Colby McKercher could be Tasmania's highest-ever draft pick. Josh Partridge and Ben Hann discuss on a standalone episode of the Pressbox
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00:00 Hello and welcome to a mini-series of the Pro Spox, a four-part mini-series with myself,
00:12 Ben Hand and right next to me Josh Partridge.
00:14 We'll be looking at individual profiles of each of the four Launceston players likely
00:20 to get drafted in this year's AFL Draft.
00:23 Today we're going to be talking about Colby McUrcher, probably the one to go highest in
00:30 this year's AFL Draft.
00:32 Josh, take me through the season that Colby's had because it's been quite something.
00:37 Colby, obviously a fantastic talent.
00:40 I mean, he really came into his own in those National Championship games after being, obviously,
00:46 strong for the Devils.
00:47 But yeah, he really found his feet during the Championship games and actually had a
00:51 foot injury towards the back end of the season which kind of hampered him a bit and he missed
00:55 a little bit of chunk of footy there for the Devils but he was still able to win the Morrish
00:59 medal which is following in Lockie Cowan's footsteps as a Tasmanian to win that award
01:03 last year.
01:04 So that's the best player in the Coats Talent League which is what the Tasmanian Devils
01:08 play in despite I think he only played, was it something like eight games or something
01:11 like that for them?
01:12 So yeah, he's obviously a fantastic talent who's achieved a fair bit this year.
01:17 Yeah, absolutely and he's the sort of player that will bring anything to pretty much every
01:22 midfield in the league but he's the sort of player to get the ball and have that explosive
01:26 power and that pace to rip through contests.
01:29 There's a famous footage of him at North Hobart Oval just tearing past defenders with fend-offs
01:35 and finishing it off, I think with a goal, was it?
01:39 Just a sensational piece of play and that brings us on to the first of two little segments
01:45 that we're going to be doing.
01:46 This is a player that he reminds you of in the AFL, that's a current or a former player.
01:53 Now we have come together on one and we're not trying to set him up for failure but it's
01:57 pretty ambitious.
01:58 Yeah, yeah, you've come up with this.
02:01 This was one that I was kind of struggling because Colby, he's got this real big burst
02:05 of speed and he's also really composed and I couldn't really think of someone that that
02:09 really likens to within the current day but Ben you had a really big one that you were
02:15 going to compare him to.
02:16 Well, yeah, as I said, no promises that he'll turn into the same player obviously but Chris
02:22 Judd was the first player that came to mind.
02:26 It actually, that video was the inspiration where he does something similar to what Chris
02:30 Judd did against Brisbane in 2003.
02:33 I'm sure a lot of our viewers will remember that game.
02:38 Just a young player just tearing through Brisbane's premiership midfield and kicking four goals
02:43 and a half.
02:44 So, you know, Colby certainly has that potential to be that kind of player with the sort of
02:49 explosiveness that he has out of a contest.
02:52 And now for our final section of this little mini-series episode, we've got to predict
02:57 what pick he'll go and therefore which team and why he might go to that team.
03:04 Well you've got him slightly higher than I do so you can start us off.
03:07 Right, so I think Colby's going to go pick three and I think he's going to go to North
03:11 Melbourne.
03:12 So North Melbourne have a history of picking Tasmanian talents.
03:16 They've got Taron Thomas obviously in the squad.
03:19 They picked Ben Brown a few years ago, obviously now at Melbourne.
03:24 But that certainly helps North's case to be interested in a player considering their Tasmanian
03:29 connection.
03:30 I think North obviously have a lot of young midfielders coming through but probably none
03:36 quite with the profile of Colby.
03:39 And to be honest, once Jed Walter and Harley Reid are gone, I think he's the best option
03:47 in my humble opinion.
03:48 So that's why I think he'll go number three.
03:51 I've got him slightly below.
03:52 I'm bringing him to the Hawks at pick four.
03:54 I just think he can, as you said, he's going to add it to whatever club he goes to.
03:58 But I just feel like at the Hawks they just need someone like a Colby to be able to get
04:03 the ball forward to the young Mitch Lewis and all that kind of stuff.
04:06 I think it's going to be really interesting and I think that's where he ends up just.
04:10 I mean he definitely could go at number three and he probably will.
04:13 But I just felt like the Hawks, if he was there, I think it's just something that they
04:18 want and are lacking slightly.
04:20 Yeah, fair enough.
04:21 But you can stick to your guns.
04:23 That's enough for this little episode.
04:24 We'll see you on the next one.
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