AFL DRAFT GURU GIVES VERDICT ON MEDIUM FORWARD PROSPECTS

Two exciting WA teenagers have drawn high praise from AFL Talent Manager Kevin Sheehan ahead of the 2022 NAB AFL Draft next month. 

Claremont’s Harry Cole and Subiaco’s Tyrell Dewar both took part in this month’s NAB AFL Draft Combine in Melbourne. 

Sheehan delivered his assessment of Cole, an 18-year-old who excelled in the 2022 NAB AFL National Championships U18 Boys. 

“Harry is a medium forward who presents well and uses his anticipation and clean hands to be a dangerous and lively player around goals. 

Was at his best against Victoria Metro in the Carnival, setting the game alight kicking 2 goals 3 to feature among WA’s best players. 

He mixed his football between Hale, where he captained his school, and Claremont in the Colts, where he played five matches and averaged 16 disposals. 

Tested soundly at the Draft Combine and recorded a time of 3.03 seconds for the 20m sprint and 6.31 seconds for the 2km time trial,” said Sheehan. 

Dewar has drawn comparisons with a West Coast Eagles premiership player. 

“Tyrell is a wonderful indigenous talent with dazzling speed and natural goal sense. 

Some believe he has similar traits to West Coast forward Liam Ryan. 

Dewar was eye-catching in WA’s win over South Australia at the National Championships, finishing with 13 disposals and two goals to be among his team’s best players. 

He’s part of the West Coast Eagles’ Next Generation Academy, which allows the Eagles to match any rival club’s bid after selection 40 in the Draft. 

He played Colts with Subiaco, where he averaged 12 disposals and kicked 15 goals. 

His speed was confirmed at the Combine, where he ran the 20m sprint in 3.01 seconds,” Sheehan said. 

At the State Combine held in Perth earlier this month, West Perth’s Griff Julian was impressive. 

“He’s a composed medium midfielder and forward with clean hands and neat skills. 

He wins his own ball and was dominant at Colts level for the Falcons, averaging 24 disposals in nine matches. 

He also represented WA in three matches at the National Championships, collecting 19 disposals and a goal against eventual winner Victoria Metro in a strong performance. 

Griff tested well at the State Draft Combine, with his standing vertical jump of 74cm ranked fourth-best across all State Combines, while his time of 2.99 seconds for the 20m sprint gave an indication of his sharp speed,” according to the AFL Talent Ambassador. 

Sheehan is profiling every player who attended the 2022 NAB AFL Draft Combine and the 2022 NAB AFL State Combine. 

The 2022 NAB AFL Draft will be held on Monday November 28 and Tuesday November 29. 

The 2022 NAB AFL Rookie Draft will follow on Wednesday November 30.