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The sleeper in this year's AFL Draft who could be a gun midfielder down the road
Nic Negrepontis • November 12th, 2024 11:07 am
This year’s National Draft is touted as one of the best in recent years and with that comes some potential gems in the third and fourth rounds.
Vic Metro coach Rob Harding has named midfielder Luke Kennedy as potentially one of those late-draft players who could rise up the rankings in re-drafts down the line.
The 181cm Sandringham Dragons midfielder is rated as being able to kick on both feet, clean hands and a two-way endurance runner.
SEN’s 2024 Phantom Draft has him falling to GWS at pick 63 and Harding is bullish about what he could become at AFL level.
“I will have to go into my own region (to answer this), but I have a player at the Dragons named Luke Kennedy who played senior footy as a 15-year-old, won the best and fairest in the seniors as a 16-year-old and just happened to be in a year where the top midfielders were Levi Ashcroft, Jagga Smith, Josh Smillie, Murphy Reid – they were probably preordained from 12-18 months ago,” Harding told SEN’s Sportsday.
“Luke has just played consistently great footy over the last two years. He was in the Vic Metro train-on squad that we had. Didn’t get a game unfortunately, but he has gone up against these top-end draft picks and done a really good job against them.
“He’s a classic six-foot midfielder who is clean on both sides. He’s going to get picked in the 40s or 50s, I think, and he’s going to end up being a really good player.
“There’s going to be a lot of players like that in this draft. The thing we always have to remember with these kids is that they develop at different rates.
“I have this kid Harry Armstrong who has come on in leaps and bounds this year as a key forward potentially in the top 10. Harry is not going to hit his peak for five or six years.
“The sky is the limit for Harry and he’s already a good player. What recruiters have to do is speculate a bit as to what they next few years look like and there’s going to be some gems picked in the 40s and 50s and even the rookie draft.”
The AFL Draft will take place across the 20th and 21st of November, with Richmond holding the first pick.
