Round 1 debut looms large for ‘powerful’ draft star; Saints take cautious approach with Clark: AFL Track Watch

A top-10 draftee’s bid for a Round 1 AFL debut continues to gather momentum.

But there are injury concerns at Melbourne, while St Kilda is taking a cautious approach with a star.

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SANDERS’ STAR RISES

A Round 1 AFL debut for young ball magnet Ryley Sanders continues to gather momentum, with the top Western Bulldogs draftee leaving his teammates mightily impressed.

After the Bulldogs traded up the draft order during last year’s AFL exchange period, they ultimately selected Sanders – the 2023 Larke Medallist as the best player of the national Under 18 championships – with Pick 6.

The Launceston product has made an immediate impression since landing at Whitten Oval, showing off his professionalism, composure in tight and natural ball-winning ability.

Teammate Bailey Dale said it “wouldn’t surprise me at all” to see Sanders in the Bulldogs’ Round 1 clash against Melbourne.

“His first session, he’s come in and gone straight in the midfield and I reckon he would’ve had about 20 touches in about 15 minutes,” Dale told reporters.

“He’s just got so much power. He’s a good user of the footy and he’s going to really add to our blend in the midfield.

“I think he’s putting his best foot forward. There’s plenty of spots up for grabs this early part of the season, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s in our starting line-up.

“He’s just going to grow every game he plays this year. I think he’s going to play a fair few.”

Fellow midfielder Jack Macrae on Wednesday trained away from the main group as he continues to recover, while Alex Keath and recent draftees Aiden O’Driscoll and Jordan Croft also didn’t take part in match simulation. from hamstring awareness but is expected to be available for the Dogs’ first practice against Hawthorn on February 23.

SAINTS TAKE ‘PRECAUTIONARY APPROACH’ AFTER CLARK KNOCK

St Kilda veteran Seb Ross said his club took a “precautionary approach” after defender Hunter Clark suffered was assisted from the field after a case of friendly fire.

9 News Melbourne reported Clark was sent for scans on Wednesday after copping an accidental elbow from teammate Brad Crouch to the face during a tackle at training.

Clark — who’s had a luckless run with injury during his Saints career, including a broken jaw and multiple bouts of concussion — was shown being consoled by teammates inside the club’s Moorabbin headquarters.

“Probably given his history, we’ve probably just played the precautionary approach and getting him off,” Ross told reporters post-training.

It’s a setback amid what has been an impressive pre-season by Clark, who has drawn praise from his teammates.

“‘Hunty’ hasn’t missed a beat this whole pre-season, so to do 75 to 80 per cent of the session today probably means he’s completed 98 per cent of the pre-season,” Ross said.

“Precautionary approach, see how he is inside.”

It comes after Ben Paton was ruled out for three months due to a pectoral tendon rupture, while Daniel Butler (ankle) and Paddy Dow (knee) are on the mend.

Ross said the Saints had learned a lot from their 2023 campaign, which saw them finish inside the top eight but suffer an elimination final exit at the hands of the Giants.

“I think we’re in pretty good shape,” he said.

“Having one year under Ross (Lyon) last year implementing a heap of stuff with a whole new game plan, this year has been pretty seamless for the boys to come back in and only a few things we needed to tinker.

“We’ve really been able to drill down on things we’ve wanted to work on things that probably cost us last year. When you get to finals, you get found out on your flaws – and that certainly happened to us.”

FORWARD DEE-LEMMA LOOMS

Melbourne faces the prospect of being forced to name an undermanned and inexperienced forward line for its AFL season-opener against Sydney.

Emerging star Harrison Petty on Wednesday finished training early due to a toe injury – the opposite foot to the one he’s had recent Lisfranc issues with – while veteran Tom McDonald underwent scans on a calf complaint, per 7 News Melbourne.

Recruit Shane McAdam was also restricted to light duties and trained away from the main group due to a calf issue.

The concerns come with Tom Fullarton (hamstring), Ben Brown (knee), Jake Melksham (knee), Kysaiah Pickett (suspension) having already been ruled out of Opening Round, while swingman Joel Smith remains provisionally suspended due to a positive result to an in-competition doping test last August.

Superstar midfielder Clayton Oliver continued to train away from Melbourne’s main group, but appeared to be in good physical condition and moved well during a session where there was a clear focus on running, building fitness and general ball touch.

Elsewhere, new Demon Jack Billings took part in centre bounce drills with the rest of Melbourne’s midfield, led by Christian Petracca and Jack Viney. Alex Neal-Bullen and Tom Sparrow were also training with the on-ballers.

EMERGING LIONS STAR KEEN TO ‘HOLD HIS OWN’

Brisbane Lions young gun Jaspa Fletcher is confident he can overcome second-year syndrome as he takes the first steps on the long road to premiership redemption following the heartbreak of last season’s Grand Final loss.

A father-son draft selection, the teenage midfielder made 14 appearances in his maiden AFL season after overcoming a back injury that delayed his entry into senior football.

Of the 14 matches, Fletcher was part of a winning team on 11 occasions, but unfortunately for him and the Lions, one of the three defeats was the four-point Grand Final loss to Collingwood in September.

“It was a great experience,” Fletcher said ahead of the Lions’ first intra-club trial of 2024 on Friday at Springfield.

“To run out there on Grand Final day in front of 100,000 people at 19 years old is always a dream come true.

“Obviously, result didn’t go our way. We had our moments, they had their moments and it will be a great reflection of us for this year to strive and go one better.

“You never want to lose a Grand Final, and unfortunately, that happened, but this year we’re going for it again.”

Fletcher is bound to get more attention from opponents this season, but he’s backing himself to improve rather than drop off in his performances as is sometimes the case with young players after a breakout first year.

“You do know that once you’re in the system one year that you’re all on a level playing base now,” the son of former Bears and Lions midfielder Adrian Fletcher said.

“You don’t come in as Round 1 draft pick. You’re an AFL player now, so you’ve really got to hold your own.

“I’m just trying to get as fit as possible. That was my goal coming in to this pre-season.

“Last year, I didn’t get to do it with my back injury, so I’m just trying to get through all the training to make sure my body’s right and learn off the boys.

“We’ve got such a great list, especially for me in the midfield. I’ve got ‘Dunks’ (Josh Dunkley), ‘Hughy’ (Hugh McCluggage), ‘Bez’ (Jarrod Berry), ‘Choc’ (Lachie Neale) and all those of boys to really learn and get a bit of experience from.”

Fletcher, who turns 20 on February 24, hoped to improve on his “inside game” this season.

“Last year, I found myself on the wing and a little bit of half-back through the VFL,” he said.

“To keep working on my body size and my body work at stoppages is definitely a goal of mine, but at the same time, I want to keep working on my strengths on my outside game.

“It’s all about going out there through the intra-club (games) now and just putting it all together.”

— Marco Monteverde, NCA NewsWire