A fourth Duursma is poised to officially join the AFL ranks next month.<\/p>\n
And according to most recruiters \u2013 and several of his peers \u2013 Willem Duursma is at the top of this year\u2019s pool just over one month before the draft.<\/p>\n
Although the gap between Duursma and Calder Cannons star Cooper Duff-Tytler isn\u2019t that big.<\/p>\n
Watch every match of the 2025 NAB AFL Women\u2019s Season LIVE ad-break free during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.<\/p>\n While the No. 1 draft selection is just a number \u2013 punctuated by the fact that three-time top-three Brownlow finisher Nick Daicos slipped to Pick 4 and arrived at Collingwood as a ready-made AFL player \u2013 there\u2019s a level of prestige and pressure that comes with being the first draftee picked.<\/p>\n Past No. 1 selections Luke Hodge, Brendon Goddard, Adam Cooney, Brett Deledio, Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs retired with stacked CVs that included at least 250 games, while Daicos and Sam Walsh are recent examples of top draftees that can have an immediate impact. Others like Cam Rayner, Aaron Cadman and Jason Horne-Francis took a bit longer to show their wares at AFL level.<\/p>\n In more recent years, Harley Reid and Sam Lalor have shown explosive, promising signs upon being unleashed.<\/p>\n Club recruiters and draft pundits have studied the 2025 field over several years. But foxfooty.com.au asked 17 players in this year\u2019s draft class which player they\u2019d take at Pick 1.<\/p>\n Seven of them, including Oakleigh Chargers on-baller Sam Grlj, said Duursma \u2013 a silky utility with an elite kick, great lateral movement and the versatility to play in multiple positions on the field, which has seen him draw comparisons with dual All-Australian Brendon Goddard.<\/p>\n Willem Duursma is being tipped by most of his peers as the No.1 pick.Source: Herald Sun<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s pretty clear-cut now. I think it\u2019s Willem Duursma,\u201d Grlj told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just played some really good footy this year, he\u2019s a really quality player with some really good attributes and can play anywhere on the ground \u2013 I think that\u2019s something that\u2019s really exciting. He\u2019s 190cm and moves really well, so I think he\u2019ll be a real player.\u201d<\/p>\n Eastern Ranges bolter Sullivan Robey, who lined up on Duursma in his first Coates Talent League match, said the Gippsland Power star had \u201call the skillsets you need\u201d in an AFL player and predicted he\u2019d \u201chave a 300-game career\u201d. West Perth utility Jacob Farrow said Duursma had been \u201cso consistent over these last few years and also shown what he can do at all levels\u201d.<\/p>\n Murray Bushrangers defender and Carlton father-son prospect Harry Dean, who played alongside Duursma for Vic Country during the national champs, said Duursma \u201ccould fit in anywhere\u201d on the field.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a genuine utility. Like he plays midfield, forward, back line \u2013 he can just play anywhere, which is what a club could use. If he doesn\u2019t go well in the forward line, you can move into the midfield or back,\u201d Dean told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n Curnow insists no bad blood with Voss | 01:33<\/p>\n Gold Coast academy star Zeke Uwland said Duursma was \u201csuch a dynamic player\u201d, while Brisbane academy midfielder Daniel Annable lauded Duursma\u2019s ability to stand up in big games.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s played some great finals games this year, very consistent and has those long levers and moves around the ground. He\u2019s very versatile, a great prospect,\u201d Annable told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n Suns academy gun Dylan Patterson dubbed Duursma \u201can athletic freak\u201d, adding: \u201cSometimes you just need someone like that to be entertaining, be able to do some crazy things \u2014 and he\u2019s the type of person who can do some crazy things.\u201d<\/p>\n Most industry sources believe Duursma is a hot chance to go at Pick 1 to the West Coast Eagles on draft night.