PAUL Daffey takes us through 25 of the hottest young prospects for the 2010 NAB AFL Draft.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Jared Polec
12 October 1992, 188cm, 77kg, Woodville-West Torrens/Seaton Ramblers
In the past most premiership teams had a goal-kicking wingman. Polec fits that bill perfectly. He swoops on loose balls, dodges one or two opponents, and lets fly with his precise left foot. A graceful version of former Essendon and Adelaide player Greg Anderson. Very easy on the eye. Perhaps needs to get more of the ball.

Patrick McCarthy
11 March 1992, 194cm, 79kg, Glenelg/Plympton
Built like a praying mantis but plays like a king bee. It’s easy to be impressed by his height (he looks taller than 194cm) and application, which is enormous. But he’s also a natural leader, an inclusive footballer, with the ability to organise those around him. More suited to defence than attack at this stage.

Daniel Gorringe
2 June 1992, 198cm, 85kg, Norwood/Tea Tree Gully
Intelligent ruckman who has the rare ability for a teenager to tap the ball to his teammates rather than just get his hand on it. Thinks his way through stoppages. Attacks the ball in general play. His ruckwork early in the match against Western Australia set up the Croweaters’ carnival. A player you could build your team around.

Scott Lycett
26 September 1992, 202cm, 95kg, Port Adelaide Magpies/Thevenard Magpies
Yes, height is his main virtue, but he’s also competitive and level-headed, and he runs into space to provide an option heading into attack. Prone to the odd Brian Lake-esque mistake, but you forgive him because he’s having a go, and he never drops his head.

Sam Day
6 September 1992, 195cm, 90kg, Sturt/Prince Alfred College
Rivals Harley Bennell as the most talented player in the pool. Day is athletic, he can leap over tall buildings, he kicks goals - there seems no limit to what he can do. Having said that, he’s played mostly in the Adelaide private school competition and he’s likely to take a while to come on, not unlike Jack Watts. Magnificent baseball and basketball prospect, too.

VIC COUNTRY
Jayden Pitt
7 October 1992, 187cm, 70kg, Geelong Falcons/St Albans
Wingman who always seems to have time before delivering lace-out to a teammate downfield. Played well throughout the U18 championships without receiving the accolades that came the way of others. He’s light, but that matters less when no one can lay a hand on you.

Mitchell Hallahan
23 August 1992, 182cm, 77kg, Dandenong Stingrays/Sorrento
Started the U18 championships with tagging roles and ended the championships as a top-liner himself. Fearless midfielder who ferrets the ball out from the bottom of packs and provides a linking option with his pace. Might go high, but not particularly a goalkicker.

Dyson Heppell
14 May 1992, 187cm, 79kg, Gippsland Power/Berwick
Left-footed half-back who lopes along before delivering long to the chest of a teammate. Sort of like Grant Birchall with a bouncy gait. Showed in the first game of the championships, against Vic Metro, that he has the wherewithal to recover from setbacks. The question is whether he can break out of a lope and achieve a gallop.

Lucas Cook
3 March 1992, 194cm, 82kg, North Ballarat Rebels/Hopetoun
An exceptional first game of the championships, in which he kicked five goals against Vic Metro, including three in three minutes in the second quarter, stamped him as a key forward prospect. He leads well, can take a pack mark, and is capable of scooping the ball off the deck. Intensity has been a question, but maybe not now that’s he growing more confident.

Shaun Atley
13 September 1992, 187cm, 82kg, Murray Bushrangers/Wodonga
Inside and outside midfielder and half-back with a lot of grunt and a turn of speed. Big reason why Vic Country won the championships. No tricks to speak of, but a terrific type whose build suggests endurance.

Tom Lynch
31 October 1992, 196cm, 86kg, Dandenong Stingrays/Sorrento
Gangly key forward who improved as the championships went on. Agile with good hands. The highlight was his four goals against Queensland in the fourth round. Played mostly private school footy to this stage. Enormous potential.

Jed Lamb
19 October 1992, 181cm, 77kg, Gippsland Power/Yarram
Wild card whose cockiness and yellow boots can only remind you of Kyle Reimers. But he’s got way more talent. Lamb is a small forward with a natural goalkicking streak who played well during the championships when pushed up to the wing. In an AFL world where flair is rare, there’s something immensely likeable about him.

