nd less open to Moylans expansive style.dddddd

Each week, ESPN.com.au AFL draft expert Christopher Doerre - aka Knightmare - casts his eye over the countrys best junior footballers to give readers an early insight into the next generation of AFL stars.As well as attending live games, Doerre pores through match vision, analyses the stats and talks to industry sources to ensure he can offer the most insightful draft analysis.Aside from the weekly wrap, Doerre will also unveil his power rankings at the end of each month.And as we get closer to Novembers national draft, Doerre will also predict who goes where with his annual phantom draft.Player focus Ben Ainsworth, a 179cm forward who plays for Gippsland in the TAC Cup, is one of the contenders for this years No. 1 overall selection.A high-impact, strong-marking small forward, Ainsworth also has a vertical leap like few others in this draft. With his leap and strength of marking overhead, Ainsworth jumps at the ball at speed and takes marks out in front, proving a consistently difficult match-up.He exploits small and medium-sized defenders with his marking in the air, on the lead, and in the one-on-one contests. He also makes life difficult for taller defenders with his power over ground balls, pace on the lead, speed of movement around the ground and ability to push up the field.This season, Ainsworth -- as well as being a dynamic game-changing forward -- has shown glimpses that he can play through the midfield. He has the capacity to win contested ball and has power and strength over the ball as well as the acceleration to have the scope to develop through the midfield.This was highlighted by his team-leading 20 disposal effort for Vic Country against South Australia through the midfield.Analysis Ainsworths conversion in front of goal will be an area requiring further work if he is to play primarily as a forward at AFL level. Combining his scores from the TAC Cup in 2015 and 2016, he has a total of 23 goals and 23 behinds. Needless to say, this is a below average rate of conversion and not the reliability that would be expected from a sub 180cm player who has made a name for himself as a forward.Ainsworth will also be looking to continue to improve his endurance so he play meaningful midfield minutes AFL level when required.Victorian prospect watchVic Metro Futures v Vic Country Futures (under-17s)With the TAC Cup bye this week, Victorian viewers were treated with futures games, featuring the best Vic Metro and Vic Country under-17 talent that didnt appear during this years AFL Under-18 Championships. This game is always a good glimpse into the future in terms of the draft talent who look likely for next year.Isaac Morrisby, a 191cm, 90kg forward, proved the focal point of Vic Metros front half. Morrisby had 11 disposals, five marks (one contested), two tackles, four goals and two score assists. Morrisby impressed with the way he presented up to the ball and the strength of hands he showed overhead. His ball use was also impressive, hitting targets inside the forward 50m and converting reliably in front of goal.Noah Balta was the other multiple goalkicker for Vic Metro. Balta spent the first half in the backline where his intercept marking was a highlight. His hands overhead were vice-like with both his aerial and one-on-one marking impressive.While Balta is 193cm, 88kg, his pace is very impressive. At one stage he ran 30m with ball in hand from the back pocket to the half-back flank before disposing of the ball. His dispossessing chase-down tackling towards the end of the first also caught the eye.While Balta showed natural flair down back, he proved just as good up forward, taking his share of strong marks. What was even more impressive from Balta though was how good he looked with the ball in general play, at one stage finishing for a goal from the boundary, 45m out. On another play he faked one way and went the other, playing on from the wing and running 20m to have a shot from 60m out.The combination of attributes shown suggest Balta is a very draftable player for 2017, who with further improvement and strong play could push for a high draft selection next season. Balta for the match had 20 disposals, nine marks (three contested), two goals, two behinds and one score assist.Ethan Penrith caught the eye with the run he offered. Penrith showed a tendency to play on, take on players and break the lines. His running was well complimented by his agility and tricks with ball in hand, often faking to go one way, then going the other. His ball use also proved impressive, both kicking to targets but also his finish from the boundary 40m from goal at speed was exceptional.Most exciting from Penrith was his run from half back for 45m, running around two players along the way and then from the wing kicking long into the forward 50m. At 179cm, 74kg, Penrith showed physicality, bumping an opposition