AFL Draft Profile: Lucas Camporeale

The hard-running wingman is the son of a Carlton gun.

WRITER | November 18, 2024 - 10:25am

Glenelg draft prospect and Carlton father-son nominee Lucas Camporeale is an intelligent wingman with a huge aerobic tank and the ability to rack up disposals.

Following his formal nomination in October, Lucas is set to join his twin Ben as Carlton teammates in 2025, should the Blues select both teenagers under the father-son rule in this year's National Draft.

A left-footed, outside-leaning wingman, Lucas Camporeale is slightly less touted than his powerful, inside midfielder brother Ben. The South Australian-raised 18-year-old is known to be a high-possession accumulator, averaging nearly 21 disposals from four games at the National Championships, including a 29-disposal match against Western Australia, and 25 touches per game for Glenelg in the SANFL U18s.

He also averaged 19 uncontested possessions and 5.3 marks per game at the National Championships, providing overlap for his team across all thirds of the ground.

His ability to run in clever patterns assists his ball accumulation. He often finds himself in strong positions to receive the football from his teammates and can be an outlet to spur on a quick counterattack from the wing or half-back.

Hence, Camporeale's intelligent positioning allows him to be a versatile player. While spending the majority of 2024 on the wing during the National Championships and SANFL, Camporeale has the ability to play across half-back, and has also developed his inside ball-winning craft in the midfield.

His impact across all thirds of the ground also shows potential for the Glenelg product to play as a high forward too, giving Carlton plenty of flexibility with his development.

Camporeale is efficient by foot; however, he lacks the explosiveness his brother possesses, leaving him more prone to being tackled by the opposition. While he is a strong wingman, he lacks the pace other wingmen in the draft class have, relying on his enormous running engine to break lines, likewise to Melbourne's Ed Langdon and Fremantle's Jeremy Sharp.

However, it means the 184cm South Australian can be rushed in his decision-making when tackling pressure is applied, leading to low-percentage options being targeted. Still, he ran with a 90% disposal efficiency in the SANFL U18s this year.

Due to his father-son ties, Lucas is likely to slip to Carlton's final pick in the National Draft, or potentially even be taken in the Rookie Draft. It's not uncommon for less-touted father-son picks to be walked to the Rookie Draft, as Melbourne's Kynan Brown was in 2023.