Western Australia AFL Draft prospect Tom Brown has been compared to West Coast key defender Reuben Ginbey off the back of an eye-catching run at this year's U18s National Championships.
Brown, a product of Claremont and Swanbourne, was a solid contributor across the defensive end for WA as the state managed two wins and as many defeats at this year's carnival.
The 188cm stopper flexed his intercepting ability in WA's second game of the championships against Vic Metro, coming away with seven marks and seven intercept possessions in the loss.
Brown has been highlighted as one of WA's most impressive players, with Craft of the Draft's Mitch Keating naming the medium-sized backman as his 'big riser' from the Black Swans' carnival.
"He's that nice medium-sized defender who can clean up on the deck, and then there's what we saw (in the Vic Metro game) was his aerial prowess," Keating said on this week's episode.
"He's a nice low-ground, high-ground defender, and one I was certainly happy with."
Craft of the Draft analyst Jonty Ralphsmith drew comparisons between Brown and Ginbey, citing their athleticism and dominance in the air, and lauding the teenager's defensive efforts for WA.
"For me, he's Reuben Ginbey 2.0. That's the way I see him," Ralphsmith said.
"He's two centimetres smaller than Reuben Ginbey but a very similar sort of player. Claremont are really high on him. George Gale said he was the player most under the radar and deserved more draft chatter. He represents all of WA's trademarks; he's athletic.
"He probably just doesn't have that counterattacking instinct about him. He's not that attacking sort of player; he's a dour sort of defender. We know Reuben Ginbey has been criticised for his kicking, so there are some comparisons there.
"I'm really intrigued to see what becomes of him. I think if he gets the chance to test at the combine he'll be really, really impressive."
Also on this week's episode of Craft of the Draft, the boys named their MVPs and other standouts for WA, South Australia and the Allies, as well as gave their Larke Medal predictions and debated the best open pool prospect of 2026.