player in the contest with force, which is a good sign from someone with his footballing gifts. Penrith had 14 disposals, seven marks (two contested), six tackles and one goal for the game.Luke Hitch proved a game-breaker in the first quarter, with his clean ground-ball pickups on the move and acceleration and line breaking a feature. Hitch is a natural crumber, roving at the front of packs and also impressed with impressive skills, finishing on the move and hitting his targets around the ground cleanly.Hitch had 19 disposals, eight contested possessions, three tackles and one goal for the game.Charlie Thompson, a 182cm, 76kg midfielder was at his productive best with a match-leading 29 disposals, nine contested possessions, four marks, three tackles, three clearances, six inside 50s and one score assist. Thompson for Oakleigh in the TAC Cup this year has also exceeded 30 disposals on two occasions.What allows Thompson to be such a high volume accumulator is his workrate and excellent endurance. Towards the end of the final quarter, Thompson was still running strongly, going on a surge from half-back to half-forward, running forward in support. By the time he got to the forward 50m arc when he received, he failed to finish from 45m, but the effort was exceptional.Thompson by foot in this game was something of a mixed bag. He was using both his left and right feet and some of his kicks inside the forward 50m were excellent and hit targets. This included a kick that he executed to a target when bumped, showing the strength to absorb the bump and continue on with his kick. His finishing in front of goal though was poor, with not only just two behinds but also one kick that sailed out on the full. Thompson noticeably at stoppages seemed consistently second to the ball, not getting to the right spots quickly enough to win first possession, with his first few steps consistently slow and needing to improve.Noah Answerth, a 183cm, 74kg midfielder, was Vic Metros best stoppage player with 16 disposals, 11 contested possessions, five clearances, five tackles, one goal and two score assists. Answerth was particularly impressive with his winning of first possession at stoppages.Nicholas Stuldreier, a 182cm, 80kg midfielder, was excellent for Vic Metro with 23 disposals, seven contested possessions, three marks (one contested), two clearances, one goal and one score assist. He was most impactful at stoppages winning first possession and around the ground with his strong tackling, locking players up and chasing players down. His strength to get off a handball while tackled also was a positive sign.Patrick Naish, a 180cm, 67kg midfielder is the son of Chris Naish and is a father-son prospect for Richmond in next years AFL draft. His ball use for Vic Metro was impressive, with several precise kicks and one particularly impressive low-to-the-ground kick that flew through the air at great speed, hitting his intended target lace out. His run and carry was also very good and on display on a few occasions. Naish had 26 disposals and seven marks (one contested) for the game.Callum Porter, a 180cm midfielder, was Vic Countrys most lively at stoppages. He won first possession regularly at stoppages and got to the right spots in tight consistently. His 20 disposals, 13 contested possessions, three tackles, seven clearances, five inside 50s and one score assist was a positive return.Cassidy Parish, the younger brother of Essendons Darcy, was Vic Countrys most productive midfielder with 24 disposals, 15 contested possessions, six tackles and six clearances. Cassidy is taller already than his brother Darcy at 187cm, 79kg.He played what on several occasions felt like a high-risk game against Vic Metro.He sometimes held onto the ball for too long and played on at some questionable times. What he did show however was a high level of confidence in his ability, which appears from this viewing a clear part of his footballing character.VFL Coburgs Luke Ryan will likely be the first state league prospect chosen in this years national draft, but he didnt enjoy a great day against Collingwood. A few minutes into the second quarter, he was assisted off the field after a heavy tackle from Pies hard man Gus Borthwick, who laid a heavy tackle on Ryan in Collingwoods half-forward line. Ryan to that point had seven disposals and was setting up play well across half-back.It would not be surprising if Ryan was to push for a position late in the first round or early in the second round at the draft.Cedric Cox of the North Ballarat Rebels contributed well as 23rd man with 15 disposals, four marks and three tackles for the game. Cox has been invited to this years AFL Draft Combine after showing some promise over the second half of the season. He is one of the more exciting players in this years draft with the outside line-breaking and clean skills.Younger brother of Collingwoods Scott, Ryan