Kevin Sheehan’s 2024 Telstra AFL Draft Top Prospects: MidfieldersFriday, November 8, 2024 - 9:26 AM

AFL Talent Ambassador Kevin Sheehan has released profiles on the top midfielders in the 2024 Telstra AFL Draft pool.

The group includes seven West Australians, four from the National Draft Combine and three players who were part of the State Draft Combine.

Peel Thunder’s Bo Allan, Claremont’s Cody Angove, fellow Tiger Will Hayes and Luke Urquhart from East Fremantle have been put under the spotlight by Kevin Sheehan following their performances at the National Combine.

Sheehan has also delivered his thoughts on Claremont’s Hugh Boxshall, Subiaco’s Charlie Burke and South Fremantle’s Isiah Winder who all took part in the State Combine.

Sheehan's player profiles have been released in positional groups each week ahead of the Draft.

All players profiled attended the 2024 Telstra AFL Draft Combine or 2024 Telstra AFL State Draft Combine in October.

The 2024 Telstra AFL Draft will be held on Wednesday, November 20 and Thursday, November 21. The 2024 Telstra AFL Rookie Draft will follow on Friday, November 22.
Keep updated with all the latest news ahead of the 2024 Telstra AFL Draft at the AFL Draft Hub.

NATIONAL DRAFT COMBINE

Bo Allan
State: Western Australia
State League: Peel Thunder
Date of Birth: 16/02/2006
Height: 191cm

A left-foot midfielder and defender with a real competitive edge. Has shown he can play very tight and provide run from defence, as well as having the capability of playing inside or outside in the midfield. He used his contested ball-winning ability and speed to provide consistent drive for Western Australia at the Marsh AFL National Championships, averaging 20 disposals (7.3 contested), 3.7 clearances and six tackles. Was among his team’s better players against both Victoria Metro and Country and was rewarded with All Australian selection. He handled the step up to senior State League level impressively for Peel Thunder, capping off an excellent year as a WAFL premiership player. He played 11 senior matches, averaging 12 disposals and six tackles. Was very impressive at testing at the national Draft Combine, finishing second on the running vertical jump (92cm) and fourth for the agility test (7.94 seconds), while his speed (2.99 seconds on the 20m sprint) was also in the top bracket.

Cody Angove
State: Western Australia
State League Club: Claremont
Date of Birth: 28/05/2006
Height: 182cm

A midfielder and high half forward with an exciting athletic profile. Has a combination of speed and endurance, which together with his footy smarts allows him to win the ball and impact games. Had an interrupted start to the year due to a leg injury but returned to play all four games for Western Australia at the National Championships, averaging 12 disposals and being amongst his team’s best in the narrow loss to Victoria Country. A neat distributor by hand and foot, he averaged 18.3 disposals and kicked 11 goals in 10 games at Colts level for Claremont. He was among the Tigers’ best in their Grand Final win which saw him become a back-to-back premiership player. Performed well on the agility test (8.21 seconds) and 2km time trial (6:28) at the national Draft Combine.

Will Hayes
State: Western Australia
State League Club: Claremont
Community Club: Subiaco
Date of Birth: 16/05/2006
Height: 180cm

A wingman or small forward who has pace and a neat step through traffic. Although lightly framed, he is a beautifully balanced player with a touch of class and distributes the ball neatly and with penetration on both feet. He played all four matches for Western Australia at the National Championships, averaging 13 disposals at 75 per cent efficiency and was among his team’s best against both South Australia and Victoria Metro.  Finished the season in style by becoming a dual premiership player with Claremont at Colts level. Tested extremely well at the Draft Combine, ranking third on the agility test (7.85 seconds) and 2km time trial (6:16) and producing a sound 3.00 seconds on the 20m sprint.

Luke Urquhart
 

State: Western Australia
State League Club: East Fremantle
Date of Birth: 19/09/2006
Height: 184cm

A powerful midfielder who is a stoppage star with his ability to extract the ball from congestion and can also be effective when thrown forward. He has come on in leaps and bounds since missing a significant chunk of his bottom-age campaign in 2023 due to hip surgery. Was impressive in three games at WAFL Colts level for East Fremantle, averaging 23.3 disposals, five clearances, 9.5 tackles and two goals. At representative level he was among Western Australia’s better players against the Allies and Victoria Metro and averaged 21 disposals (11 contested) and 5.5 clearances. Excelled at the Draft Combine with his speed (2.98 seconds on the 20m sprint) and endurance (6:25 on the 2km time trial) great assets for a midfielder.

STATE DRAFT COMBINE

Hugh Boxshall
State: Western Australia
State League Club: Claremont
Date of Birth: 11/07/2006
Height: 187cm

Medium midfielder with a real competitive edge. Wins the contested ball with his clean hands and uses his vision and awareness to set up his teammates. Strong overhead and an aggressive tackler, he had a real positive impact for Western Australia when he returned from injury, playing the last three games of the National Championships where he averaged 18.7 disposals (eight contested) and was among his side’s best against South Australia and Victoria Country. Finished the year in outstanding form at Colts level, being among the best afield with 30 disposals in Claremont’s Grand Final-winning team. Was outstanding in testing at the state Draft Combine in Perth, ranking second on the 2km time trial (6:08), third on the agility test (7.98 seconds) and fourth on the running vertical jump (86cm).

Charlie Burke
State: Western Australia
State League Club: Subiaco
Date of Birth: 11/04/2006
Height: 184cm

Wingman who uses his natural endurance and high work rate to push deep and provide his team with an outlet. Is strong overhead and can push forward to hit the scoreboard, attributes he showed in the National Championships for Western Australia. Averaged 16.2 disposals and 6.8 marks at the Championships and was among the best against both the Allies and South Australia. Had a consistent year at Colts level as captain of Subiaco, averaging 19 disposals and four tackles to be rewarded selection in the WAFL Colts Team of the Year. His time of 6:22 seconds for the 2km time trial was an excellent demonstration of his work rate and competitiveness.

Isiah Winder
State: Western Australia
State League Club: South Fremantle
Date of Birth: 16/05/2002
Height: 179cm

Small midfielder/forward who had an outstanding season at senior level with South Fremantle, averaging 26 disposals (40 per cent contested) and kicked 16 goals to win the club’s best and fairest award. Has now played almost 50 games in the WAFL after initially being drafted by the West Coast Eagles in 2020, where he played seven AFL games. Was unable to test at the state Draft Combine in Perth due to injury.

Previously
Tall forwards and rucks
Tall defenders
Small and medium defenders
Small and medium forwards

Next week
Kevin Sheehan’s top 40 prospects