Scully 'a clear stand out' in AFL draft - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Scully 'a clear stand out' in AFL draft

By Bonny Symons-Brown 30/09/2009 06:20:04 PM Comments (0)

AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan says young gun Tom Scully is a clear standout among this year's crop of potential draftees.

Scully, 18, is one of 75 players in Canberra this week participating in the annual draft camp under the watchful gaze of the league's best talent spotters.

After two consecutive seasons of winning fewer than five games and because they finished bottom of the ladder in 2009, Melbourne has secured the top two picks in the draft.

Scully, a left-footer with clean hands, impressive kicking skills and endurance, is a hot favourite to be taken at No.1 by the Demons.

"He's not just a wonderful player, he's a back-to-back All Australian, so his performance on the board at the best level available, which is our national 18s, is first class," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"He's a wonderful young leader, a very modest young man ... an absolute professional as a young guy and he's a super athlete."

Meanwhile, Scully is keeping an open mind about where he ends up.

"You never know right up until the day of the draft what's happening, you never know what the clubs are thinking," he said.

But the lifelong Richmond supporter said he'd be happy to go to the Demons.

"I'd love to play for Melbourne, it's a fantastic club, a proud history and I think their list is really young and developing," Scully said.

"They're going to be a good team in the next couple of years."

While he hasn't officially spoken to the club yet, he said a meeting was planned for later in the week.

It will be one of the few draft camp activities Scully can participate in, given a knee injury - which saw the Dandenong Stingrays star miss last Friday's under-18s TAC Cup grand final - will take at least another month to heal.

Sheehan said overall, he was pleased with the talent coming through, particularly in the forwards.

"Up front I think it's as good as any year, down the back you'll have to dig for the gems that will be there," he said.

Sheehan also singled out West Australian Kane Lucas as being another face to watch.

The East Fremantle midfielder said he was "stoked" with his agility test performance but was nervous ahead of Thursday's kicking test, a new addition to the draft program.

"WA have tried it a few times and it's been a bit tough," Lucas said.

"If you can keep your nerves and just do your natural kicking style, you'll do really well."

The 18-year-old Collingwood fan said he was prepared to move should an interstate team express interest.

"I'm open-minded, obviously staying at home would be easier to settle-in, but it's part of football," he said.

"Being a WA boy there's a two in 16 chance that you're going to stay at home so you get your head around it pretty soon."

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