Port Adelaide great and football commentator Kane Cornes has declared exciting Richmond youngster Sydney Stack as potentially the biggest steal in AFL draft history.
Stack, who missed out on selection at last year’s national and rookie drafts, before the Tigers eventually offered him a football lifeline via the league’s new pre-season supplemental selection period, has quickly developed into one of the competition’s hottest prospects.
The 19-year-old from Western Australia, is averaging 17.3 disposals and 5.6 marks in his first 11 appearances at the game’s highest level.
Following Stack’s slick 22-disposal display up against Adelaide’s superstar small forward Eddie Betts, whose normally significant influence he nullified in Thursday night’s clash at Adelaide Oval, Cornes paid him a huge compliment on his weekly SEN ‘The Captain’s Run’ program.
“Sydney Stack is shaping up to be the biggest draft steal in the history of the AFL,” Cornes said.
“Last night, on the big stage away from home, he was clean at ground level, deadly when he had the ball in his hands and he went at 82 percent disposal efficiency from his 22 touches.
“We know that he’s tough, just ask Jack Viney that, and defensively he’s sound.
“Besides one brief moment of Eddie Betts brilliance, he had the superstar small forward covered.
Cornes claimed all of the other 17 AFL clubs would now be bemoaning the fact that they didn’t select Stack in the 2018 drafts.
“Due to Sydney Stack’s off-field issues, he was overlooked by every club at the draft last year. But now, there isn’t a club in the competition that wouldn’t kill to have him on their list.
“In fact, if last year’s AFL (national) draft was re-done, Stack would be a top five pick. He may even go top three.”
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