Draft expert Emma Quayle takes a look at some of the brightest prospects from North East Victoria and the Riverina before their AFL hopes go on the line in Sydney on November 25.
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Zach Sproule (Murray Bushrangers/Albury)
Born: 12.5.1998
Height: 197cm
Weight: 84kg
AFL bio: Versatile tall forward or defender with a huge tank and an excellent long kick, whether from defence or at goal. Played mainly forward for NSW/ACT and Allies this year and played back for Murray Bushrangers in the TAC Cup. Member of the NAB AFL Academy and GWS Giants Academy.
"I've really enjoyed some of Zach's work down back late this year. He's shown some real athleticism down there. He's still learning the nuances of the game but he runs well, he kicks the ball well and he's a pretty good package. I think it's been good for him to get experience in different parts of the ground this year and become a more rounded player, and I think being settled in an AFL environment will be good for him as well. He's had about eight coaches in the last two years. He's a popular kid, the kids enjoy his company and he's very likeable." – Lee Fraser, Murray talent manager
"I love Sprouley. He has a great work ethic. He's like a number of our players in that he needs to use how to use his body better. He can outrun his opponent and beat him on he the burst but he'll become an even better player when he develops some size and learns how to push and shove. I think he's just starting to understand how versatile he can be. We played him predominantly forward but he pinch hit down back at times and it won't hurt him to play down there for a while when he gets to an AFL club. He's quietly competitive and was very popular amongst the group." – Darren Denneman, AFL NSW
Max Lynch (Murray Bushrangers/Albury)
Born: 12.9.1998
Height: 200cm
Weight: 96kg
AFL bio: Developing ruckman who switched from soccer two years ago to become an AFL prospect with his performances for the Murray Bushrangers and Allies this year. A mobile player, he averaged 11 disposals and 14 hitouts for NSW/ACT in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
"We've been really happy with Max's back end of the year. His last couple of finals were good and he's developing quite well. He's come from a soccer background and is still raw but his development through the course of the year has been quite excellent. He kicks the ball well and has a good basic skill set, and we think towards the end of the year he started to show a real competitive streak in the air and at ground level. We're pretty excited about what he has to offer." – Lee Fraser, Murray talent manager
"Max has real upside and people will need to be patient with him because he hasn't played a lot of footy. He's one who probably just needs to find a spot: does he play ruck, key back or key forward? The footy seems to find him, he's just one of those players it keeps going to. He can develop his kicking, but again, he hasn't had a footy background. I think he has a lot of scope to develop because he can apply the things people teach him quickly, and he competes hard. He has a reasonably competitive, aggressive streak." – Darren Denneman, AFL NSW
Harrison Macreadie (Henty/GWS Giants Academy)
Born: 11.4.98
Height: 196cm
Weight: 89kg
AFL bio: Dashing tall defender from the Riverina who has relocated to King's School in Parramatta as part of the GWS Academy. A penetrating kick and strong overhead with the ideal frame to potentially play on the tall forwards at AFL level. Member of the NAB AFL Academy.
"It's been a transition year for Harrison. Moving from country NSW into western Sydney, going to boarding school and doing year 12 makes things hard and I admire him for the transition he's made and the way he's handled it. I think he'll end up being a midfielder, and at 196cm they're pretty dangerous. He can play forward and back as well. He has great skills, he moves well in traffic and he just needs to work on finding the footy a bit more and learning how to body up against his player a bit more one on one. He'll develop that over time with confidence. I don't know how people could ignore him, at his size and shape and with his ability to move around the ground." – Darren Denneman, AFL NSW
Ryan Garthwaite (Murray Bushrangers/Corowa-Rutherglen)
Born: 30.6.98
Height: 192cm
Weight: 84kg
AFL bio: Tall defender who excels in one-on-one contests and is strong overhead. Reliable type who can play on a tall or small forwards and provide good rebound from defence. Overcame a number of injuries to show his promise with the Allies this year.