<\/p>\n Asked about the prospect of being taken with the first selection, Duursma told foxfooty.com.au: \u201cObviously it would be really nice to go Pick 1 and have that accolade. But to be fair, to me at the end of the day as a person, I don\u2019t really care too much about it. All I really care about is just get the opportunity to be in a club and just show what I\u2019m about.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean it\u2019d be nice to do that and be Pick 1, but not a necessity for me and not too fazed by it.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Duursma\u2019s choice, he couldn\u2019t split Duff-Tytler and Larke Medallist Dyson Sharp, with both players also popular choices among their peers interviewed.<\/p>\n Dyson Sharp poses during the Telstra AFL Draft Combine.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cTwo unreal players, so they\u2019ve certainly put their claim out to that with big years,\u201d Duursma said.<\/p>\n \u201cDyson\u2019s competitiveness definitely stands out. Yeah you could make the argument that you\u2019ll find players like Dyson in pretty much any draft, but you can\u2019t find anyone as competitive as him, I don\u2019t think.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Duff\u2019, I think his ceiling is really high. If you\u2019re going to draft him on his potential, he could be something really special.\u201d<\/p>\n Gun midfielder Sharp, who led his state to an undefeated national championships triumph, had strong support from fellow South Australians Aidan Schubert and Louis Kellaway.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way he leads the group \u2013 I got to experience that first-hand for a couple of years now at Central Districts and the state program \u2013 he\u2019s an awesome leader, an awesome player,\u201d Schubert told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n \u201cWinning the Larke Medal, that should not be understated. I feel like that\u2019s gone under the bridge a little bit, but that was massive.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing through the ranks, at times it was like: \u2018He\u2019s not human! How does he keep performing under all these expectations?\u2019 I really admire what he does and he\u2019s a great player.\u201d<\/p>\n Merrett’s bid to join Hawks fails | 01:28<\/p>\n Kellaway added: \u201cHe\u2019s an unbelievable player, great work ethic, energy, enthusiasm. He\u2019s a great leader and one of the toughest opponents I\u2019ve played against myself.<\/p>\n \u201cYou think he\u2019s got a weakness, but he doesn\u2019t really have any. He gets to contests, he gets around the ground, he uses the ball well \u2013 he does it all.\u201d<\/p>\n Patterson, who couldn\u2019t split Sharp and Duursma as his Pick 1 choice, said Sharp was someone who \u201cyou know what you\u2019re going to get\u201d.<\/p>\n Duff-Tytler had support from fellow Victorian key forward Archie Ludowyke, who\u2019s played with and against Duff-Tytler at various levels since Under 16s.<\/p>\n \u201cThe versatility, he\u2019s got a nice kick, good grab, he can run really well with great endurance, he\u2019s just clean below his knees. Every aspect, you don\u2019t really find many 204cm players as good as him,\u201d Ludowyke told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n Calder Cannons ball magnet Adam Sweid didn\u2019t even hesitate when asked who he\u2019d take with Pick 1.<\/p>\n \u201cCooper Duff-Tytler. He\u2019s such a special talent, he\u2019s such a special human, like such a great bloke,\u201d Sweid told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n Cooper Duff-Tytler poses during the Telstra AFL Draft Combine.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cHe runs better than a midfielder at times, he\u2019s cleaner than midfielders \u2013 and he\u2019s six-foot eight. He can do things that not many tall players can do.\u201d<\/p>\n Eastern Ranges small forward Lachy Dovaston described Duff-Tytler as \u201ca midfielder who plays ruck but can also play forward\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAt Metro and even in his VFL game, he showed he can play out of the square and take some good marks and kick some goals. He\u2019s a bit of an all-rounder,\u201d Dovaston told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n For what it\u2019s worth, Duff-Tytler said: \u201cI\u2019d back myself in (to go Pick 1), but if I had to pick someone I\u2019d say Willem Duursma. He\u2019s versatile and had a great season.