OVERVIEW

Ben Miller's size and movement at the National Under 18 Championships attracted recruiters' eyes and then blew them away with some mind-bogging times at the National Combine. For a 196cm and 93kg key position player and ruck, Miller suddenly caught the attention of AFL supporters when he ran a 2.91 second 20m sprint and 8.10 second agility test. For any player they are elite numbers, but for a player of his size, it truly is a remarkable feat. Along with his speed and agility, Miller has a penetrating kick which he uses to great effect. He does still need to build his endurance and work on his consistency, but with the raw tools he has at his disposal, Miller is expected to find a home late in the draft or in the rookie draft.

STRENGTHS

• Speed
• Agility
• Versatile
• Vertical leap
• Penetrating kick

Miller's athleticism is more than just impressive, it is downright defying genetics. Most rucks and key position players who can run and jump like Miller are often beanpoles and while he can add more strength to his frame, he is already a very handy 93kg. He is lightning quick, super agile and has a great vertical leap which makes him a potential ruck prospect as well. His vertical leap testing was solid without being outstanding at the National Combine, but his speed and agility were the highlights of the testing. It threw his name up among AFL supporters wanting to know more about this tall, athletic prospect.

His versatility is a great strength to have, potentially settling down as a key position forward and pinch hitting in the ruck, he has also shown his ability to play back if required and while he has not spent as much time in that elite program as some others having lived in remote Western Australia at Kalgoorlie, he has certainly raised eyebrows this year. Miller also has a penetrating kick which when playing forward can help him kick goals from outside 50, or when down back, break through opposition zones.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Consistency
• Endurance

The two areas in which Miller can improve are his endurance and consistency. These two areas go hand-in-hand as once Miller develops his endurance, he will improve his consistency week-to-week. Miller ran a 20.6 yo-yo test at the National Combine so in the bottom quarter of participants. He has not had as much time as others developing with the state team and subsequently with Subiaco, so endurance will be a focus heading to an AFL club. Once he is able to build his tank a bit further, he can become a bit of an enigma because of his unique strengths as an athletic tall.

DRAFT PROJECTION: Late pick/rookie

SUMMARY

Ben Miller is expected to be plucked late or in the rookie draft with my prediction late in the National Draft. He has athletic traits which are too good to ignore and while his endurance and consistency need improving, they are areas in which he can do so with a full pre-season under his belt at an AFL club. His penetrating kick will be another weapon that clubs will take notice of and expect him to settle as a key position forward early on, with his ability to pinch-hit in the ruck. If a club decides they would like an athletic key position defender, then Miller is more than capable of filling that void too.