"He's been a really well-performed player over two years now. We rate him as a great one-on-one defender. I can't think of a time where he's been beaten, to be honest. He's taken on and beaten some of the best forwards in the competition this year and he did it as a 17-year-old as well. He had to overcome a few injuries early in the year so he missed a bit of nationals with NSW, but he played for the Allies and was really good. He's one of the most coachable kids you'd ever meet, a really steady kind of kid. The players love playing with him and he's just continued to work really hard at everything he does." – Lee Fraser, Murray talent manager
"I love him. People criticise his kicking but I think they base that more on what it looks like than how effective it is. Aesthetically he's not the nicest kick, but he has a reasonably good efficiency rate. He defends first and rarely gets beaten. He can play on talls and smalls, so he's quite versatile in that way. He has a lot of upside because he does defend first and knows how to do that instinctively. Once he puts on some genuine upper body size he'll be even harder to compete against one on one." – Darren Denneman, AFL NSW
Will Setterfield (Sandringham Dragons/Albury/Caulfield GS)
Born: 5.2.1998
Height: 190cm
Weight: 80kg
AFL bio: A medium midfielder who can win the ball on the inside and outside, he had an injury-interrupted NAB AFL under-18 championships, with his 28 disposals vs Northern Territory his best performance for NSW/ACT. Also played two matches for the Allies, averaging 12 disposals. Member of the NAB AFL Academy and Greater Western Sydney Giants Academy.
"Will's a ripper kid, a bit of a laidback country kid with a really steely resolve too. He's done well this year to deal with living away from home in the boarding house, doing a lot of travel and dealing with a few injuries as well. He missed out on the grand final because of his shoulder but played some really good finals footy before then, he was able to go forward as a key marking target as well as play in the midfield which I think the recruiters were happy to see." – Ryan O'Connor, Sandringham talent manager
"Will can play anywhere. And as a midfielder he plays inside as well as outside. He needs a break with all the injuries he's had, he's a ripping kid. He's one of those players who can be underrated. You look at his stats and he might have had four kicks and 10 handballs but he's had nine tackles and 10 smothers as well. He understands his role and like I said just needs some luck, but to his credit he's coped quite well with his setbacks. He's a smiling, happy kid who gets on with it and who has the potential to play some good senior footy early in his career, I think." – Darren Denneman, AFL NSW
Harry Morrison (Murray Bushrangers/Benalla)
Born: 12.11.1998
Height: 182cm
Weight: 73kg
AFL bio: Medium defender-midfielder with neat disposal skills and is a smart decision maker. Shows dash from defence and has overcome ACL injury last year and lower back issues earlier in the year to return to Bushies in last six weeks. Averaged 15.5 disposals over last two years in TAC Cup.
"Harry had some injury setbacks as a 16-year-old and early this year as well, but as far as his footy goes he's probably the best kick we have at our club. He reads the game really well, he kicks it well, he's a good decision maker and he's November born so we think he has some real scope to be a good AFL player down the track." – Lee Fraser, Murray talent manager
Harry Perryman (Collingullie/GWS Giants Academy)
Born: 19.12.1998
Height: 184cm
Weight: 75kg
AFL bio: Versatile medium defender-forward who had an outstanding representative year, winning Most Valuable Player awards for NSW/ACT (division two) and then the Allies (division one) in the NAB AFL under-18 championships. Super-competitive and strong overhead and a good user of the ball, he averaged 16 disposal for the Allies and achieved All-Australian honours.
