South Fremantle 2016 AFL Draft Preview

THE 2016 NAB AFL Draft takes place this Friday in Sydney and there's every chance South Fremantle products will feature heavily in proceedings.

South Fremantle had 11 players that it has produced listed with AFL clubs in 2016 with Kade Stewart (Hawthorn), Callum Ah Chee (Gold Coast), Billy Frampton (Port Adelaide), Jarrod Pickett (Carlton), Cam McCarthy (Fremantle), Brendon Ah Chee (Port Adelaide), Shane Kersten (Fremantle), Ben Newton (Melbourne) and Brandon Matera (Gold Coast) to again feature in 2017.

But following Friday's National Draft to be held in Sydney there is set to be several more Bulldogs players entering the AFL.

While ruckman Tim English and exciting forward Shai Bolton appear certain to be drafted, Chad Pearson, Jimmy Miller, Tyson Pickett and Marlion Pickett are expected to be considered.

On top of that, it wouldn’t surprise to see any of Mason Shaw, Dylan Main or Blaine Johnson receive their second chances in the AFL after returning to the WAFL with South Fremantle in 2016.

English emerged throughout 2016 has perhaps the most exciting ruck prospect in the country for this year's draft and as a result the 19-year-old from Brookton-Pingelly looks set to be a top 10 selection on Friday.

The 203cm ruckman ended up playing nine colts matches with South Fremantle in 2016, six in the reserves and then made his league debut in Round 23 against Perth at Lathlain Park. That was on top of some standout performances for the WA State 18s team.

It wasn’t just the games he played though. It was the fact that despite standing 203cm tall and proving a good tap ruckman, English showed outstanding mobility and skills around the ground that defied his size to allow him to be a virtual extra midfielder.

That is what has the AFL world so excited about his potential and why he could end up not just being a top 10 draft pick, but potentially even top five or top three come Friday afternoon in Sydney.

Bolton is also a potential first round draft selection with the excitement machine delivering an outstanding 2016 kicking 37 goals in 15 colts matches with the Bulldogs.

On top of that he played for WA in the State 18s while also being named to the WAFL Colts Team of the Year.

He also won South Fremantle's Len Gilchrist Award as the leading goalkicker, Terry Dean Award as the most consistent player and the Player of the Finals Award.

Pearson put himself into draft calculations with a strong season in the colts for South Fremantle. The 18-year-old from Bull Creek-Leeming is a good size at 191cm and had a strong 2016 campaign averaging 14.6 possessions a game in his 20 colts appearances.

Pearson was also part of the WA State 18s squad during 2016 and was named to the WAFL Colts Team of the Year.

Miller is another who emerged during 2016 for the Bulldogs as a key forward. He proved a strong marking target in attack and kicked 22 goals from his 16 colts matches.

The 19-year-old from Exmouth was also part of the WA State 18s set up throughout the year while also named to the WAFL Colts Team of the Year.

Tyson Pickett arrived at South Fremantle late in 2015 finishing the season in the colts before stepping up to the reserves to start 2016. He played 19 goals in 12 matches before earning his league debut in NAIDOC Round against Claremont at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

The 18-year-old originally from York went on to finish the rest of the season with South Fremantle's league side playing 10 matches and kicking seven goals. He also held his spots for the finals against West Perth, Subiaco and South Fremantle.

Having shown he is capable of playing well at senior level, the 18-year-old could very well be seen as an exciting prospect for AFL clubs.

Tyson's older brother Marlion Pickett had another standout season for South Fremantle in 2016 to put him right in the mix to be a mature-aged pick up.

He arrived at South Fremantle late in 2013 showing some standout form late in the season before having a solid 2014 trying to find a role that would suit him best. That happened in 2015 with the arrival of Todd Curley as coach when he shifted into defence.

His last two years in the back-line have been nothing short of brilliant with the 24-year-old finishing third and second in WJ Hughes Medal voting while also representing Western Australia in each of the last two seasons.

He would be a readymade AFL player for any club willing to take the chance.

Shaw left South Fremantle for the AFL after kicking five goals in the 2012 colts premiership victory. Following three injury-interrupted seasons with Port Adelaide, he returned to the Bulldogs and had a tremendous season.

Shaw proved himself a strong marking target in attack and ended up kicking 51 goals including three hauls of five.

Johnson did make his WAFL league debut in 2013 prior to being drafted to Carlton. After seven games in his two years at the Blues, Johnson returned to South Fremantle and despite some nagging hamstring troubles and a one-week suspension, had a significant impact.

The small forward showed he was made for the big occasions kicking goals when they mattered most through the season. He ended up booting 35 goals including five in Round 10 against Swan Districts at Steel Blue Oval.

Main wasn’t able to breakthrough for an AFL debut in his two years with West Coast after being drafted in 2013. He made his WAFL debut with East Perth and played 18 games over the past two seasons, but his first league appearance for South Fremantle came in Round 1 this year.

After struggling to find his role in the first half of the season, Main went back to the reserves and played such dominant football in the midfield that he commanded a recall.

Then once he got back in the line-up in Round 20, he was played as an inside midfielder and would average 26.8 possessions over the next five games to show just the type of strong football he is capable of and will look to build on in 2017.

Any players not selected in Friday's National Draft, will have another opportunity in Monday's Rookie Draft.