Peter Wright (Calder Cannons)

Height: 203 cm
Weight: 100 kg
Position: Key forward/ruckman
Strengths: Goal kicking, marking, movement
Areas needing improvement: Tackling, field kicking consistency
Player comparison: Mitch Clark

Peter Wright has taken his game to another level this year. His thirteen TAC Cup games have yielded 32 goals, including a bags of six, five, four and several hauls of three goals. Wright likes to roam up towards centre half forward, and he is smart in his leading patterns, so he uses the space he opens up to double back into if a counter attack is on.

Wright is a monster kick for goal. He easily clears the distance from 55 metres, and he kicks well through the ball, so you can back him in from distance and on an angle. Technically, he has an excellent kicking action, and it’s fairly accurate (32.21 for the year). Much of that inaccuracy came in his first two games of the year, with 0.5 then 5.4. That is very unlike Wright. However, what concerns me is his field kicking. He by no means has elite footskills, as 27 of his 68 of his kicks this year have been ineffective. That means about 60% of his kicks hit the target, but that total would be considerably lower if his reliable kicking for goal was taken away.

Wright is an excellent mark in all aspects. 23 of his 79 marks this year have been contested. His run in late August was phenomenal. To that date, he had 10 contested marks in eight games. In those two weeks he took ten contested grabs (24 marks in total). With his height and weight, he should probably have a higher contested mark ratio throughout the year, however, his strong engine allows him to burn off his opponents and take marks uncontested. As aforementioned his leading patterns are smart and, alongside his engine, makes Wright a really intelligent and athletic forward. That makes Wright a really rare forward, as his size, endurance and intelligence gives him a chance to become one of the most unstoppable and versatile big men.

Wright finds a decent amount of the football and, when he plays in the ruck, finds the football in a Dean Cox type role. Admittedly, he isn’t a dominant ruckman in terms of hitouts, but he wins enough to justify more than a pinch-hitting role. Wright played quite well in the National Championships, primarily as a ruckman. At this stage, he certainly looks a better forward prospect, but his rare skill set may mean he becomes a full-time ruckman at AFL level.