\u201d<\/p>\n Outside of Duursma, Sharp and Duff-Tytler, there was some love for Daniel Annable \u2013 the Brisbane Lions academy on-baller who could attract a top-five bid on draft night.<\/p>\n \u201cJust his professionalism and the way he goes about it, he\u2019s a real pro,\u201d North Adelaide on-baller Sam Cumming told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n Ross Lyon coy on Aleer backflip | 03:06<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a real leader and it looks like he just works his arse off with everything he does.\u201d<\/p>\n Cumming\u2019s South Australian teammate Jevan Phillipou took a similar approach to older brother Mattaes to the Pick 1 question.<\/p>\n Asked three years ago which player he\u2019d take if he had Pick 1, Mattaes Phillipou told <\/a>foxfooty.com.au<\/a>: \u201cI think I\u2018d have to say myself, just because I think if you\u2019re not going to back yourself, you probably don\u2019t have the confidence required to play in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked at last month\u2019s draft combine which player he\u2019d take if he had Pick 1, Jevan Phillipou told foxfooty.com.au: \u201cI\u2019d pick myself. That\u2019s not arrogance, that\u2019s just confidence in my abilities.<\/p>\n \u201cI would take myself, just because of my all-round athleticism and my dual-sided kicking. I\u2019ve got really good skills and I\u2019ve got smarts as well \u2026 I feel like I can be utilised straight away. I\u2019m very versatile.\u201d<\/p>\n Swans academy prospect Max King was non-committal on his Pick 1 contender nomination.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, I don\u2019t really know. I don\u2019t really care who goes Pick 1, because as soon as you step in the next day at an AFL club no one really cares what pick you went, you\u2019re all on the same playing field,\u201d King told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n FINAL TALLY: WHICH PLAYER 2025 DRAFT PROSPECTS WOULD TAKE AT PICK 1 (of 17)<\/p>\n Willem Duursma: 7.5<\/p>\n Cooper Duff-Tytler: 3.5<\/p>\n Dyson Sharp: 3<\/p>\n Daniel Annable: 1<\/p>\n Jevan Phillipou: 1<\/p>\n Unsure: 1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A fourth Duursma is poised to officially join the AFL ranks next month. And according to most recruiters…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":221189,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[2534,134637,134628,77600,3484,638,134630,64,63,689,55,134627,639,54608,3423,25547,80091,80120,3478,134626,3526,1129,15689,3416,3434,134629,14385,3429,120008,3451,134625,3476,3460,112376,25551,3420,81567,2536,25536,134635,3417,12106,3415,39780,26512,134636,3502,134634,3440,134624,61822,3504,3436,677,68832,134633,134638,3519,1138,1124,134632,63405,85,134631,33317,134623,134622,134639,3485,133829,3414,3439,21380],"class_list":["post-221188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-aaron-cadman","tag-academy-midfielder","tag-academy-on-baller","tag-adam-cooney","tag-adam-sweid","tag-afl","tag-athletic-freak","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australian-teammate","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-ball-magnet","tag-ben-waterworth","tag-blockbuster-trade","tag-brendon-goddard","tag-brett-deledio","tag-brisbane-lions-academy","tag-bryce-gibbs","tag-calder-cannons","tag-charlie-curnow","tag-club-recruiters","tag-coates-talent-league","tag-cooper-duff-tytler","tag-crazy-things","tag-damien-hardwick","tag-daniel-annable","tag-draft-combine","tag-dylan-patterson","tag-dynamic-player","tag-dyson-sharp","tag-elite-kick","tag-final-tally","tag-finals-games","tag-gippsland-power","tag-gun-midfielder","tag-harry-dean","tag-heaps-praise","tag-industry-sources","tag-jacob-farrow","tag-jason-horne-francis","tag-lateral-movement","tag-louis-kellaway","tag-luke-hodge","tag-marc-murphy","tag-max-king","tag-mock-orders","tag-multiple-positions","tag-national-championships-triumph","tag-nick-daicos","tag-north-adelaide","tag-oakleigh-chargers","tag-oceania","tag-quality-player","tag-real-leader","tag-real-player","tag-sam-cumming","tag-sam-walsh","tag-south-australia","tag-special-human","tag-special-talent","tag-sports","tag-suns-academy-gun","tag-swans-academy","tag-team-colours","tag-three-time-top-three","tag-top-five-bid","tag-vic-country","tag-voss","tag-west-perth","tag-western-australia","tag-work-ethic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}