AFL Talent Ambassador Kevin ‘Shifter’ Sheehan has spoken on three tall defenders that have impressed him in 2021.
The AFL National Draft will be held over two nights and is less than a month away on November 24 and 25.
The rookie and pre-season drafts will be held on November 26.
The 2021 drafts are sure to be different for recruiters, with many Victorians in particular playing little footy this year, and Sheehan was impressed by a couple of mature-age recruits amongst other draftee hopefuls.
Josh Gibcus
GWV Rebels, NAB League / Eastpoint FC / St. Pat’s College State: Victoria (Country) Height: 196cm Weight: 87kg Date of Birth: 04/04/03
Sheehan says: “One that I want to talk about is Josh Gibcus, who plays very much like Jake Lever,” he told SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“He’s a similar type at the same age, his size is 196 cm, he’s up at Ballarat and plays for the Rebels up there in the NAB league.
“He stepped right up for a couple of rep games this year, and that really caught the eyes of all the scouts.
“The first time was when a national group, an Under 18 group was thrown together to play Geelong’s VFL side … he stood up against the big bodies.
“He stood up in that, then he stood up again when he played a representative match for Vic Country against Vic Metro, he stood on Sam Darcy for a while that game.
“(Darcy) is a highly promising forward, well Josh Gibcus was able to match it with him.
Leek Aleer
Central Districts, SANFL State: South Australia Height: 195cm Weight: 81kg Date of Birth: 21/08/01
Sheehan says: “This boy turned 20 during the year and then was switched from the ruck and the forward (roles) he played as a junior at Central Districts, and they threw him to centre half-back.
“This boy’s had a wonderful back half of the year.
“Then at our testing session over in Adelaide, he’s broken Nic Naitanui’s record of 102 cm (for the running vertical jump), he’s gone to 107 cm.
“He’s got an absolutely magnificent spring that made him a great intercept marker, playing there in the SANFL this year.
“He’s rocketed into contention based on his senior year, the senior full year that kids in Victoria couldn’t have.
Charlie Dean
Williamstown, VFL / Sandringham Dragons, NAB League / Collegians, VAFA State: Victoria (Metro) Height: 195cm Weight: 86kg Date of Birth: 19/06/01
Sheehan says: “In his 20th year also, he had those nine games that most of the VFL boys got, but he did enough to star across half-back.
“We’ve seen him as a junior at Sandringham Dragons, but his marking is sensational and he can sneak to the other end as well and play as a forward.
“He’s really started to mature in his 20th year.
“He won an award that really has been a great lead to mature-age players (doing well in the AFL), it’s that Fothergill-Brown-Mitchell Medal … Luke Ryan’s won that, Bayley Fritsch has won that, so they normally step up and do pretty well.
“So he’s regarded as the most promising player in the VFL in Charlie Dean.”