STRENGTHS:

+ Clean hands
+ Power
+ Scoreboard impact
+ Speed
+ Versatility

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Composure
- Defensive running

Rowlands is very much a midfielder who does his best work in the attacking phase, and as such he also plies his trade as a forward. His burst speed is impressive, and combined with a clean set of hands, allows him to power away out the front of stoppages, prize big clearances, or take running bounces through the corridor.

The 18-year-old did not test at the recent National Draft Combine, but impressed during preseason with a 2.92-second 20m sprint, which was the best time of all South Australian participants. He's also proven to be a powerful jumper, and that translates to many gutsy marking efforts - again, also showcasing Rowlands' strong hands.

A relatively small midfielder at 179cm, Rowlands is well built and quite strong through the core. It means he can hold his own in contested situations, which is demonstrated in his average three clearances and four marks per SANFL Under 18s game this year. Though, when he breaks clear, that's when he catches the eye most.

Rowlands is versatile enough to translate his traits as a forward, and is prolific in the way of score involvements. He averaged over six in Norwood colours this season, while also finding the goals with regularity. Held goalless just twice in 11 games for the Redlegs, Rowlands' best effort was a bag of five in Round 8 against West Adelaide.

In the way of improvements, Rowlands can look to expand his running capacity as a midfielder to become a better two-way player. His tackling numbers hold up decently well, but a lot of his work consists of either ball winning or creative attacking drive. Adding polish in contested situations, so as not to dump kick, would also be a handy tool to sharpen.