For those that missed it, I've put together a few thoughts on the performances of some players. Seeing them able to compete against another state side of similar ability helps to benchmark the kids in this draft and there were a number of kids who would've gone up/down draft boards based on the performance.
My only real criticism of the game was WA's lack of flexibility with few players changing positions or roles throughout the game. SA did this well with most of their midfielders getting rotations forward and players moving around the ground but WA stayed pretty static throughout, not allowing it's players to show off differing skills.
WA
Jacob can Rooyen
I don't think he could have done more from his position across half back, playing a role he'd only performed in a few times this season in order to show his flexibility. His marking was fantastic, his aggression second to none and despite scrubbing a couple of kicks, his disposal was elite. He read the play as well as anyone and I'm just disappointed the WA coach didn't flip positions around so he could have a run up forward. I still have him as the leading forward prospect in the draft outside of Darcy.
Jye Amiss
He started the game meeting the hype of a lead up forward with a deadly shot at goal but I ended the match with more questions than I'd received answers. He took a few nice contested marks and kicked the goal of the day from the boundary but it was his hesitancy to take ranged shots at goal that worried me. He fudged one that barely traveled 40m before being touched on the line directly in front which shook his confidence and saw him finish the game passing when he should have been kicking goals. I'd love to say it was Jye trying to share a few goals but it was pretty clear he didn't want the shot. I'll be watching his colts games pretty carefully from here to see if he can kick goals from 40m out with confidence as at AFL level, you need to be able to move up the ground and be a threat from 50m.
Jack Williams
He started the game well with some good marking but wasn't able to capitalise until later in the game with his first goal. I liked his bodywork around the ground as a second ruck but his main job will be up forward. We had a lot of tall targets there and Williams tended to be the casualty sent into the ruck or bench. When given an opportunity up forward, he did look like the big marking forward that clubs want and his follow up work was good at ground level. His kicking was actually quite good despite missing a shot or two early.
Rhett Bazzo
He did what he's done for the past couple seasons in marking most things that come his way across half back. He's a really good size with a fantastic ability to read the play and get first hands on the ball. He and JVR dominated and proved the catalyst for the majority of WA's forays forward. His kicking was a bit scrappy at times but certainly not bad. It's unfortunate we aren't in need of a KPD as you couldn't do much more than he did on Sat.
Eric Benning
He epitomises the raw ability NGA picks are supposed to be. He took a couple of massive pack marks and fumbled some much easier ones. Meanwhile he just as easily picked up the ball cleanly at full tilt as he did miss a gather under no pressure. There's a lot to work with here and he's well worth a Cat B pick but I can't see anyone bidding on him where we won't be able to match it. He's most likely a rookie pick in any case so probably won't cost us a selection in the draft matching a bid. He reminds me a little of Michael Johnson the way he picked up the ball and kicked it, almost as if two hands weren't necessary to handle the footy.
Jesse Motlop
Speaking of NGA's, Motlop didn't do his chances any harm and I was happy to see him get a run in the middle during the last quarter as one of the few moves made by the WA coach around the ground. He looked clean and full of power when running through congestion despite not finding a lot of the footy in the first 3 quarters. He snapped a perfect crumbing goal early but found it tough to get involved with the big guys dominating the air. Unfortunately he's not likely to be there at pick 40 when we can match bids but we could be tempted to use a pick on him earlier depending on what we go into the draft with.
Matthew Johnson
I mentioned the Mundy/Pendles comparison pregame and he really added to that with some good marking efforts thrown in. You'll see few more composed players at this level and he just oozed class, never rushed into disposing the footy and delivering immaculate passes through traffic. He didn't play much of the inside game I've seen at other levels with his link up play proving most effective. That was probably due to the balance of the midfield but he's been mixing it up a lot with the seniors at Subi and he'll have an immediate impact next season. He'll probably get caught holding the ball occasionally early in his career but you can see he'll have the movement and composure to shake tackles like Mundy with a raising of the arms and shake of the hips.
Joshua Browne
He's dominated at colts level all season and he showed why in this game. A fantastic size for a midfielder, he got the ball moving WA's way by hitting the ball at speed and extracting it well. He had pace and power to burn and would only be let down by a couple of kicks that were flighted a bit too much. He moved up in my estimations off that effort and if he cleans up his kicking a little, he could be a beast at AFL level.
Kade Dittmar
You couldn't watch him play and not appreciate the way he goes about footy. He's high energy, high impact and aggressive as a bigger body who loves to get inside but can still break away from a stoppage. He was fierce in the contest and part of the reason SA were rarely able to win it out of the middle. He kicked a good goal and doesn't have any worries about his disposal. A lot of what I know about him is based on his footy back down south and if injuries hadn't had the best of him the past few years, he'd probably be in top 10/20 conversations. He's one to watch on draft day although injuries are certainly a worry given his history and the way he plays.
Angus Sheldrick
He's a nugget of a player and works incredibly hard on the inside of the contest. He's come a bit out of nowhere this season with school footy taking a priority but there's no doubting he has ability. The main question he'll have to fight off from recruiters will be about his size and athleticism but if he finds and uses the footy like he did on the weekend, I can't see him struggling at the next level.
SA
Jason Horne-Francis
He didn't seem to get a lot of midfield time and when he did, he tended to have an opponent paying him some attention which shows the respect WA gave him considering tags are not meant to exist in the carnival. His touches oozed class and multiple times he threaded the needle with pinpoint perfect passes to set up scoring opportunities. He kicked a goal and had a massive fly at a mark but overall it was a quieter performance for him. He's still easily the No 1 pick going into draft day with his performances in the SANFL generally much better than the weekend (where he was still a top 3 player for SA). A great size possessing speed and power while having immaculate disposal and a big leap, there's been few more complete players at this level.
Manni Liddy
He was SA's best player in the first half with multiple passages where he cut through the centre of the ground to deliver forward. A good size and showed some real pace, he's one who stood up to the WA pressure. He wasn't really on my radar before the game but has put himself well in consideration.
Matthew Roberts
He tried hard all day and earned himself one of SA's few goals. He's also a good size with some pace who mixed things between the middle, half back and up forward. He always seemed eager to take the game on and move the ball at speed which is a good sign and was a major factor in SA flipping the last quarter.
Arlo Draper
I was probably the most disappointed in Draper's game and his impact when in the middle. Albeit he spent a lot of the game forward and kicked a good goal but he also lacked impact when in the middle, unable to mix it with WA's plethora of big bodied midfielders. He looked good when he had the ball but he'll be one who has a bit to prove if there are more championship games later in the year.
Morgan Ferres
Conversely, Ferres was probably the big improver from the game as SA's best target going forward and doing some really good things through the middle of the ground when rotated in. He had great balance and movement as well as being tall for a mid. His strong hands and good kicking were impressive and he might have shot himself right up a lot of draft boards.
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera
He rarely missed a disposal and SA really looked to get it in his hands for good reason. He didn't seem too capable of getting the footy himself but he is quite slight and WA's bigger bodies were far more dominant. He showed exactly the qualities you'd expect of him, a bit of dash and clean, precision kicking. I would have liked to see him try and get involved more but it's difficult as an outside player when you're team isn't getting the ball on the inside. Placing him at half back was his best opportunity to impact and he tried hard there with some good effect although most of his kicks seemed to be to wider targets rather than aggressive through the middle. Overall a good game but he didn't do enough to show he'd worked on the weaknesses in his game.