STRENGTHS:

+ Skills
+ Consistency
+ Decision making
+ Footy IQ
+ Forward craft
+ Speed

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Durability
- Size

Sanchez is a prospect who would please the football purist. While he possesses some solid athletic attributes, his best traits are largely football-based. The 18-year-old is a strong exponent of the fundamentals of the game; he is a neat ball user, has clean hands and is a clever player who can find the ball well and make good decisions when he gets it.

He has shown himself to be a very effective in traffic, displaying good spacial awareness and quick feet to weave himself out of trouble in close confines. He also has good composure and does not rush his disposal even under pressure, often looking to feign a handball to manufacture more time in possession. With ball in hand, Sanchez is a good distributor, particularly when lowering his eyes, and is adept off both sides of his body.

Playing in the midfield for East Fremantle at Colts level, Sanchez showed his ability to find the football at will. Across his six games, he never dipped below 20 disposals and even when playing forward for Western Australia, he was always busy, finding plenty of the ball when supply was at times limited.

While he has spent time in the midfield, Sanchez looks likely to transition to the next level as a forward, and he has shown excellent football smarts and creativity to make him a dangerous player inside 50. His game against Vic Metro, where he booted 3.3 from 14 disposals in an 81-point loss illustrated his forward craft.

In that outing, he was able to find space at will, positioning himself smartly to take multiple marks inside 50. He also hunted the ball at ground level, kicking a superb stoppage goal and presenting as a constant threat on the deck.

Sanchez has good pace off the mark, which he uses to create space in traffic, although is not often used as a line-breaking option in space to run and carry. At 177cm, there is perhaps a question on his ceiling at the top level, given the tendency of recruiters to favour prospects with size and power.

He has also had some durability concerns across the past two seasons, suffering a significant groin injury in 2022 before a couple of minor setbacks this season. However, if he can get his body right, he certainly has enough attributes to contribute at AFL level.