VIC METRO
Dion Prestia
12 October 1992, 175cm, 81kg, Calder Cannons/Assumption College
Midfielder whose pace and ability overrides a chunky build that suggests limited development. Prestia runs 10 metres and kicks 60. It was not unusual during the championships for forwards to watch the ball sail over their heads because Prestia had kicked further than expected.

Andrew Gaff
16 June 1992, 183cm, 78kg, Oakleigh Chargers/Carey Grammar
Midfielder who’s the best accumulator and distributor in the draft. Works away in and under packs, linking with handballs and deft kicks. Intelligent player who’s unlikely to be affected by any hoopla. In a nod to old-fashioned values, his summer sport was tennis. His father is a tennis coach.

Thomas Liberatore
16 May 1992, 182cm, 77kg, Calder Cannons/St Kevin’s College
It seems appropriate that, just 24 hours after Tom was born, his father Tony collected 41 possessions against the Brisbane Bears at the Gabba. Tom is a possession machine as well, if built along more slender lines than his father. A midfielder who’s ready to go, and is likely to keep on going.

Patrick Karnezis
23 April 1992, 191cm, 77kg, Oakleigh Chargers/Marcellin College
Clever half-forward who thinks his way through attacking moves. Leads up and doubles back. Nice size for a mobile half-forward. Less interested when the opposition has the ball, but there’s plenty to work with.

Kieran Harper
5 June 1992, 187cm, 88kg, Eastern Ranges/Yarra Valley Grammar
Midfielder/half-forward/half-back whose stocks rose as the championships went on. Some had him under watch early, but his performance in slipping free to kick four goals against Western Australia on the final day at Geelong stamped him as a very likely type.

Ben Jacobs
9 January 1992, 186cm, 82kg, Sandringham Dragons/Brighton Grammar
Half-forward and half-back who can play but whose attitude has been known to falter. Jacobs played more than well enough during the championships to attract notice, but there’s plenty of room for speculation on just how good he could be. Moves well and attacks the ball.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Reece Conca
12 August 1992, 179cm, 70kg, Perth/Victorian Park
Thoroughly modern midfielder in that he plays inside and outside and does both with aplomb. Tough, durable and skilful - a handy addition to any team. Be interesting to see how he goes if, as expected, he soon breaks into the Perth senior line-up.

Harley Bennell
2 October 1992, 180, 70, Peel/Pinjarra
You want class? Bennell is likely to be the first player drafted from this year’s U18 championships. He’s ungainly at first glance because runs knock-kneed, but he’s silken when he gathers pace and he reads the play before anyone else. Time and again during the championships he ran on to the ball while others were standing still. He’s a goalkicker, and he hits targets. Reminds you of an unshackled Daniel Wells.

Jack Darling
16 June 1992, 190cm, 94kg, West Perth/Sacred Heart College/Sorrento-Duncraig
Magnetic key forward who, unfortunately, is unlikely to play key forward in the AFL because he’s too short. He’s selling himself as a potential midfielder and he might just be right. He certainly gets a lot of the ball. And his competitiveness is bullish enough for him to be drafted on that quality alone. Be intriguing to see just where he goes.

Blayne Wilson
26 January 1992, 190cm, 86kg, Peel/Halls Head
Strong, dashing, marking half-back who was an All-Australian U18 in 2009 and who’s played senior footy with Peel. Has an appealing hint of aggression. Seems suited to only one position, but he does it well. TASMANIA

Joshua Green
24 August 1992, 179cm, 78kg, Clarence
First thought? Too dumpy - Greg Williams types come along once in a blue moon. Then you watch Green and you can’t help but be impressed by his ball-finding ability, by his speed in getting his boot to the ball, by his kicking to position. He hunts and he tackles. He’s a natural footballer. But then you look at him. Will AFL recruiters go for that? Let’s hope so.

Jacob Gillbee
13 September 1992, 183cm, 76kg, Lauderdale
Started the championships floundering at half-back and then settled in as a forward option. And how. Gillbee was the best mark for his size in the competition. He gave a real spark to the Tassie forward line. He’s a risk given that he’s barely six feet tall. But, then, Eddie Betts is doing quite well at Carlton this year.

Andrew Phillips
3 July 1991, 200cm, 91kg, Clarence
Red-raw ruck prospect from the remote coastal town of Triabunna, about an hour and a half from Hobart. He can mark and he tries his heart out, but it remains to be seen whether AFL clubs would risk the five years it would take before they saw a return. It was significant that Phillips’s Tassie teammates swamped him when he kicked the last goal of their successful championship campaign. They, too, liked his heart.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.