Murray Bushrangers tall forward Jack Whitlock is a first-round draft chance who is brimming with upside after a year where he had a heavy contribution on the scoreboard.
Whitlock, the twin brother of fellow AFL Draft prospect Matt, enjoyed a strong season with the Bushrangers in the Talent League to be named at full forward in the Team of the Year.
That accolade followed a 25-goal season for the Shepparton product, who proved to have a dominant marking game to his name thanks to strong hands and a good leap.
Whitlock kicked a goal in 10 of his 12 appearances for Murray, highlighted by a season-opening 4.4 against Tasmania before a year-high five majors against the Western Jets late into the season.
The 200cm talent attempted to grow his ruck game across the year, assisting in the middle and front half to make himself a promising versatile threat.
Whitlock also played in all four games for Vic Country at this year's U18s National Championships, going at a goal per game while averaging 14.8 disposals, 5.0 marks, 1.5 contested marks and 5.8 score involvements per outing.
The shape of this year's draft crop, coupled with Whitlock's prolific year, has the teenager in a position to earn a selection on the opening night of this month's draft, likely in the second half of the first round.
Sydney, GWS and Richmond each hold multiple first-round selections in that range and could be interested in Whitlock, who may earn comparisons to North Melbourne spearhead Nick Larkey or Adelaide youngster Riley Thilthorpe.
Position:ย Key Forward
Height:ย 200cm
State:ย Victoria
Club:ย Shepparton
Strengths
Marking
Scoreboard Impact
Vertical
Consistency
Upside
Draft Range
Pick 15-25
Potential Landing Spots
GWS (Picks 15, 16 and 21)
Richmond (Picks 18, 20, 23 and 24)
Sydney (Picks 19 and 22)
AFL Comparison
Expert Comments
"A wiry tall forward who is super athletic, has good hands out in front and overhead, an excellent ability to read the game and consistently performs at a high level." - Kevin Sheehan
