OVERVIEW

It is hard to miss Jack Powell's blonde mop and baby face on a football field but despite the looks he is a tough, uncompromising midfielder who is not afraid of the rough stuff. Powell was impressive in the National Under 18 trials earlier in the year at Ikon Park and has improved across most statistical categories in 2017 from last year. He averaged 16.3 disposals, 2.5 marks and 3.0 tackles per game for the Allies, but most impressively had more than four clearances per game indicating his strong inside presence. Along with his inside game, he is a reliably strong kick and is balanced on both feet, which came out at the National Combine's kicking test where he scored 25/30. His knocks are his endurance and speed which lets him down, rated in the bottom five in both areas at the combine.

STRENGTHS

• Kicking
• Aggression
• Balanced
• Defensive pressure
• Inside game

Powell is most notably impressive at the stoppages and is a clearance gem mainly due to his attack on the football. For a 181cm player he still has strength and applies plenty of defensive pressure to win the ball in a multitude of ways. He often wins his possessions in close and while he cannot burst away from the stoppages, he is fairly good at getting boot to ball and finding a teammate forward. Unlike many who might rush away or throw the ball on the boot, Powell is a good decision maker and is able to kick on either foot.

Another strength of Powell's is his aggression and competitiveness towards the contest. He does not think twice about attacking a contest and is clean with the ball once he has won it. He does not lay a lot of tackles in a game compared to other midfielders, but often he has the smarts to get to the ball first.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Endurance
• Speed
• Spread

Powell's improvements lie in his endurance and speed athletically as well as his ability to cover the ground. He averaged just the one mark in the NEAFL and 2.5 marks at the National Under 18 Championships indicating that he needed to work more on his spread. This is also due to his speed and endurance, which he needs to improve in order to get to the next contest. He was in the bottom five for both the 20m sprint (3.22 seconds) and the Yo-Yo test (20.4) which further established his areas of improvement.

Powell might need to improve on these three areas but they all feel linked and potentially improvement in both speed and endurance will undoubtedly allow him to have more of an impact on the outside, thus spreading.

DRAFT PROJECTION: Rookie

SUMMARY

Jack Powell is a neat prospect who wins the ball at the coalface and then uses it well on transition. He is a balanced player who can hit targets more often than not and his aggression and competitiveness is among the best in the draft crop. You can tell from watching him he has that hunger for the football and no doubt his enthusiasm would rub off on his teammates. He is a member of the GWS Giants Academy and could land there for a late or rookie pick if the Giants choose to match. He is more suited to a rookie pick given the improvements he needs to make athletically, but his top attributes are still attractive to other clubs' recruiters.