efficiency playing for Vic Country in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
Peter Francis, Gippsland Power: "Jordan's a really smooth mover. I liken him to Rob Murphy when he came through, he's a beautiful kick on both sides, he has a big motor and we expect him to test really, really well. He's courageous in the air, his hands are really good and I think he can play off half-back or through the midfield. He's even played in key roles for us, because he has such a big leap and is such a good mark. He's a really nice player."
Nathan Drummond (Murray Bushrangers)
Born 19.1.1995, 181cm, 85kg
AFL biography: Tough, inside medium midfielder with elite speed/endurance combination. Has had excellent TAC Cup year after being injured in 2013. Playing as a 19-year-old he averaged 15 disposals, four marks and six tackles for Vic Country in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships. Good leap and overhead mark for his size.
Lee Fraser, Murray Bushrangers: "Nathan was at school in Melbourne last year so he's basically missed out on the draft and come back with an AFL attitude. He's super professional. We challenged him early on in the year to work on his contested footy and he's gone into the centre square and won a lot of it for us. His defensive attitude has been outstanding. He has a 15 beep and a sub three second 20 metre sprint and he's starting to use those qualities in his game."
Corey Ellis (Western Jets)
Born 9.10.1996, 185cm, 76kg
AFL biography: Left-footed, medium midfielder who is a star at the clearances with his clean hands and courage. Uses the ball well with hand and foot and has good game sense. Provided a dangerous target up forward either in the air or at ground level. Averaged 13.6 disposals and 4.4 tackles in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
Shane Sexton, Western Jets: "Corey unfortunately has a stress fracture in his footy that might be pretty serious, so he won't participate in the combine other than being there. But he's a really, really good player. He really impressed us as a bottom ager last year playing of a half back flank and in the middle for a few games. This year he's shown us he's a really good inside midfielder, he has an excellent left foot kick, he can win a lot of the ball and really hurt sides with his kicking. Corey played injured in the last part of the national championships but his first couple of games were really good and since then he just hasn't played much footy. He's only played two games with us since round seven so clubs will have to look into the injury before they work out where they rank him. But he has everything it takes to be a really good AFL. He gets the ball, he covers the ground well and he gets players into the game because when he kicks he puts the ball right out in front of them."
Matthew Goodyear (Calder Cannons)
Born 20.7.1996, 185cm, 77kg
AFL biography: Extremely athletic medium midfielder with elite speed and endurance. Prolific ball winner at the Cannons and had a taste of the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships playing in three matches, averaging 13 disposals in limited game time. His drive and rebound from half-back as well as through the midfield often breaks the game open.
Ian Kyte, Calder Cannons: "Matt had a really good start to the year and the thing I probably liked best was how he was able to use his explosive burst. He's quick with his hands and he's more of an inside clearance player, that's what comes most naturally to him, but in the last month of the year he demonstrated his ability to run and carry. He needs to keep working on kicking the ball consistently well, but if he can keep getting that balance of winning the ball and exploding away with it, he'll keep improving."
Billy Gowers (Oakleigh Chargers)
Born 10.6.1996, 184cm, 81kg
AFL biography: A versatile and very well balanced medium midfielder that reads the play exceptionally well. Possesses excellent foot skills on either side of the body while also showing the ability to mark strongly overhead for a player of his size. Averaging 15.1 disposals for the Oakleigh Chargers this year. Son of former Hawk Andy Gowers.
Mark Smart, Oakleigh Chargers: "Billy's had a fairly solid year. I think he showed some glimpses of what he's capable of. His run and carry and bouncing through the middle of the ground his pretty exciting and he can kick really well on both sides and play in a variety of spots. I think he has AFL qualities, it's just a matter of consistency, but he can impact a game. He had nine disposals in the first quarter of the preliminary final and three shots on goal, then kicked a beautiful one from the boundary in the last quarter on a pretty big stage. He's showed what some of his capabilities are this year, for sure."
