Matt Balmer
Twitter: @MattBalmer7
South Australia Under 18 trial scouting notes
On Saturday, South Australia had one of their first internal trial games for the 2017 Under 18 program with players split into two teams red & blue. The first half was played with 25 minute quarters, before the second half was shortened to 15 minutes due to the heat. (Player vision to come) Scouting notes: […]
Matt Balmer’s 2016 Phantom Draft
Well draft time is upon us. It’s certainly been a big year – I’ve spent just shy of 300 hours watching football this season and it is one of the most even drafts for a long time. The depth of the 2016 draft is a big strength and clubs with multiple late picks should be […]
Cedric Cox’s journey from local footballer to AFL Draft prospect
TWELVE months ago, football was not on Cedric Cox’s mind. In fact – he had not played for a whole year. But that all changed when Cox contacted his former school teacher James Castles to begin his football career. The move which saw his life change forever when the Western Australian moved to Camperdown in country […]
Matt Balmer’s 2016 Final AFL Draft Power Rankings Part 2
EVERY month since May, Matt Balmer has ranked his players from the 2016 AFL Draft pool. With less than two weeks until the November 25 National AFL Draft, he counts down the players ranked 50-1. You can find the players Matt has ranked 50-26 here Well what a year it has been. Looking back at May’s rankings, it’s […]
Matt Balmer’s 2016 Final AFL Draft Power Rankings Part 1
EVERY month since May, Matt Balmer has ranked his players from the 2016 AFL Draft pool. With less than three weeks until the November 25 National AFL Draft, he counts down the players ranked 50-1 over the next two weeks. Today will be 50-26, before next Monday’s final rankings from 25-1. Well what a year […]
2016 AFL Draft order
After a hectic AFL Trade period, with players and picks exchanging between clubs, the dust has settled and the 2016 draft order has been confirmed. Essendon have the corveted Pick 1, with Vic Metro’s Andrew McGrath and Vic Country’s Hugh McCluggage the likely two to come into consideration for their selection. ROUND ONE No. Points […]
AFL Draft Combine 2016 Day 4 results
The 2016 AFL Draft Combine concluded on Sunday with the 3km time trial finishing the four day event. The 3km time trial is an event that many players haven’t run in their careers and it was Vic Country’s Jarrod Berry who won with a time of 9:46 minutes. The state combine was also run at Etihad Stadium […]
AFL Draft Combine 2016 Day 3 results
Day 3 was an action packed day for the 2016 AFL Draft prospects, with plenty of testing to keep the players occupied over the course of the day. Vic Metro co-captain Jordan Gallucci broke the standing vertical jump record, whilst it was Jarrod Berry, Oliver Florent and Griffin Logue who performed extremely well in the […]
AFL Draft Combine 2016 Day 2 results
Day 2 saw players be put under the spotlight with medicals from clubs, as well as interviews with media and AFL clubs. Players also completed testing for hand-eye coordination and reaction time, such as Ben Ainsworth attempting to hit the coloured lights in the image below. Friday night saw players undertake the kicking, clean hands […]
Stars to shine bright at the National AFL Draft Combine
FOR the draft crop of 2016, the National AFL Draft Combine is the first sign that their AFL dreams are a step closer to fruition. An invitation to the AFL Draft Combine means that at least five AFL clubs have expressed interest in the player. The AFL Draft Combine is a way for clubs to […]
Matt Balmer’s October Power Rankings
In an AFL Draft Central feature, AFL Draft analyst Matt Balmer will update his Power Rankings on the first Monday of every month. Well, what a season it has been. Games are done and dusted for the season, with Friday’s Under 18 All Stars match showcasing some of the very best draft prospects for 2016. The AFL National Combine runs from Thursday […]
U18 All Stars ultimate review
A SLOW start didn’t stop ‘Team Judd‘ winning the inagularl Kevin Sheehan Cup after defeating ‘Team O’Loughlin‘ by 38-points at Punt Road Oval today. The concept saw the ‘Best 46’ draft prospects go head-to-head, all be it missing a few through injury. A huge crowd rolled in at the conclusion of the AFL Grand Final […]