Dandenong's Mac Andrew is a versatile key position prospect coming out of Victoria.
The Egyptian-born South Sudanese player is one of the rawest prospects at the top end of the draft. Andrew's potential is also one of the highest. He has an elite level of athleticism with a great vertical leap for his size. This helped him dominate the ruck, with the ability and touch to find teammates. Those clean hands translate to around the ground, being able to mark at the highest point.
His light frame is something that opposition players will be able to exploit. At only 70kg, he will need to add size to his frame to fully realise his potential. It appears that he is already addressing those issues however.
โIโve put on about 10 kilos this year, so Iโm about 80 now,โ Andrew recently told The Age.
โIโm still pretty light, but Melbourne, they gave me a [weights] program to do and I reached out to the nutritionists that theyโve got. The [Dandenong] Stingrays as well, Iโve got a lot of people helping me with it.โ
Andrew is a part of Melbourne's Next Generation Academy (NGA). With the changes to the NGA rules, only players drafted outside the top 20 selections can have their bids matched. After showing significant improvement this season, Andrew has skyrocketed up the draft boards. This means that it is unlikely that Melbourne will not get the opportunity to bid on their star prospect at the National Draft.
In a draft that is light on tall prospects, Andrew finds himself at the top end of the obtainable players in his class. With Sam Darcy going to Western Bulldogs as a father-son selection, Andrew could be the next best target. His ability to play at ground level and in the air makes him one of the most unique prospects.
He is considered a long term project, who is unlikely to have a serious impact in his first few seasons. His draft range will be influenced by whether there are any trades in the top end of the draft. Teams needing tall forwards either now or in the future (Richmond, GWS, Fremantle) would all be considering Andrew in the 2-10 range.
Team:ย Dandenong Stingrays
Position:ย Ruck/Forward
Height: 200cm
Weight: 70kg
Strengths
Versatility
Athleticism
Potential
Weaknesses
Raw
Strength/size
Draft Rangeย
2-10
Potential Landing Spots
Greater Western Sydney (Pick 2), Gold Coast (Pick 3), Fremantle (Pick 6/8), Richmond (Pick 7)
AFL Comparisons
Nic Naitanui
Luke Jackson
Paddy Ryder
Expert Comments
โHeโs a 200cm boy, mobile, terrific mark, can play both ends of the ground and can play in the ruck, heโs an exciting prospect is young Mac Andrews.โ - Kevin Sheehan (SEN)
"What I love about the โBig Macโ is just how competitive he is. He really is a great option. When heโs in the air and the ball is up for grabs he goes for it, and he fights for it at ground level." - Cal Twomey (Sportsday WA).
