STRENGTHS:

+ Athleticism
+ Clean hands
+ Power
+ Size
+ Speed
+ Upside

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Competitiveness
- Endurance

There are the usual tropes which come with being a 195cm midfielder, but Onley offers a more unique profile. His power and speed are genuine points of difference when combined with such a frame, making him difficult to stop in full flight. He possesses a clean set of hands to extract and distribute the inside ball, but can also burst out of congestion and either start or put the finishing touch on attacking handball chains.

While he didn't partake in national combine testing, Onley's athletic attributes were on show at the preseason meet. His efforts of 2.884 seconds in the 20m sprint, 75cm in the standing vertical jump, and 98cm in the running vertical jump would have put him in the top two for each event at the combine. Explosive speed is the main factor that translates on-field, with Onley able to charge forward or slice through traffic with purpose.

Onley combines his speed with creative use by hand, able to link up or draw opponents before releasing teammates into space. He mostly impacts in the attacking phase, and ironically, is quite effective on the outside. His ability to take ground and connect into attacking 50 is guided by fluent movement around the ground, and is perhaps why he spent time on the wing amongst a crowded National Academy midfield group.

That kind of play, which was also observed during the National Championships, makes him a prospect with high upside. The player he could be is what recruiters are looking at, though he can frustrate at times as one who often comes with the tag 'when he gets going' or 'at his best'. Finding that peak more consistently will be key for Onley as he progresses in his football career, and some of that comes down to competitiveness.

Despite his size and power, Onley isn't necessarily a crash-and-bash type on the inside and could perhaps develop his physicality. He has the traits to be an imposing figure, so if he can add mongrel and greater defensive acts, it will go a long way to compounding his overall impact. Further to his application out of possession, endurance is an area the midfielder has sought to improve. A better running tank always lends to higher work rate.

Running out games strongly and arriving at more contests will allow Onley to get his hands on the ball more often and showcase what he does best. He has already made great strides in that department and was pleased with his progress heading into the season. Further to that, he can sometimes lack polish when kicking on the run, but is capable of hitting the scoreboard from long-range and is no stranger to racking up plenty of the ball.