Pendlebury, a 191cm backman, was solid in defence with 24 disposals at 100 percent disposal efficiency. He also had nine marks and three tackles. He has been excellent for a few years now in the VFL and is one of the better ready-to-go backmen.Mark Kovacevic, a 204cm, 107kg, 20-year-old ruckman, competed well against Collingwoods Jarrod Witts with 23 hitouts, 11 disposals, five marks (two contested) and two tackles. Over the past two weeks, Kovacevic has finished among Coburgs best players after spending much of the season in the VFL Development League, which is positive progress for the former Calder Cannon.Ben Ronke, a 181cm top age midfielder/forward continued his promising play with 14 disposals, three marks, five tackles and two goals in his second game for Coburg after a strong month in the TAC Cup. Ronke provided Coburg a spark with his run and finishing around goal. He has handled the jump to VFL seamlessly and already looks like he has played VFL football for several seasons now.Matt Hanson, a 187cm, 21-year-old midfielder for Werribee, had 31 disposals, six marks, 11 tackles and two goals. He has featured in the bests for Werribee in nine of his 13 games this season and is one of the ready-to-go midfielders from the VFL.Thomas Gribble had a big game with 42 disposals, five marks and three tackles for Werribee. This follows a 44-disposal game the previous round for the 180cm, 21-year-old midfielder.South Australian prospect watchSANFLLeagueJonty Scharenberg was prominent in Glenelgs midfield with 19 disposals, six contested possessions, four marks (two contested), four tackles and two clearances.Steven Slimming continued his recent strong form with 15 disposals, five contested possessions, three tackles and two inside 50s.Kory Beard was impactful up forward for Sturt with 16 disposals, 11 marks (five contested), four goals and three behinds. Beard is a 25-year-old, 195cm, 95kg key forward and is second behind only Brett Eddy in the SANFL League goalkicking.Following Beard in the SANFL goalkicking is his teammate Mark Evans, who also had a strong match with 15 disposals, nine marks (one contested) and three goals. Evans is a 24-year-old, 181cm forward who can push up the field and have an impact.Matthew Panos, the former Western Bulldog, continues to excel through the Norwood midfield with 27 disposals, 14 contested possessions, six marks (one contested), two tackles, five clearances, three inside 50s, one goal and one score assist.ReservesJackson Edwards, the son of Tyson who is eligible for next years AFL draft, was prominent with 30 disposals, 13 contested possessions, five marks, six tackles, five clearances, seven inside 50s, three behinds and one score assist.Ben Jarman, the son of Darren, also showed good signs with 21 disposals, five contested possessions, five marks, four clearances, two behinds, two score assists.Bottom-age forward Jordan Houlahan, a 185cm forward, showed promise with 11 disposals, nine marks (two contested), three tackles, four inside 50s, three goals and one score assist.Under-18s?Peter Ladhams and Jordan Sweet, the two best South Australian under-18 ruckmen, faced off in what was always going to be an interesting contest.Ladhams had 13 disposals, 11 contested possessions, three marks (two contested), 23 hitouts, four clearances and three goals.Sweet was every bit a match for Ladhams in what was an even contest with 15 disposals, 10 contested possessions, seven marks (four contested), four tackles, 16 hitouts, three clearances, two goals and two score assists.Jake Wohling was ultra-impressive with 43 disposals, 14 contested possessions, nine marks (two contested marks), three tackles, two clearances, two behinds and three score assists.Jack Graham was excellent with 31 disposals, 12 contested possessions, five marks, seven tackles, eight clearances, seven inside 50s, one goal and one score assist.Brandon Parfitt, one of Northern Territorys bright prospects, represented North Adelaide and was impactful with 30 disposals, eight contested possessions, six tackles, three clearances and three inside 50s.West Australian prospect watchWAFLLeagueMason Shaw, who was previously on Port Adelaides senior list, was excellent for South Fremantle with 20 disposals, 10 marks and five goals. He is only 22 years of age and still has plenty of good football ahead of him.Griffen Logue continues to enhance his draft stocks with 15 disposals and one goa after 12 disposals, seven marks and two goals the previous week. The 193cm, 92kg Logue is a powerful athlete with excellent explosiveness. He has risen up draft boards over the course of the season and is seen as a possible second round selection in this years draft.Jye Bolton was terrific again for Claremont with 40 disposals, five marks, 11 inside 50s and two behinds. This follows 37 and 36 disposal efforts. Bolton has the game to fit seamlessly into an AFL midfield for a club