WALSH’S CRAZY CHAMPS STATS
GEELONG Falcon Sam Walsh has backed up his reputation as the best midfielder in the draft with starring performances at the national under-18 championships.
The elite midfielder has been Vic Country’s highest-possession winner in both matches, clocking numbers that have only confirmed what recruiters already knew about the No.1 draft pick contender.
Walsh had 31 possessions, five tackles and six clearances in game one against the Allies, following that up with 25 disposals and 10 tackles on Sunday against South Australia.
“The thing is, 25 possessions in a national carnival game is probably equal to 34 in the AFL, so therefore anyone who gets over 30 in a carnival game is elite,” Geelong Falcons coach Dan O’Keefe said, pointing out that pressure to perform and shorter quarters often resulted in slightly lower disposal numbers across the board.
The Falcons’ three top draft prospects — Walsh, likely Cats father-son selection Oscar Brownless and Ned McHenry — have also registered high GPS numbers from their various roles between the wing, midfield and half-forward.
The trio were the top three ranked players for work rate in the Round 1 clash against the Allies, while Walsh was ranked No.1 for “high speed work rate”.
McHenry covered the most distance in the game at 13.5km, closely followed by Walsh (12,436m and Brownless 12,078m), while McHenry ranked high in areas relating to sprint work.