AFL coaching icon Mark Williams has placed significant importance over contest work, kicking, running and footy smarts as pivotal to players' draft chances.
Williams recently departed Melbourne as the head of development, which followed powerful stints at Richmond, GWS and Port Adelaide.
But with a strong experience in the development game, he has explained why the aforementioned attributes are crucial to a young player's prospects.
Williams declared that the ability to win contests are favourable to scouts.
"You have to be elite at one-on one. You have to be able to beat someone, you have to know how to win at contest," he said on SEN.
The 67-year-old insisted that football smarts is a key component to a player's skillset, which entails the ability to consume a coach's game plan and implement it on match day.
"You need to be smart as a footballer. You need to be able to read the game, you need to be able to understand the game plan, and you need to be making good decisions all the time," he added.
"A great coach will put people in those positions so that they get the opportunity to practice their decision making at training.
"Practice a lot of times, because in a game, it's so fluid and so unpredictable that you have to be able to read what's going on and you have to be able to react to it very quickly. The best players can do it."
And there's no surprise kicking and running are among the top qualities, according to the 2004 premiership coach.
"You have to be a great kick, so you have to keep working on that," Williams said.
"You have to be an elite runner. Whether it is distance, speed or both, you can't be average anymore - you just won't get a go.
"That means getting up early and going for a run. Don't be too precise about it, just get out and do it, and do it, and do it. You'll really improve."
The 2025 AFL Draft is set for November 19-21.
