AFL Draft: Expert says six players in contention to land at No.1 pick for West Coast Eagles

One of the country’s top draft experts says West Coast has as many as six options to choose from with their first pick. It comes with a caveat, however, as half of the top contenders are tied to Gold Coast and Brisbane through their Next Generation Academies, meaning the Eagles can bid but might not end with their preferred player. Suns academy prospects Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson as well as Brisbane-linked Daniel Annable are among the top talent in this year’s pool. Vic Country utility Willem Duursma, exciting Vic Metro ruckman-forward Cooper Duff-Tytler as well as Larke medallist and South Australian captain Dyson Sharp are the other contenders who could come into consideration. AFL talent ambassador Kevin Sheehan said the Eagles had plenty of options but a lot depended on whether they wanted to put a bid on an academy-linked player and risk not getting them. “They’re all All-Australians, either this year and in one case, he (Uwland) was an All-Australian last year and has missed a fair bit of footy,” Sheehan told The West Australian. “There’s half a dozen, there normally is that look to be very elite and you can’t go past these days those National Championships where they play against from around Australia and perform well. “That group of six is divided into two. Three that they could get and three that they might not get. The three they might not get are linked through NGA’s, they’ve got to work out if they want to bid for a start, do they want to challenge Brisbane and Gold Coast on these three boys.” Many believe the Eagles should target Duff-Tytler who has drawn strong comparisons to Melbourne premiership player and Fremantle star Luke Jackson because of his similar basketball background. The Eagles have a lack of ruck depth on their list and were strongly linked to Collingwood premiership player Darcy Cameron before he re-signed with the Magpies this week. West Coast great Nic Naitanui was the last ruckman the Eagles took with such a high pick when they grabbed the future three-time All-Australian and two-time club champion out of Swan Districts with pick No.2 in 2008. Duff-Tytler starred in his VFL debut for Essendon, kicking three goals from 11 disposals in a thumping win over Sandringham. “He’d be the Luke Jackson-type, the 200cm ruckman who gathers the ball like a ruck-rover, gets around the ground, he’s a great athlete, a terrific mark who gets forward and gets dangerous but can ruck as well,” Sheehan said. “He gives you great first use of the ball with his great athletic ability but he’s 200cm, not 208cm. He’s going to be stretched a bit for a Max Gawn-type but he’s a real talent. “A couple of years ago he was playing basketball for Australia, winning gold medals at Asian Championships and that’s why he’s compared a bit to Luke Jackson who did the same thing back in his day.” Sheehan said the three academy prospects had to be taken into account as part of the best talent in this year’s pool. “Dylan Patterson is a wingman. He’s probably the quickest player in the draft. He’s got the best step you’ll ever see getting around and he breaks the game open with that sort of ability,” he said. “Zeke Uwland, his brother is playing for the Suns down back. This boy was injured all year so you haven’t seen him but he’s back playing again now. He didn’t play nationals but he was an All-Australian as a bottom-ager last year. He’s like an Errol Gulden — he’s a ball magnet, a terrific young player. Can play on the wing, inside midfield as well or at half-back. “Then you’ve got Daniel Annable. He’s just one of those boys that doesn’t fumble the ball. He’s an inside midfielder, sets it up with his hands. Those three boys have got to be in the conversation if you’re talking about the best talent. “Then you’re thinking are they going to match the bid? There might be a point where those two clubs might not match the bid if someone went early. It has to be thought through.” Duursma has launched himself into calculations after a strong campaign for Vic Country where he won their MVP, before two good outings for Casey in the VFL — collecting 17 and 20 touches respectively. “Duursma is your 191cm kid who can play anywhere. Across half-back, reads it brilliantly and is strong over head. Can play wing, can play inside the midfield as a tall midfielder,” Sheehan said. “I really rate the last game of the national championships, it is the last game to showcase your abilities and he was best-on-the-ground by a mile when Vic Country beat Vic Metro.” Sharp captained South Australia to an undefeated National Championships campaign and has played seven league games for Central District in the SANFL, averaging 15 touches. “He’s been a dominant player for the past four years that we’ve watched him, from under-16s where he played as a bottom-ager. Sheehan also praised the Eagles own next generation academy prospects in Koby Evans, Wes Walley and Tylah Williams who could also land at the club this off-season. “They’ve got some terrific Indigenous boys that we just haven’t had the perfect handle on them but they’ve had a taste of league footy. “Koby Evans missed nationals with injury, but love what he did in his 17th year. Wes Walley has got some AFL talent. Is it a late call? Is he a rookie? He’s certainly got some elite ability. And then there’s Tylah Williams who is another quick, small player from Swan Districts. “They’ve got decisions to make on those boys but at least they’re getting a line on them playing some senior footy at this time of the year which is pretty exciting for them. “And then you’ve got Charlie Banfield, the father-son, who has had a game at WAFL senior level. Had a good championships, he’s a consistent player playing on the wing and a little bit up forward.”

AFL Draft: Expert says six players in contention to land at No.1 pick for West Coast Eagles

The No. 1 source of news for every West Australian

Everyday Digital

Everyday Digital + Weekend Papers