Four lads vying for No.1 spot in draft

SAM Walsh is the hot favourite to go No.1 in the AFL draft but league talent chief Kevin Sheehan believes the conversation extends beyond the star Geelong Falcons midfielder.

Walsh hasn’t put a foot wrong all year and thoroughly deserves to be the first player selected but Sheehan says South Australian duo Jack Lukosius and Izak Rankine and Victorian key forward Max King are also in the frame.

As the draft order stands, popular opinion has Walsh going to Carlton with the top pick, Lukosius and Rankine off to Gold Coast with the second and third selections and King to St Kilda at No.4.

But Sheehan says all four have legitimate claims on the No.1 spot.

“I’m glad I’m not picking it because it’s a really tough call,” he said. “I think all of those boys at different points of the year would have been considered worthy number ones.”

Stephen Silvagni and the Blues’ recruiting team are faced with the difficult task of assessing the seasons of each of the four against their potential upside. It’s a particularly difficult question to answer when it comes to King.

“Max kicked eight goals in his first game of the year and does his ACL at school level the next week — he looked a No.1 right at the start of the year,” Sheehan said.

“He’s a 204-centimetre key forward who marks the ball at its highest point, he’s quick and agile … players like that are as rare as hen’s teeth. He looks a special player and he’s recovered well from the injury.”

Lukosius and Rankine have proved their star potential in senior SANFL company with Woodville-West Torrens and West Adelaide, respectively.

“Lukosius has been much talked about as a star of the future with comparisons to Nick Riewoldt, who of course went No.1 himself,” Sheehan said.