Image Credit: AFL Photos

POSITION: Medium Defender

SNAPSHOT: “The leading Northern Academy prospect for 2021, Fahey’s dash out of defence and his penetrating left-foot kick are two of his biggest weapons.”

Playing across and impressing in multiple levels of competition this year, Josh Fahey has stepped up in most of the games he has been a part of in 2021. Selected in the AFL Academy for 2021, the Greater Western Sydney (GWS) Academy member won the MCC Presidents medal against Geelong VFL in April as the best player for the Under 19 side. Like in many of his performances, such honours were earned through Fahey's dare and dash off the half-back line, as well as his defensive work in a team which was blown out by over 100 points.

STRENGTHS:

+ Rebounding
+ Tackling
+ Run-and-Carry
+ Speed
+ Kick Penetration

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Kicking Consistency
- Exposure

Widely regarded as the top prospect from the Northern States this year, Fahey played games across multiple levels of competition in 2021; from representing the AFL Academy in the game against the Geelong VFL (where he won the MCC President’s medal for best on ground), to the GWS VFL side prior to COVID lockdowns, as well as Queanbeyan in the AFL Canberra League, adding dash and rebound damage off the half back line at all levels.

Fahey’s speed and courage in his rebounding from the backline forms a big part of how he plays, with his teammates often looking to get the ball to him so he can utilise those traits to move the ball forward quickly. Fahey also isn’t scared to push up the ground and intercept, quickly transitioning into attack when he does so. The ability to get a good amount of distance behind his kicks consistently plays a big part in his ability to break lines as well.

Fahey is able to get 50-60 metres behind his kicks without much issue, however, he can sometimes blaze away by foot when he is mainly aiming for distance rather than accuracy or penetration, and the result is a floater style kick. The other question mark over Fahey is his exposure at higher levels of football. With only limited VFL appearances this year and the one AFL Academy game, Fahey hasn’t necessarily been tested as much in his performances as some prospects, with the lack of championships being a big reason for this.

As a Rugby convert, Fahey has found it easy to translate his effectiveness and aggression in his tackling, being a real threat to opposition forwards when he closes them down and latches on, with not many able to get their way out of the tackle. This is aided by his defensive craft as well, with Fahey generally not giving his opponents an inch inside the defensive 50. His effort is a big factor in making him an on-field leader, which was fully evident during his AFL Academy outing.

DRAFT PROJECTION: Second Round

SUMMARY:

After some conjecture over his eligibility with a move to Queensland last year, GWS will have first access to Fahey come draft time. His academy status may impact where a bid comes in and while the Queanbeyan native is arguably a top 25 talent, he may slide down the order due to the bidding system. It will likely matter little as he looks a good shout to end up in charcoal and orange, bringing some depth to the defence and potentially allowing others to roll further afield more permanently.

FURTHER CONTENT:

>> Feature: Fahey dashes towards footballing dream