Tyson Bradley heard the critiques midway through the year.
He would hardly lose a one-on-one contest, intercept strongly and provide a calm head in the backline week after week.
But questions persisted over his athleticism. 'How will he go against quicker forwards?'
So Bradley got to work.
"I think the positioning side of defending is big and helped me, but I thought if I could combine that (with athleticism) I'd go really well against the best in Australia at AFL level," Bradley told Zero Hanger.
"It's little things, and it's hard to do in-season, but there were things I was doing in the gym and off-legs conditioning was big for me, and as we finished the season, I've gotten into the gym and focused on my speed."
The results at the National Combine were impressive.
He broke the coveted eight-second barrier in the AFL Agility test, ran a personal best time in the two-kilometre time trial and leapt well.
The key defender also took another step forward late in the year, having set himself a strong baseline, with successful matchups on Sam Gayfer and Wil Malady, the two best marking forwards in the draft class, in the Talent League finals, an excellent footnote to a sterling campaign.
Bradley has regularly matched up on Malady at different levels, and his ability to go with the athletic hybrid forward has been a big tick given he's the profile of player that critics worried could stretch Bradley.
"We know each other pretty well," Bradley said of Malady.
"I know how he's going to play. He's a great runner and really athletic and quick, so that's something I notice as his strengths. We don't talk a whole lot; we're serious on the field and get our work done.
"I think (beating athletic opponents) is through positioning. I've done a lot of work on that, and that comes with the vision I watch.
"My positioning allows me to play on a variety of players, and it's important on athletic players to stop their leads."
Bradley's grandad Mark Bradley, played 43 games for Footscray in the 1960s and has hardly missed one of Tyson's games.
The teenager is a voracious vision-watcher and reviewer of his performances and takes an interest in the mindset side of footy with an eye on studying psychology in the future.
Mitch Harris and Clancy Snell were the big two key defenders for much of the first half of the year, before Bradley made it a big three with his big Under-18s Championships skyrocketing his stock as he used his imposing size to his advantage and became much more physical.
"I think about footy as much as I can and enjoy the in-depth views of it, so I do watch a fair bit of vision, and going into each week, I review my game for the first day or two, then move on to the next one and then will look at my opponent for that week a little bit but also try and focus on myself," Bradley said.
"I get a rough guide of what they're going to do, but just back myself in. I'm usually harsh on myself to get the best out of myself. I want to be the best I can, so when I'm not training, I always want to get better, so that's an easy way for me to keep thinking about the game and showing my IQ and those things."
His Talent League coach Rob Harding highlighted the growth in his agility and ability to cut angles, which has allowed him to match up on dynamic forwards - but was most pleased by his ability to counterpunch with the footy.
"The things I really loved about his Nationals games were his composure with ball in hand, he showed a bit more of the offensive side," Harding said on Zero Hanger's Craft of the Draft.
"He showed a bit more of the offensive side; he reads the game well, he sets up the ground well, he understands the game well. He's a highly intelligent young man.
"I've likened him to Harris Andrews to clubs. He's going to be that leader who sets up the ground well."
ROB HARDING ON SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS TOP PROSPECTS
Bradley's size and work ethic give cause for optimism he could impact earlier in his AFL career than most key-position talent, and he has enjoyed watching the rise of Harry Dean in his first year at AFL level.
"I think it does," Bradley said.
"Seeing someone show you how it's done is definitely something I look up to, and hopefully I can do something similar next year. I think I can.
"I back my preparation and in an AFL environment, having that support to get better, I think Round 1 and a full season is definitely a possibility."
