Six Bulldogs teenagers and Schloithe grab AFL attention

SIX teenagers from the South Fremantle Football Club and prolific goalkicking midfielder Haiden Schloithe have all been invited to the AFL's State and National Draft Combines putting themselves in prime position to end up being drafted later in 2014.

Out of the 30 WAFL players invited to attend the State and National Draft Combines later this year out of the 96 from across Australia, seven are from the South Fremantle Football Club.

Billy Frampton, Jarrod Garlett, Jermaine Miller-Lewis and Jarrod Pickett will all take part in the NAB AFL Draft Combine at Etihad Stadium from Tuesday September 30 to Friday October 3 while Matthew Ah Siu, Cameron Loersch and Haiden Schloithe will take part in the WA State Combine in Perth on October 12.

Frampton has emerged as one of the brightest ruck prospects in the country with his performances with South Fremantle's colts and WA's State 18s team over the past two years.

The 17-year-old 201cm big man who can play both as a ruckman and key forward and has had a strong 2014 colts season so far with the Bulldogs averaging over 17 possessions and almost 18 hit outs a game.

Garlett is another hugely talented Indigenous footballer produced by South Fremantle and the 18-year-old has now been outstanding with the Bulldogs in the colts for three seasons, played good reserves football this year and been terrific with the WA State 16s and 18s.

He was blooded for a couple of colts matches in 2012 and then was a star performer last year in the team that made a fourth successive grand final.

After this year's State 18s carnival, Garlett has now played three reserves matches to be learning the ropes of playing against men and it wouldn’t surprise to see him make his league debut before the 2014 season is out.

Meanwhile, Miller-Lewis is yet to play in 2014 due to injury but the hugely talented 18-year-old showed so much promise in his 19 colts matches of 2013 plus in his time with the State 16s in 2012 and then the State 18s last year, that he very much still in line to be picked up by an AFL club.

Pickett is expected to be a top five draft prospect later this year and he continues to do everything possible to suggest he is an AFL star of the future.

The 17-year-old might be small at 179cm, but he has all the pace, skill and tricks necessary to be able to make up for that lack of size and be a star at the top level.

Pickett played five colts matches for South Fremantle in 2012 and then 15 last year while also being part of the State 18s team.

He has again played for the State 18s this year as well as playing three colts matches, two in the reserves and then last Saturday he made his league debut for the Bulldogs in the derby win over East Fremantle where he kicked two goals including booting a major with his first kick in senior football.

Ah Siu is another hugely talented teenager with the Bulldogs with the recently turned 18-year-old continuing to prove himself as a strong, tall and big-bodied midfielder or forward.

Last year in the colts, he averaged almost 14 possessions a game and kicked 27 goals, and so far this year with the Bulldogs in the colts he has averaged over 25 disposals a match and kicked 11 goals.

With good size on his side at 195cm and 86kg, and tremendous ability to play as a tall midfielder but to also play as a key forward, he has all the tools to deserve a chance at the next level.

Natural full-forwards are becoming more and more of a rarity in modern football and that's exactly what Loersch provides.

The 203cm, 102kg 18-year-old has emerged throughout 2014 as a full-forward of note in the colts with South Fremantle with the big man having developed himself into someone who can take a good mark, get out on the lead and kick plenty of goals.

Loersch has kicked 52 goals in his 16 colts matches in 2014 for the Bulldogs and if he can continue his development, there's no reason he can't be a future big goalkicker at least at league level for South Fremantle, and possibly even in the AFL.

And Schloithe showed enough good signs in the colts with South Fremantle to end up being rookie-listed by Fremantle where he spent the past two seasons, but he has returned to the Bulldogs in 2014 full-time and been simply outstanding.

As a prolific ball-winning and goalkicking midfielder, the 21-year-old has done everything he can to earn another opportunity at AFL level with his 2014 season so far seeing him average over 24 possessions a game and kick 20 goals.

NATIONAL COMBINE
Billy Frampton (South Fremantle)
Jarrod Garlett (South Fremantle)
Jermaine Miller-Lewis (South Fremantle)
Jarrod Pickett (South Fremantle)

STATE COMBINE
Matthew Ah Siu (South Fremantle)
Cameron Loersch (South Fremantle)
Haiden Schloithe (South Fremantle