George good to go
ROOS TOLD POUNCE
NORTH Melbourne has been urged to take explosive underage midfielder George Wardlaw with complete confidence that his nightmare hamstring issues are behind him.
The Kangaroos are eyeing Wardlaw, who has been likened to Patrick Dangerfield, and jet forward Harry Sheezel with picks two and three in this year’s draft.
It leaves Essendon with a tough choice at pick four between a group of talented midfield products including Oakleigh’s Elijah Tsatas (186cm) and Gippsland’s Bailey Humprey (186cm), and three other bigger-bodied ballwinners Mattaes Phillipou (190cm), Reuben Ginbey (189cm) and Cam Mackenzie (188cm)
Wardlaw suffered three hamstring strains in the back half of the season which have concerned clubs and prompted recruiters to zero in on his medical screening results.
But Wardlaw’s Oakleigh Chargers coach, Jason Davenport, said there were zero longterm concerns over his run of hamstring problems which saw him miss the national carnival and draft combine testing.
Davenport said the explosive midfielder was an incredible talent who was simply a victim of bad luck combining school footy with St Kevin’s and the NAB League this season.
“Medically there are zero ongoing concerns in regards to the injury because he could have played in the last (Vic) Metro game and it was the same with the draft combine,” Davenport said.
“We all just wanted to be extremely conservative with him so he could really just prepare for when he goes into an AFL program and be ready to start from the get-go.
“He is a pretty special player and an excitement machine, who fans will quickly fall in love with.
“There’s some Dangerfield in him with regard to his overhead marking, because he plays like he is on pogo sticks the way he can get up off the ground.
“And he is very, very tough. His willingness in the contest and in the big moments to win the ball – and this is the Dangerfield comparison – to dive on hand grenades or do something out of the ordinary to put teammates in better positions impacts the outcomes of games.
“He is very courageous with his contest stuff.”
Greater Western Sydney is set to take Vic Country key forward Aaron Cadman with the No.1 pick it traded from North Melbourne.
The Kangaroos stepped back in the order from one to two because of how highly they rated Wardlaw (182cm) and Sheezel (185cm).
Sandringham gun Will Ashcroft is considered the best player in this draft and is headed to Brisbane Lions as a father-son with the first move on draft night on November 28.