Archie Hill is one to watch as the Allies kick off their under-18 national championships campaign against Vic Country on Sunday.
The Gold Coast Academy prospect marked his VFL debut on Saturday with 25 disposals and two goals, which earned him four coaches votes as the Suns defeated cross-town rival Brisbane.
The performance came after 28 disposals in an Allies trial game a week earlier, with Hill eye-catching on the wing and at half-back.
"It was kind of unexpected," Hill told Zero Hanger when asked about his VFL debut.
"I was expecting to have a week off and relax before hopefully a big Allies campaign, but an opportunity came up with some injuries and some form, and I found out Thursday morning. I was just super excited, obviously a Q-Clash as well."
Hill showcased exactly what has Gold Coast Academy coaches so excited: his elite running capacity, sharp ball use, and an ability to work into space and punish teams with pace.
"I feel like I just played my role really well," he said.
"I knew what I was doing. I feel like I had a really good display of my running capacity and just provided some good run and created some space for the team."
What stood out beyond the numbers was how naturally Hill adapted to the step up to the VFL.
"It was unreal. I found it easier (than under-18s) in a way," he said.
“I felt like I was running to the good spots and they were giving to me, whereas sometimes at under-18s level, teams struggle to execute and they won't trust you as much. The boys on the field trusted my running capabilities and the space I made."
It is that endurance Gold Coast Academy coach Jarrod Cotton highlights when he describes what makes Hill special.
"His running capacity is elite — he can get up and down the ground, his contested ball has really improved," Cotton told Zero Hanger.
"He's got a great changing of gears as well. I've talked to him about playing like Touk Miller. If you can work hard to help out defensively but then be a weapon going back the other way with the speed of transition and ball movement, you're in a good position.
“He's able to stay in a chain, get hard forward and test an opposition out."
The Miller comparison isn't lost on Hill, who lists the Suns star among his key influences.
"Touk Miller - huge fan of what he does, just how hard he works and how hard he runs. It's a credit to him. He's a great player," Hill said.
"And then Ollie Dempsey's one I really try and base my game off. I probably don't have the leaps like Ollie Dempsey, but the running power and the goal sense — that's something I've been really trying to implement."
That licence to run and create was something Cotton has actively encouraged, having deployed Hill in a Dempsey-type role through the Talent League season — running hard back and forward, and increasingly becoming a scoring threat from outside.
For Hill, the VFL game was a platform built on years of foundation work through the Suns Academy, a program he credits deeply.
"I wouldn't be the player I am without them," he said simply.
"It's a really great high performance environment and everyone's great mates, we're all trying to get better together and grow. They've got some really good coaches that look after you — and some good players that have graduated to AFL level. So it just shows that it actually works."
He has watched those players closely. Suns Academy graduates Zeke Uwland and Beau Addinsall both navigated the pathway Hill is walking now.
Even Jai Murray, who debuted on Saturday proved that the the national championships are not the only path to the top level, given he missed the series with injury.
"It's just about your moments. You could have a good quarter or a good game and that can really set you up and get you drafted,” Hill noted.
“It's just about taking your moments and really enjoying every moment."
Hill is doing all of this while juggling part-time university — he is studying architecture, a nod to a lifelong passion for drawing and design — and navigating three different team environments simultaneously in the Suns Academy, the Allies trials and now the VFL.
"I think it's just going back to what I'm good at," he said. "Obviously I'm playing all these teams for a reason — just displaying my weapons as best as possible. That's just my running capability, my power and my endurance. Whatever position, whatever team that is."
Hill has proven adaptable across different positions and the VFL outing gave him a surge of self-belief.
"Obviously it gives you a good confidence boost against the bigger bodied men," he said.
"But it all just comes down to the work I do out during the week. My last four weeks in the (Talent) League have been pretty strong. It just goes down to what I do every day, just to best prepare myself for the game of the weekend.
"It's an absolute privilege to represent the Allies and play against the best in the country," he said.
"You never know when your last game could be for them — or you could play all four. So it's just about taking the opportunity and playing as best as you can and giving everything you've got."
No one is going to hand him anything. By now, he wouldn't have it any other way.
