STRENGTHS:

+ Kick penetration
+ Inside-outside balance
+ Overhead marking
+ Power
+ Vertical leap
+ Versatility

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Accumulation
- Durability

There are few, if any, more complete prospects in this year's draft pool than O'Sullivan. At the core of his game are a couple of key athletic traits, being his powerful turn of speed and vertical leap. O'Sullivan translates that to explosive work to get outside of the contest with spins and fends, though he can sometimes lose his footing when barreling at the ball. His leap, meanwhile, supports excellent overhead marking prowess at 182cm.

Such burst ability is useful both on the inside and outside, which is part of what makes O'Sullivan so versatile. Another trait which fits the mould of being applicable to several situations include his kick penetration. While prone to dumping the ball long when clearing the stoppage or under pressure, O'Sullivan has booming range on his ball use and can break the lines that way. Otherwise, he also does so through driving run-and-carry.

O'Sullivan can play just about anywhere but his favourite position is midfield. There, he has a clean set of hands to win the ball and is competitive going both ways when his number is called. He also rides contact well and while at times it was tough to adjust to the speed of elite junior football, he has an innate ability to turn and hit kicks going forward. Such skill and quick decision making makes him so damaging in the front half, though is inconsistent.

There is a school of thought that O'Sullivan is best suited to half-back, where his marking shines. He has spent most of his time through the middle though, and enjoyed rotations forward or out to the wing. Wherever he plays, O'Sullivan has genuine big game class. That was perhaps best shown during last year's National Championships, where he was among Vic Country's best players in a tight loss to the Allies, and in the win over Vic Metro.

In terms of improvement areas, particularly if he is to make it as a full-time midfielder - O'Sullivan can look to be a greater accumulator of the ball. Albeit with the impact of injury interruptions, he is the type of player to average low-20 disposals and be high-impact with them. There will be question marks over his durability after such a poor run in 2024, so a big preseason will help build his tank and set him up to play senior footy straight away, and be a better off-the-ball runner.