"Harry's always been a pretty good player. He played back a lot as a kid and always saw the game in front of him. This year he's gone into the midfield, added some real aerobic capacity and endurance to his game and competed hard. He's been exposed to senior footy back home for a long time so he understands the nuances of body positioning and he can really hurt teams with his left and right foot kicking. He was tiny as a youngster but he's really matured. He doesn't get stressed about anything, Harry, he has a quite calm nature and doesn't get overly caught up in anything. He highly values playing the game and is extremely competitive. He's easy to like." – Darren Denneman, AFL NSW
Todd Marshall (Murray Bushrangers/Deniliquin)
Born: 8.10.1998
Height: 198cm
Weight: 87kg
AFL bio: Emerging tall forward who played representative cricket in England last year before focusing on AFL this year. Showed real potential with his marking, agility and elite goal sense. Averaged 2.3 goals for NSW/ACT and 1.8 goals for the Allies in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
"He's had no base, no preparation, no pre-season and so to do what he's done this year has been quite amazing. He didn't put together the one full game we were after, but he's shown plenty of signs and we know how much talent he has. He's a competitive kid, some of his run-down tackles and work at ground level has been really good and whether he'll end up a top five pick is up for debate but I think he'll end up a very good AFL player. I told the clubs about a month before the end of the season that he was cooked – he's had such a big year off no preparation – but he'll freshen up. He's grown rapidly in the last year – a lot of his junior development was as as midfielder – so he still has plenty of development as a big fella to go." – Lee Fraser, Murray talent manager
"He jumped up early in the year and has been a little bit inconsistent, but he hasn't been exposed to the level for long enough yet. He makes the most of the opportunities he gets in terms of kicking goals, but he could create even more by being more aggressive and more defensive at times. He might be one someone drafts and plays back for a year, just to teach him a bit more before he goes forward again. But he has some real talent in terms of cleanliness, finding space, kicking goals and jumping on heads. Those sorts of players are hard to find." – Darren Denneman, AFL NSW
Esava Ratugolea (Murray Bushrangers/Cobram)
Born: 24.7.1998
Height: 194cm
Weight: 95kg
AFL bio: Tall Forward/ruckman with Fijian background who really caught the eye with his eight-goal performance in the TAC Cup for the Murray Bushrangers in round 10. Included in Vic Country team for final two AFL Under-18 matches and impressed with his strong marking, agility and tackling pressure.
"He's probably our most improved player over the last two years. He played a few games last year but hardly touched the ball. He overcame a knee injury early this year and his work up forward and also in the ruck was quite spectacular at times. He took four or five really superb contested marks in our first final. He's a delightful kid, really engaging and he only started playing footy at 14 so he's on a big upward curve in terms of his development." – Lee Fraser, Murray talent manager
Jy Simpkin (Murray Bushrangers/Mooroopna)
Born: 5.3.1998
Height: 181cm
Weight: 71kg
AFL bio: Medium forward-midfielder who is dangerous around goals, utilising his pace and agility. A smart user of the ball through the midfield, he has a big tank. Missed the NAB AFL under-18 championships through injury but has made a full recovery. Member of the NAB AFL Academy.
"I feel a bit robbed that I didn't get to watch Jy play as a top-ager. He put together a great body of work as a bottom-ager and in his first TAC Cup game this year he kicked four goals against Bendigo and was really dominant. He has great character and has been really good around our group in the last month. He's worked hard on his rehab and had a bit of a setback with an infection, but the way he's going he should be ready to go for preseason in November." – Lee Fraser, Murray talent manager
Will Brodie (Murray Bushrangers/Shepparton/Scotch College)
Born: 23.8.1998
Height: 189cm
Weight: 82kg
AFL bio: Medium midfielder with excellent game sense and contested ball-winning ability. Has excellent step through traffic, creating time and space in congested situations. Averaged 21 disposals and 5.2 tackles in the NAB AFL under-18 championships, winning All-Australian honours. Member of the NAB AFL Academy.
"What you see is what you get with Will. He has great character, he's really driven and motivated. I think while he didn't get a huge number of possessions during the finals, his impact at crucial times was a sign of things to come. He could end up being a real game breaker with his clearance work. In the last quarter in our first final we were down and he got four big clearances in a row to drive the ball forward. He's very competitive and a natural leader with a very exciting future." – Lee Fraser, Murray talent manager