Sandringham Dragons defender Ollie Murphy is a damaging presence down back given his elite aerial ability and equally efficient skillset with the ball at his disposal.
While he stands at 200cm, Murphy can offer run and clean ball use out of the defensive arc while manning up on the opposition's most lethal tall forward.
Murphy entered this year's National Championships with plenty of upside and delivered in spades, taking out Vic Metro's MVP title as his side's best performer over their four matches in the carnival.
There he would average 11.3 disposals, 4.5 marks, 4.0 rebound 50s and 4.0 contested possessions per game to land a spot in the U18 ALl-Australian side alongside top-rated backmen and fellow MVP winners Dan Curtin and Connor O'Sullivan from Western Australia and the Allies respectively.
The East Brighton junior would also take the full-back role in the Talent League Team of the Year after a pivotal campaign in Sandringham's premiership-winning season, where his numbers and impact reached similar levels to his efforts on the national stage.
For a player of his height, Murphy's disposal efficiency and cleanliness below his feet will excite AFL scouts, while his leaping, aerial capacity and close-out ability is up there with the best key defenders.
A passionate Saints fan from the local area, Murphy could call Moorabbin home given the Saints' pair of first-round picks, with the tall backman a strong chance to land in the opening round of the draft.
The Saints have Picks 13 and 21, while North Melbourne (Picks 15, 17+18) and Collingwood (Pick 19) also hold selections in Murphy's range and would be keen on adding height to their rearguard.
Taller than most key defenders in the AFL, Murphy could be viewed as a bigger Jordan Ridley or Brennan Cox given his ability to shut down the opposition with his intercepting and also move the ball by foot with accuracy.
Position: Key Defender
Height: 200cm
Weight: 85kg
State: Victoria
Club: East Brighton
Strengths
Aerial Threat
Composure
Ball Use
Ground-Level Skills
Draft Range
Pick 12-20
Potential Landing Spots
St Kilda (Pick 13+21)
North Melbourne (Picks 15, 17+18)
Collingwood (Pick 19)
AFL Comparison
Expert comments
"Ollie Murphy was probably [Vic Metro's] most solid player across the four games. The talls are really impressive, Ollie Murphy took out the MVP award, just has great upside." - Michael Alvaroย
