2015 AFL draft prospects: Riley Bonner

Name: Riley Bonner

Position: Utility

DOB: 07/03/1997

Height: 191cm

Weight: 80kg

Draft range: 20-30

Pub summary: Highly skilled utility who does his best work behind the ball setting up play.

Strengths

• Foot skills
• Versatility
• Run and carry
• Vision

Weaknesses

• Defending

Overall

Riley Bonner is a talented left footer who has the tools to become a very good AFL player.

Bonner’s strengths are obvious. His foot skills are elite, he runs the ball for his team and often uses his vision to effectively pick out the right option and hit a teammate lace out. His play is eye catching, but there are some weaknesses too that clubs will be considering.

Positionally, Bonner is a defender, however, it is rare to have watched him in a game and come away with an impression that he has defended really well. If Bonner can add a more defensive aspect to his game through intercept marking or general positioning he’ll be a very exciting young player.

Deciding where Bonner will get drafted is a bit of a challenge, those that see him developing into a good sized midfielder have him going as high as pick 15, I think he’ll develop into a taller, more skilled version of a Jason Gram in that he will spend the bulk of his time on the half back line as an offensive weapon. For this reason I see him getting selected more around the pick 20-25 mark in the draft.

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