FAMOUS names and draft prospects alike lit up the recent SANFL Under 18 preseason testing event, where South Australia’s top juniors were put through their paces. Season proper is set to get underway on March 25, and plenty of promising talents look in good stead to hit the ground running.
>> SCROLL to see the top 10s
Among the stars to shine were 2022 state Under 16 skipper Sid Draper, and Adelaide father-son candidate Tyler Welsh. Draper, the brother of Collingwood’s Arlo, achieved top 10 results across three of the six tests, including the top agility test time of 7.80 seconds.
Welsh is the son of former Crows spearhead Scott, and will be eligible for the 2024 AFL Draft. He topped the charts in the 20m sprint with a time of 2.92 seconds, which is even more impressive considering he shapes as a tall forward.
Also among the familiar names to feature across top 10 standings were Lucas Camporeale and Jack Michalanney. Camporeale is father-son eligible for Carlton in 2024 alongside twin brother Ben, while Michalanney is tied to Adelaide and will hope to join elder brother Max in the top flight next year.
The former notched a running vertical jump (right) good enough for equal-sixth, while the latter finished equal-ninth in the same test, off his left foot. Camporeale’s Glenelg teammates Ashton Moir (right) and Harry Francis (left) took out the two running vertical jump tests, both breaching the 90cm mark.
Moir is considered a potential top five draft talent at this early stage, and is part of the AFL Academy. North Adelaide midfielder Kane McAuliffe is also part of the national setup, and tested strongly with top 10 results in the standing and running vertical jumps.
There was also a pair of interstate talents who have linked with Norwood to have strutted their stuff at the South Australian event. Territorian Will Rowlands notched the equal-best 20m sprint time alongside Welsh, while Giants Academy product Matt Brown joined him as one of the top jumpers.
>> Player comparisons: SANFL U18s
20m Sprint
=1. Taylor Goad (South) – 2.92 seconds
=1. Tyler Welsh (Eagles) – 2.92
=1. Will Rowlands (Norwood) – 2.92
=4. Jacob Newton (Norwood) – 2.93
=4. Harley Barker (Sturt) – 2.93
6. Sid Draper (South) – 2.94
=7. Jules Piro (Sturt) – 2.95
=7. Oscar Talbot (West) – 2.95
=7. Pat Toole (Eagles) – 2.95
10. Joel Cartwright (South) – 2.96
Agility Test
1. Sid Draper (South) – 7.80 seconds
2. Jonty Koehne (West) – 7.92
3. Judd Hansen (West) – 7.99
4. Logan Evans (Norwood) – 8.02
=5. Ben Hogan (Norwood) – 8.09
=5. Jaylen Sochacki (West) – 8.09
=7. Harley Barker (Sturt) – 8.13
=7. Darcy Hudson (Eagles) – 8.13
9. Dyson Sharp (Central) – 8.14
10. Nicholas Schroder (South) – 8.17
Yo-yo Test
1. Josh Koster (North) – 21.7 level
=2. Nicholas Schroder (South) – 21.6
=2. Beau Ryan (Central) – 21.6
=4. Sid Draper (South) – 21.5
=4. Riley McDonald (Central) – 21.5
=4. Anders McShane (Glenelg) – 21.5
=4. Zac Schwarz (Eagles) – 21.5
=8. Connor Mills (Sturt) – 21.4
=8. Isaiah Clothier (Glenelg) – 21.4
=8. Harry Dodd (Eagles) – 21.4
Standing Vertical Jump
1. Izayah Kean (Glenelg) – 79cm
2. Zac Schwarz (Eagles) – 75
3. Matthew Brown (Norwood) – 74
4. Jack Walters (Glenelg) – 73
=5. Brody Wilton (Central) – 72
=5. Will Rowlands (Norwood) – 72
=7. Kane McAuliffe (North) – 70
=7. Ariel Rothe (Central) – 70
=9. Kalan Caputo (North) – 69
=9. Ethan Gurney (West) – 69
Running Vertical Jump (Left)
1. Harry Francis (Glenelg) – 94cm
2. Samuel Burbridge (West Adelaide) – 92
=3. Luke Candy (Glenelg) – 90
=3. Jayden Matz (Central) – 90
=3. Sam Waltham (Sturt) – 90
=6. Matthew Brown (Norwood) – 88
=6. Zac Schwarz (Eagles) – 88
=6. Blake Tredgold (Sturt) – 88
=9. Finn Crouch (Glenelg) – 87
=9. Jack Michalanney (Norwood) – 87
Running Vertical Jump (Right)
=1. Noah Algate (North) – 92cm
=1. Ashton Moir (Glenelg) – 92
3. Jacob Newton (Norwood) – 91
4. Kane McAuliffe (North) – 89
5. Will Rowlands (Norwood) – 87
=6. Matthew Brown (Norwood) – 86
=6. Lucas Camporeale (Glenelg) – 86
=6. Izayah Kean (Glenelg) – 86
=9. Williams James (North) – 85
=9. Riley Shepherdson (Glenelg) – 85
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