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The last two AFL Drafts look star-studded, with impressive young guns galore, but right now the man picked 45th in 2023 is the best of them all.
REID, WATSON, WALTER... NOPE, PICK 45 IS THE BEST FROM THE 2023 DRAFT RIGHT NOW
It was Marcus Bontempelli’s night on Friday at the SCG, but it was his understudy who turned heads — and not for the first time — in the Dogs’ third-straight victory.
Emerging game-changer Joel Freijah became the youngest Western Bulldogs player in history to record 20 or more disposals and four goals in a game.
And the mounting evidence suggests that of the players drafted in the past two years, this is the man having the most significant impact on his side’s cause.
Freijah’s scintillating third term in particular ensured the Dogs maintained their narrow buffer on the Swans, unfathomably booting three goals in the quarter alone.
The 19-year-old utility finished with 23 disposals, seven marks, an equal-team-high nine score involvements and six intercepts, along with his four goals, in another head-turning effort.
Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown, who joined in the party of those referring to the young pup as “mini Bont”, said: “We were celebrating Isaac Heeney at one end, (but) it was Joel Freijah getting the Bulldogs in at the other end; he was outstanding.”
Caller Anthony Hudson added: “He’s played wing, he’s played half-back, he’s played on-ball and looked very much at home there, and then (on Friday) he kicked four goals.” But this isn’t a fresh revelation. Freijah has gone over 23 disposals six times this year, including a 24-disposal, two-goal effort in Round 6 win over St Kilda and a 27-disposal, nine-clearance output in a Round 7 victory over GWS.
Of any player drafted in the past two years, Freijah is the highest-rated this season, with an average rating of 14.17 across 15 games, per Champion Data.
The next-best talent who’s played 10 or more games this season has been Richmond’s No.1 pick from last November, Sam Lalor, with a 9.65 average rating. Harley Reid sits at 9.52 and Nick Watson at 8.59.
Freijah would be a clear favourite to win this year’s Rising Star if he was eligible, but he played more than 10 games in 2024; and he wasn’t even nominated last year, after only debuting in Round 10 and not drawing enough attention at a smaller club.
“How dare he take the attention off Bont,” former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley joked on Fox Footy post-game on Friday night. “But he is the junior Bont, the mini Bont, the right-footed Bont — whatever you want to call him.
“If you’re compared to, and spoken in the same breath as, the great Marcus Bontempelli, then you’re doing pretty well.
“This kid was schooled-up off half-back in his first year last year, and came into the team and looked like he belonged from the beginning.
“Now, he’s been pushed up onto the wing, through the midfield, and he’s starting to hit the scoreboard now — it’s a compelling mix, isn’t it?”
Four-time Hawthorn premiership star Jordan Lewis praised Freijah’s being a two-way player.
“His athletic profile really suits the way the game is being played — you’ve got to be a transition player if you want to play midfield,” he said.
“He’s got high endurance and high speed, so it allows him to follow up his plays and get involved two or three times in the chain.”
In the third quarter against the Swans, Freijah was the number-two-ranked player on the ground behind only Heeney, per Champion Data’s player ratings.
“He had a huge game, but his third quarter alone … it was him and Heeney head-to-head,” Lewis added.
Asked for his assessment on the burgeoning version of himself, Bontempelli said Freijah was someone the Dogs wanted with the ball in their hands.
“Joel’s a great runner, so we decided to position him in there (the midfield) to try and get up and back, and he’s also such a great finisher, so you do want him with the ball in time and space, and fortunately that’s what happened.
“To have Joel do what he did … you started to see glimpses throughout the course of the year, but (this) was probably the game where you go ‘he’s a really influential player’ and (someone who’s) going to be a really strong contender for us in the future.”
Pick 45 in the 2023 national draft, it’d be fair to say Freijah didn’t set the world alight in his eligible year, but as foxfooty.com.au draft guru Ben Waterworth correctly noted in late 2023, the smooth-mover possessed two-way traits and crucial versatility.
“Freijah is quick, agile, classy with his hands on the inside, can hit the scoreboard and can run … he’s a unique size, so he can play as a tall midfielder, wing or even third forward/defender, which excites scouts. Could be a late bargain if it clicks for him at AFL level,” Waterworth assessed.
Respected Fox Footy commentator Gerard Whateley explained that the contested aspect of the game had been a key improvement focus for Freijah since his induction into the league.
“I think the recruiters will tell you that (appetite for contest) was what was missing in his teenage years — and full credit to him, he’s come in and learned that, and the Bulldogs have put together a program where he’s been able to make that part of his game,” Whateley told SEN’s Crunch Time.
“But I think if you go back to them, they’ll say they thought he was a bit timid. Maybe he’s grown into it, but I think the Bulldogs have done an outstanding job with him.”
Five-time Hawthorn premiership player Dermott Brereton echoed the sentiment of Bontempelli with regards to Freijah’s increasing prominence.
“Last night was the game where I just rocked back into my chair and went: ‘This boy is a serious commodity. This boy can seriously play’,” Brereton said on SEN.
“He’s a whole lot better than many of us suspected when we were seeing him on the back flank and doing some good things, getting a couple of things wrong last year.
“People often talk about ‘these guys haven’t taken the next step’ — that’s a classic example of a lad who has taken the step in quick time. He’s found his confidence and his feet. He’s willing to take on anyone and anything.”
image.png
The last two AFL Drafts look star-studded, with impressive young guns galore, but right now the man picked 45th in 2023 is the best of them all.
