Toby McLean (Oakleigh Chargers)
Position: Forward/midfielder
Height: 179 cm
Weight: 70 kg
DOB: 31/01/1996
Plays like: Jamie Elliott

Toby McLean gives you a bit of everything, and is probably the closest player to Collingwood’s Jamie Elliott. He has a silky sidestep that sucks in opponents that allows him to zip past, while also having that huge leap and contested mark that defies his size. McLean averaged just under six marks per game, and just under one contested mark per game as well.

McLean is best known for his hangers that he takes constantly at the Chargers. He is an excitement machine who is crafty and dangerous around goal, kicking goals with consummate ease. He has a wonderful natural goal sense. You know that if he is running into space into the forward 50, he will most likely hit the scoreboard, no matter how difficult the situation. He has this rare aura where you always feel like he is about to pull off something miraculous whenever he is close to the ball.

He has pace, a good goose step, sells candy and darts through congestion, whilst also being able to stand up in tackles to kick miraculous over-the-shoulder goals. His strengths comes down to his sheer balance. He’s quite strong on both sides of his body, and stands up in tackles due to his low centre of gravity. He is a nightmare for defenders, because he simply gets around them like they’re witches hats.

He also has exceptional agility, poise and vision which enable him to find angles others don’t see. His move to the midfield late in the TAC Cup season resulted in him easily eclipsing the 30 disposal mark in many games. The most pleasing thing to come out of McLean’s year was his growth as a midfielder. His 32 goals for the year are impressive enough for a full time forward. However, in McLean’s last 10 games for the season, he averaged 26 disposals and 1.8 goals.

McLean’s skills translate to the middle and up forward at AFL level, and his work ethic should see him as a success story in the top flight.