Brandon Leary is quickly becoming an attractive AFL draft prospect at the end of the year after a breakout season with the Tasmania Devils in the VFL.
Leary is part of the club's inaugural team in the state-league competition and has impressed throughout the year, with coach Jeromey Webberley noting his past six weeks have been superb.
"I believe he's had a couple of AFL clubs reach out to him," Webberley told Zero Hanger.
"So he's been in some really good form. He's sort of built throughout the year as well. Like, we started him as a small dynamic forward, and he's moved himself up into the midfield over the course of the last six weeks, and he's starting to become a consistent thread through there."
Webberley, who played for Richmond from 2010 to 2012, laid bare some of Leary's attributes that could quickly be applied to AFL football, and how he'd slot straight into the top line for any club that would take a punt on him at the draft.
"I think it's like his speed, power, and vertical leap are top-end. I think he's AFL already in that space, like his ability to swoop on ground balls or take pack marks for his height and win one-on-ones, and then finish is AFL.
"He's got the speed, power, and vertical leap, and athleticism to play AFL footy.
"There's some areas of his game that he needs to continue to tidy up, but I feel like, I think he may be 22 now, but he's just at an age now where he's built on his body. He's now a young man. He's worked on his endurance engine, so he seems ready to go and get that opportunity."
If Leary were to be drafted, he would be the third Devil this year to be pulled from the VFL, following in the footsteps of Max Mapley and Jaxon Artemis in the mid-season draft.
The pair found themselves on AFL lists, with Artemis joining Essendon with Pick 1 and Mapley selected by Melbourne with the final pick in the intake.
"There is probably an element of bittersweet, but at the end of the day, it's a young athlete reaching their childhood dream, and we're super supportive of Brandon, and we hope he gets an opportunity on the mainland to reach his childhood dream, and we wish him all the best," Webberley said.
"He's put an incredible amount of work in, and I think it's like ticking our box around what we're providing here, to reach their childhood dream. So hopefully, that's an attraction point for young aspiring talent to come to our state, or aspiring talent within our state to want to commit to the Devils Footy Club."
Webberley also put Lachy Hay on the agenda as a player to watch as he develops. Hay had brief interest from AFL clubs, and has performed strongly throughout the year.