Jayden Laverde (Western Jets)
Born 12.4.1996, 189cm, 82kg
AFL biography: Smooth moving medium midfielder/forward with neat disposal skills. Can turn opponents inside out with his agility and is dangerous around goals. Strong overhead and a difficult match up with athletic attributes in forward half or in midfield. Averaged 16.8 disposals at 74% efficiency and 5 marks during the NAB AFL U18 Championships winning All Australian honours.
Shane Sexton, Western Jets: "Jayden took a while to get going this year but he had some really outstanding games for Vic Metro in the national championships and made the All-Australian team. He has some x-factor, his ability to create time and space is really good and he's an outstanding overhead mark, he can take some spectacular grabs. He's versatile and he has some height which I think will be really handy at AFL level. We reckon he can play back, forward or on a wing, he's highly skilful and he does those unexpected sort of things that make you think 'crikey, how'd he do that?' He's a terrific prospect but he copped a pretty bad cork in our last game that turned out to be a bit worse than we thought, so he might not do much of the testing."
Daniel McKenzie (Oakleigh Chargers)
Born 17.5.1996, 183cm, 77kg
AFL biography: Midfielder with superb athletic traits across all areas, speed, endurance and agility. His excellent vertical leap also gives him the versatility to not only play on opponents his size but also those that are taller. Shows very good game sense and awareness. Averaging 14 disposals and three tackles for Oakleigh.
Mark Smart, Oakleigh Chargers: "We named Daniel our best player in the grand final. He's a bit of a freakish athlete, he has the speed and agility combination that clubs love and he can play anywhere. He's got a terrific leap so he can play small or tall as a defender and his run and carry and ability to settle down and kick the ball well has been excellent this year. He's been a bit of a quiet achiever but there's a lot of clubs who have shown interest in him, after a slow start he played some really eye catching games and showed off what he can do, so it will be interesting to see where he ends up."
Connor Menadue (Western Jets)
Born 19.9.1996, 188cm, 69kg
AFL biography: Excellent athlete that uses his pace and running capacity to run and carry the footy and often breaks the lines. A quiet kid by nature that has the ability to play on a range of opponents regardless of size. Averaged 19.6 disposals per game in his 14 matches for the Western Jets. Consistency is his greatest strength.
Shane Sexton, Western Jets: "Connor's been really impressive, from start to finish this year. He was our best player in the first four or five games and we weren't too sure about him before then but he's been outstanding and he's our best speed and endurance athlete by far. He can run all day. He played some reasonably footy at the national championships bitu he finished off the year really well and he was easily our best player in the elimination final so he's played well under some pressure. He's that type who can run and carry and kick a goal off the half-backline, he's very capable overhead and he'll run a `5-plus beep test and test really well in the sprint. He's a good runner, a nice size and I think he'll be very capable of playing the modern game."
Christian Petracca (Eastern Ranges)
Born 4.1.1996, 186cm, 92kg
AFL biography: Powerful inside midfielder/forward who is strong overhead and is a clearance star. Breaks tackles with his elite agility and tackles strongly. Vic Metro MVP and Larke Medallist of the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships. Kicking has become a real asset. Averaged 25 disposals, 5.4 marks and five clearances on his way to winning All-Australian Under-18 honours.
Mark Neeld, Eastern Ranges: "Christian is a really bubbly personality and when people talk about footballers who want to be the best they can be, he's the perfect example of that. He asks an abundance of appropriate questions, he trains really hard, he's super competitive and I think he actually has massive upside because of his basketball background. He might be physically mature but he's really only focused on footy for the last couple of years, and as a result he has a lot of improvement still to come in every area. I think he'll be really hard to match up on an AFL level because he's very strong in one on one contests, he keeps his feet, he has an aggressive streak and he also has enough class to use the footy well. This has been his first year in midfield and he's taken all before him. It's what he wanted to do and he's really worked hard to do it. He has pace, he's aggressive and he's a very busy personality but he's under no illusion as to where his future lies and wherever he goes I think he'll make a difference next year."
