AFL Draft 2024: Young guns looking to prove critics wrongs as draft hopefuls head for national combine

WA under-18 captain Bo Allan says he and his state teammates were fuelled by reports there was no draft talent in the state this year and are looking to prove the critics wrong. Allan and 14 other AFL and AFLW draft prospects flew to Melbourne on Thursday for the national combine where they will be put through several tests and meet clubs in the hope of impressing. The WA Under-18 program was put under the spotlight earlier this year when a report from the eastern states claimed AFL clubs were saying there was “currently not a single West Australian they would select” in this year’s AFL draft. “I don’t think there will be a West Australian legitimately drafted this year – that’s how bad WA is at the moment,” an unnamed expert recruiter told The Herald Sun in March. Allan, who is considered the top prospect from WA this year, said the players were aware of the criticism and used it as motivation throughout the year. “I remember when that article came out. We were all at our summer program ... we had nothing to lose that carnival and one of the greatest experiences was playing with those boys with nothing to lose and we proved WA had something,” Allan said. “And here we are with 10 invitees going to the national combine, so I think we did well. “There’s definitely a lot of talent here and still more that missed out. “I didn’t like hearing it and the boys didn’t either. We worked hard and were competitive throughout the championships.” WA talent manager Adam Jones rubbished the reports and backed the talent to shine when it was raised in March. “You’d love the recruiting expert to put their name to it because come end of November, you’d love to review that article and the comments made by that person because I think that’s - from our position and what we’ve seen so far - is rubbish,” Jones told The West Australian. “We’re really, really confident we are going to have players drafted. There will be debate and questions asked about how strong a draft it is, but there is no doubt (players from WA will be drafted). “I can riddle off seven or eight names that I’ve got great confidence in for this year and that’s before the championships are even played. Guys from outside of that will step up.” Allan heads east fresh off winning a WAFL premiership with Peel Thunder but said he would likely start his AFL career as a defender despite showing strong form as a big-bodied midfielder. “If I was to get the chance, right now (my best position) would be down back purely through experience,” he said. “And then playing through the midfield and developing. I would be more than happy to fill that role there and love learning in that space.”