REID, WATSON, WALTER... NOPE, PICK 45 IS THE BEST FROM THE 2023 DRAFT RIGHT NOW
It was Marcus Bontempelli’s night on Friday at the SCG, but it was his understudy who turned heads — and not for the first time — in the Dogs’ third-straight victory.
Emerging game-changer Joel Freijah became the youngest Western Bulldogs player in history to record 20 or more disposals and four goals in a game.
And the mounting evidence suggests that of the players drafted in the past two years, this is the man having the most significant impact on his side’s cause.
Freijah’s scintillating third term in particular ensured the Dogs maintained their narrow buffer on the Swans, unfathomably booting three goals in the quarter alone.
The 19-year-old utility finished with 23 disposals, seven marks, an equal-team-high nine score involvements and six intercepts, along with his four goals, in another head-turning effort.
Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown, who joined in the party of those referring to the young pup as “mini Bont”, said: “We were celebrating Isaac Heeney at one end, (but) it was Joel Freijah getting the Bulldogs in at the other end; he was outstanding.”
Caller Anthony Hudson added: “He’s played wing, he’s played half-back, he’s played on-ball and looked very much at home there, and then (on Friday) he kicked four goals.” But this isn’t a fresh revelation. Freijah has gone over 23 disposals six times this year, including a 24-disposal, two-goal effort in Round 6 win over St Kilda and a 27-disposal, nine-clearance output in a Round 7 victory over GWS.
Of any player drafted in the past two years, Freijah is the highest-rated this season, with an average rating of 14.17 across 15 games, per Champion Data.
The next-best talent who’s played 10 or more games this season has been Richmond’s No.1 pick from last November, Sam Lalor, with a 9.65 average rating. Harley Reid sits at 9.52 and Nick Watson at 8.59.
Freijah would be a clear favourite to win this year’s Rising Star if he was eligible, but he played more than 10 games in 2024; and he wasn’t even nominated last year, after only debuting in Round 10 and not drawing enough attention at a smaller club.
“How dare he take the attention off Bont,” former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley joked on Fox Footy post-game on Friday night. “But he is the junior Bont, the mini Bont, the right-footed Bont — whatever you want to call him.
“If you’re compared to, and spoken in the same breath as, the great Marcus Bontempelli, then you’re doing pretty well.
“This kid was schooled-up off half-back in his first year last year, and came into the team and looked like he belonged from the beginning.
“Now, he’s been pushed up onto the wing, through the midfield, and he’s starting to hit the scoreboard now — it’s a compelling mix, isn’t it?”
Four-time Hawthorn premiership star Jordan Lewis praised Freijah’s being a two-way player.
“His athletic profile really suits the way the game is being played — you’ve got to be a transition player if you want to play midfield,” he said.
“He’s got high endurance and high speed, so it allows him to follow up his plays and get involved two or three times in the chain.”
In the third quarter against the Swans, Freijah was the number-two-ranked player on the ground behind only Heeney, per Champion Data’s player ratings.
“He had a huge game, but his third quarter alone … it was him and Heeney head-to-head,” Lewis added.
Asked for his assessment on the burgeoning version of himself, Bontempelli said Freijah was someone the Dogs wanted with the ball in their hands.
“Joel’s a great runner, so we decided to position him in there (the midfield) to try and get up and back, and he’s also such a great finisher, so you do want him with the ball in time and space, and fortunately that’s what happened.
“To have Joel do what he did … you started to see glimpses throughout the course of the year, but (this) was probably the game where you go ‘he’s a really influential player’ and (someone who’s) going to be a really strong contender for us in the future.”
Pick 45 in the 2023 national draft, it’d be fair to say Freijah didn’t set the world alight in his eligible year, but as foxfooty.com.au draft guru Ben Waterworth correctly noted in late 2023, the smooth-mover possessed two-way traits and crucial versatility.
“Freijah is quick, agile, classy with his hands on the inside, can hit the scoreboard and can run … he’s a unique size, so he can play as a tall midfielder, wing or even third forward/defender, which excites scouts. Could be a late bargain if it clicks for him at AFL level,” Waterworth assessed.
Respected Fox Footy commentator Gerard Whateley explained that the contested aspect of the game had been a key improvement focus for Freijah since his induction into the league.
“I think the recruiters will tell you that (appetite for contest) was what was missing in his teenage years — and full credit to him, he’s come in and learned that, and the Bulldogs have put together a program where he’s been able to make that part of his game,” Whateley told SEN’s Crunch Time.
“But I think if you go back to them, they’ll say they thought he was a bit timid. Maybe he’s grown into it, but I think the Bulldogs have done an outstanding job with him.”
Five-time Hawthorn premiership player Dermott Brereton echoed the sentiment of Bontempelli with regards to Freijah’s increasing prominence.
“Last night was the game where I just rocked back into my chair and went: ‘This boy is a serious commodity. This boy can seriously play’,” Brereton said on SEN.
“He’s a whole lot better than many of us suspected when we were seeing him on the back flank and doing some good things, getting a couple of things wrong last year.
“People often talk about ‘these guys haven’t taken the next step’ — that’s a classic example of a lad who has taken the step in quick time. He’s found his confidence and his feet. He’s willing to take on anyone and anything.”
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