POSITION: Outside Midfielder/Defender

DRAFT ANALYSIS: “Chugg is a well balanced player who can pull the trigger on runs or mow down opposition players." - Peter Williams

Isaac Chugg is a Tasmanian prospect who is rare in the sense that he has a lot of strengths, but also a lot to improve on. The Launceston talent has no issues whatsoever when it comes to the athletic aspects of football; with elite speed, agility and vertical leap which makes him a difficult player to contain when he gets going. He uses the ball well, reads it soundly when in flight and can take off from half-back or provide defensive support to slow down attacking players. The question marks come over his consistency and endurance, which go hand-in-hand with each other. Furthermore, he does not rack up a heap of the ball, and he would be more damaging if he did, while also having room to build a greater inside game. Overall, he has a lot of pluses that would have earned him a late call-up to the AFL Draft Combine.

STRENGTHS:

• Speed
• Vertical leap
• Agility
• Disposal
• Reading the play
• Offensive/defensive balance

IMPROVEMENTS:

• Endurance
• Consistency
• Accumulation

Chugg is an eye-catching player, there is no doubt about that. He is one of those players that could have half a dozen disposals in a game but you leave remembering him for what he did. Often it might be a three or four-bounce run from half-back along the wing, or a  hard-fought run-down tackle to stop an opponent in his tracks. Either way, Chugg has that nice blend of offensive and defensive traits, which make him a two-way runner. Speaking of running, Chugg is a national representative, competing at the Australian All Schools Championships last year in the 400m. Not only does he have the middle distance speed, but he has that acceleration over 20m, notching a time of 2.93 seconds in the preseason and 2.95 seconds at the recent Draft Combine.

The Launceston talent did well to play nine TSL games this year, mixed with five in the TSL Development League. The Blues ended up winning the premiership which Chugg was a part of, and the large reason was a switch in position. As a winger, Chugg showed some signs, but was not consistent enough, then being thrown to half-back he took up the challenge and shone. There was still a lot to work on, but with his vertical leap, agility and speed, Chugg added reading of the play to his strengths because of his ability to sit at half-back, read it well in flight and intercept mark, then take off again. He still did not win a heap of the ball, but he was still adding more strings to his bow.

His accumulation could certainly rise, averaging 12 touches for the Tasmania Devils last year in the NAB League, though he did win more contested ball than in the TSL where he would play purely outside roles. Chugg has added some size in the past 12 months, going from 72kg at the start of 2019 to 81kg just under 18 months later. This will help him compete with stronger, senior bodies in the future - be it at TSL level or at a different standard altogether. Once he can increase his endurance, Chugg will no doubt be able to impact for longer periods of time, and that will help him gain a more consistent all-round performance.

DRAFT PROJECTION: Rookie

Overall, Chugg is a perfect rookie prospect as a player who is still raw in terms of having a number of areas to work on, but he has a lot of natural ability both from an athletic standpoint and his footy IQ and skills. He can make mistakes from time to time and is not always consistent, but as he gains greater experience at senior level, expect him to improve and be one to watch in the coming years.