STRENGTHS:

+ Clean hands
+ Consistency
+ Dual-footed
+ Leadership
+ Running power
+ Work rate

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Kicking efficiency
- Speed

Rodriguez has many of the traits of a nailed-on, reliable midfielder for the long-term. He prides himself on his contested ball winning ability, able to use his size and clean hands to extract and distribute. Out of 19 WAFL Colts games over the last two seasons, only thrice has he been kept to under 20 disposals. Rodriguez's level of production has been consistent across all levels credit to that on-ball base, and his running power.

A hard worker going both ways, the South Fremantle prospect can get it done defensively and accumulates on the spread. He averaged 5.5 tackles per game at Colts level this year, and 4.5 in the National Championships. He also won a tick over four clearances in each state appearance, and outside the inner circle, was able to drive the ball forward with dead-on four inside 50s per game. His short and sharp delivery was most effective in those instances.

Possessing dual-footed kicking, Rodriguez can deliver on either side of his body and adapts to what the game requires. He is generally quite neat on the outside and is capable of pulling sharp inboard passes around his body. On the flip side, he is also prone to dump kicking out of congestion and can blaze away long at times, sacrificing efficiency. He tended to kick for territory out of the middle and compromised his technique under pressure.

An area which will inadvertently help Rodriguez to maximise his kicking efficiency is by enhancing his speed and power. He isn't blessed with raw pace, but instead has the strength and hardness to break free of contested situations. If he can work on his first few steps to drive his legs to the outside more often, he will have more time and space to better utilise his kicking skills. In turn, he will become a much more damaging player on the attack.

Outside of his footballing traits, Rodriguez is a strong competitor and leader. He achieved the major goal of captaining his state this year and exhibited great character to excel at the level. Rodriguez was also proud with how he was able to adapt to different roles this year, playing forward for the National Academy and South Fremantle's League side. That versatility will help him to break through a little quicker at the top level.