looking for a final component to a midfield rotation.Sam Powell-Pepper in his WAFL league debut was impressive with 16 disposals, seven tackles, one goal and three behinds.ReservesNoah Hura had his most productive reserves game so far with 20 disposals and six marks.Tim English played his second reserves game and again impressed through the ruck with 13 disposals, six marks, seven tackles, 25 hitouts and five inside 50s.Colts Joshua Rotham was productive as he has been all season in the colts with 21 disposals, seven marks, four tackles and one goal.Shai Bolton again had an impact up forward with 17 disposals, five marks, three tackles and four goals as he pushes up draft boards.Division two states (Tasmania, Northern Territory, NSW/ACT, Queensland and Northern Academy) prospects watchNEAFLBrisbane AcademyJack Clayton, a bottom-age defender, continues to show signs with 10 disposals, three marks, two tackles and four rebound 50s. This is following a 14-disposal, three-mark and five-rebound 50 performance in which he was the Round 18 rising star nominee in the NEAFL. Early signs suggest that Clayton has a strong chance to make his way onto Brisbanes list as an academy prospect.Gold Coast AcademyJack Bowes led Gold Coasts goalkicking up forward and rotating through the midfield with three goals to go along with 10 disposals and three clearances.Speedster Josh Williams also contributed well with 14 disposals and six marks.GWS Academy Connor Byrne was excellent with 20 disposals, four marks, three tackles five inside 50s and two goals.Non-academy prospectsBenjamin Davis, a top-age prospect and the brother of Abe is not an academy member but showed some promise for Sydney with 15 disposals, six marks and two goals up forward.Andrew Boston, a former Gold Coast midfielder has continued his excellent play for Southport with 38 disposals, four marks, five tackles, 13 clearances, six inside 50s, six rebound 50s and one goal. Boston retired at the end of the 2015 season after losing the passion to play at the highest level. Despite this, he has had an excellent season for Southport in the NEAFL and has received an AFL state screening invite.Given the strength of his play this year, it would not be surprising to see Boston regain a position on an AFL list. If he has rediscovered his passion for playing at the top level he would - with his silky skills, pace and ability to find the footy - be a welcome addition onto an AFL list.Nike Zoom Womens Australia .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open. Nike Zoom Australia .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. http://www.cheapnikezoomaustralia.com/ . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Nike Zoom Australia Sale . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Nike Zoom Wholesale . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action.Josh Hodgson v Peter WallaceBoth hookers have been one of the key components in their sides charge to the semi-final. Hodgson has been the most accomplished No.9 this season and is so dangerous in attack around the ruck.Wallace made a surprise move from the halves to hooker earlier this year, but the shift by Panthers coach Anthony Griffin has proved to be a masterstroke.Wallace combines perfectly with Matt Moylan, Nathan Cleary and Bryce Cartwright in the Panthers unorthodox offensive structure.How fit Hodgson is remains to be seen after he battled an ankle injury in the lead-up.But when he drifts across field anything can happen.Matt Moylan v Jack Wighton.Moylan was superb in the Panthers comprehensive elimination final win over Canterbury last weekend and he is the fulcrum of the Panther attack.However he can be a little suspect under the high ball.Wighton plays it as tough as anyone and is fantastic in defence and running the ball out of his own end, even if he does not have hands as silky as Moylans.The wet conditions expected in Canberra might prrove more to Wightons liking and less open to Moylans expansive style.ddddddddddddIosia Soliola v Trent MerrinAfter returning from Super League, Soliola has been at the heart of everything for Canberra this year.Merrins move to the Panthers has been no less of a successful.The former NSW back-rower had arguably his best game for the Panthers in the win over Canterbury last week, while the Raiders struggled as the game went on against the Sharks.Keeping up their early intensity throughout the game will be crucial for the Raiders and Soliola is key here.Bryce Cartwright v Joey LeiluaNo doubt coach Ricky Stuart will aim Raiders wrecking ball at Cartwright on the visitors right edge.Leilua was down on involvement last week in the loss to Cronulla and that spells bad news for the Panthers.Cartwrights defence has been suspect at times this year and if he tries to grab at Leiluas jumper too often he will find nothing but thin air. 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