Michael Alvaro
Draft Central Power Rankings: September 2021
IT has been a long wait, but the Draft Central Power Rankings are back for another edition. The September update sees our list of top prospects stretched to 30 after a last-gasp National Championships fixture and some handy showings from rising stars amid the on-again, off-again nature of season 2021. While changes are scarce at […]
Up the Grades: Which youngsters cracked senior footy?
WITH finals time finally upon us in state leagues around the nation, there are plenty of budding AFL Draft prospects who are stepping up on the big stage. In a look Up the Grades, we highlight some of the National Combine invitees, state squad members, and academy products who plied their trade at senior level […]
WAFL Player Focus: Joshua Cripps (East Fremantle)
EAST Fremantle ruck-forward Joshua Cripps has struck a rich vein of form over the last three WAFL Colts rounds, with his latest effort yielding 20 disposals, five marks and three goals in the Sharks’ 21-point win over West Perth. Cripps, the brother of Carlton co-captain Patrick, has his sibling covered for height and was added […]
In the Mix: How the WA/SA U19 extended squad members fared this week
WHILE 46 of the best AFL Draft prospects out of West and South Australia took the field in Saturday’s Under 19 National Championships bout, there were a bunch of extended squad members who were forced out either through injury or the inevitable selection squeeze. We take a look at how they fared this week in […]
PODCAST EXPLAINER | Western Australia vs. South Australia AFL U19s recap
THE Final Siren podcast team came together for a special pocket podcast edition this week, recapping all the action and fallout from Saturday’s AFL Under 19 National Championships clash between Western Australia and South Australia. Host Peter Williams and analyst Michael Alvaro dissected some of the key topics out of the one-off showcase, detailed in […]
2021 WAFL Colts: Round 21 weekend wrap
THE 2021 WAFL Colts top five has been locked in after Round 21 went down this past weekend, with Swan Districts officially crowned minor premier. East Perth secured third, while East Fremantle moved clear of West Perth in fourth with just one round of regular season fixtures to play out. After their National Championships dig […]
SANFL Player Focus: Alastair Lord (Norwood)
DASHING Norwood defender Alastair Lord made his return to SANFL Under 18s action in Round 18, marking his first outing in the grade since late-April. The 17-year-old notched 21 disposals and a goal on Saturday afternoon as his Redlegs fell comfortably to Glenelg, but marked a promising comeback with his usual run-and-gun passages. Lord, a […]
Pocket Podcast | Western Australia vs. South Australia AFL U19s recap
THE return of the Under 19 National Championships on Saturday left plenty of talking points for the Final Siren podcast team to dissect, and that is exactly what host Peter Williams did alongside usual guest analyst Michael Alvaro in the latest pocket podcast, thanks to Draft Central. >> Match Report: WA claims big win in […]
Academy watch: Lions return for QAFL finals impact
THE 2021 QAFL finals series kicked off this past weekend, with a pair of elimination finals seeing the two lower-ranked sides pull off memorable upsets. Those teams in question were Morningside and Maroochydore, who will now face off in Saturday’s second semi-final after their narrow victories. As this year’s reigning premier, the Panthers have plenty […]
Rising Stocks: Western Australia vs. South Australia Under 19s
THE 2021 AFL Under 19 National Championships got underway on Saturday as Western Australia hosted South Australia at Lathlain Park, with some of the nation’s most promising prospects producing big performances. With Draft Central’s September Power Rankings edition just around the corner, we take a sneak peak at a handful of players who could be […]
Anderson rides the wave of a long footballing journey
THERE are few junior footballers who have experienced a journey quite like that of Angus Anderson. The Sydney Swans Academy captain hails from Sawtell, a coastal town in northern New South Wales, but has ticked off a plethora of other destinations en route to earning a National Draft Combine invite this month. The six-hour drive […]
Scouting Notes: 2021 AFLU19s – Western Australia vs. South Australia
THE 2021 AFL Under 19 National Championships got underway on Saturday in a last-minute clash between Western Australia and South Australia at Lathlain Park, with the hosts getting up 9.13 (67) to 5.8 (38). In a bumper edition of Scouting Notes, we take a look at the performances of every player afield, including some defining […]