TWINS forging their way through the footballing pathway together is nothing new. The Wakelin, King, and McKay brothers come to mind. This year alone, there are two sets of brothers hoping to land on AFL lists – one such pair being the Whitlock boys, Jack and Matt out of the Murray Bushrangers.

The talented tall siblings have played alongside each other throughout the year at Coates Talent League and representative level, while also both being promoted to the National Academy. While they often feature at opposite ends of the ground, recently they have teamed up in attack, too.

There has rightly been an effort to individualise either prospect, but they are inevitably grouped and compared against one-another to no end. We play into their sibling rivalry for the latest edition of Marquee Matchups in anticipation of Monday’s AFL Draft Power Rankings update.

>> Marquee Matchup: Joe Berry vs. Isaac Kako

2024 POWER RANKINGS

JACK WHITLOCK: June: #20 | July: #16 | August: ?
MATT WHITLOCK: June: #11 | July: #18 | August: ?

>> July Top 30: 2024 AFL Draft Power Rankings

2024 STATS (AVERAGES)

JACK WHITLOCK:

Coates Talent League
10 games | 15.2 disposals, 4.3 marks, 1.5 tackles, 2.5 hitouts, 2.6 inside 50s, 2.2 goals

AFL Under 18 National Championships
4 games | 14.8 disposals, 5.0 marks, 2.0 tackles, 3.3 hitouts, 2.8 inside 50s, 1.0 goals

MATT WHITLOCK:

Coates Talent League
12 games | 15.1 disposals, 5.5 marks, 1.3 tackles, 1.1 inside 50s, 1.3 rebound 50s, 1.9 goals

AFL Under 18 National Championships
4 games | 14.0 disposals, 4.8 marks, 1.3 tackles, 2.5 rebound 50s, 0.5 goals

BEST GAMES

JACK WHITLOCK:

2024 Coates Talent League Round 18
Murray Bushrangers 23.13 (151) def. Western Jets 9.3 (57)

Stats: 17 disposals, 5 marks, 5 goals

Our scouts said…

“Whitlock was a truly imposing figure up forward against a Western side which unfortunately lacked the stock to match Murray’s height inside 50. He took full toll by reading the flight of the ball and clunking some strong grabs at the top of his reach, which was near-impossible to stop. Whitlock also showed good touch to snap off both feet and even improvised by tapping the ball to his advantage – either at stoppages or in open play – before gathering and shooting on goal.” – Michael Alvaro

MATT WHITLOCK:

2024 Coates Talent League Round 17
Murray Bushrangers 6.8 (44) def. by Dandenong Stingrays 15.11 (101)

Stats: 24 disposals, 11 marks, 4 rebound 50s

Our scouts said…

“Whitlock’s reliability in the air and positioning behind the footy were assets for his side as he regularly took strong intercept marks, often holding them quite easily given Dandenong’s lack of height up forward. That lack of height also allowed Whitlock to display his defensive versatility. With many of his matchups conceding 10cm, he was forced to show his ability at ground level more often than usual, proving clean and managing to keep up with his shorter opponents on the lead.” – Declan Reeve

STRENGTHS

JACK WHITLOCK:

+ Clean hands
+ Mobility
+ Overhead marking
+ Reach

Jack Whitlock is arguably the more physical and competitive of the pair, willing to stand under high balls and capable of clunking contested marks. He has a slightly superior reach to Matt and uses it to pluck the ball at the top of his reach, showcasing a strong set of hands in several situations.

His clean handling also translates to nimble work at ground level, where Whitlock is deceptively good below his knees and quite neat when it comes to dishing off handpasses. Whether hitting up at the ball or using his frame to stand up in tackles, he feeds teammates effectively by hand.

Another area Whitlock considers to be a strength is his versatility. Coming into the season he was a nailed on key forward but anticipated also playing back. As it turns out, he provided ruck rotation and while not a massive hitout winner, uses his mobility to impact around the ground.

Perhaps an intangible asset he possesses is the right mentality for key position players. He has enough mongrel and is willing to step up in big games. Last year, he kicked a winning goal after the siren in Vic Country’s Under 17 side, and was again integral during this year’s Under 18 decider.

MATT WHITLOCK:

+ Athleticism
+ Intercept marking
+ Upside
+ Versatility

While Jack can impose himself physically, Matt is a little more raw in that sense but arguably has the better athletic upside. Another key trait he holds over his brother is the ability to play at either end of the ground, which he has done with great proficiency at a variety of levels this year.

He is arguably more settled as a defender where he can read the play and rack up intercept marks, leaning on his mobility to get to several contests with ease. Matt is less comfortable one-on-one – in attack and defence – but can beat opponents on the lead and when transitioning the ball.

Perhaps the best measure of his versatility is the fact he has just about matched his brother for goals this year despite playing four of his 12 Coates Talent League games in defence, and three of four there for Vic Country. The backline is his primary post, but there is no limit on his potential in attack.

That kind of upside is what makes sees Matt arguably have a higher ceiling than Jack, but perhaps a lower floor at this point in time. He has raw talent and while that leads to mistakes at times, it also sees him do things with the ball and display athleticism that few other talls can.

FROM THE EXPERTS

Quotes via Murray Bushrangers head coach Mark Brown

JACK WHITLOCK:

“Jack will tip the measuring post at 200cm or very close to it. He’s a little bit more aerial than Matt (Whitlock) at the moment, he stands under the high ball well. He’s brave. He kicks it well enough, but is improving that area of his game also.

“We just love his leading patterns. We love his work rate. We love the way he’s embraced the training standards and we’re bullish. You’re not going to see either of (the Whitlock twins) as finished products, but from a scope perspective and a ceiling perspective, we think they’ve got a lot of upside.”

MATT WHITLOCK:

“Matt played predominantly back for us as a bottom-ager… we see the draftable traits. I like his lateral movement at his height. He’s competent below his knees, his kicking’s improving, and of course at 199cm he gives you an aerial presence as well.

“He’ll play behind the footy early, I think he’s got a little bit of scope in front of the footy also. But look, he’s trained well and we’re bullish around what he can produce this year, he’ll get plenty of opportunity. I like the constant improvement he’s shown and I like the fact he’s training at the standard.”

VERDICT

Perhaps only the Bushrangers staff and Whitlock family could say which twin would win a one-on-one battle, given they only really would have ever matched up on each other in training or the backyard. There are clear differences in their games though, for all their similarities.

They are both of a similar build to the King twins – lean and mobile. In the situation of Jack being the forward and Matt defending; Jack is a little more hardened and would have the better of Matt in physical duels, though the latter would be able to shut him down on the lead or peel off.

In our two Power Rankings editions this year, both players have enjoyed a month of featuring ahead of the other, though Jack has his nose in front currently. That will likely remain the case once our next instalment drops on Monday, though there is some important football left to play.