WILL Sutherland says playing in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships has given him a better gauge of where he sits as a draft prospect, as the teenager weighs up whether to pursue football or cricket at the end of this season.
The 17-year-old, who has captained Australia's under-19 cricket side but is also viewed as one of the country's leading prospects in this year's draft pool, played three games for Vic Metro as it claimed the division one title.
He finished with 2.2 from eight disposals and four marks on Wednesday in Metro's tight loss to the Allies, but kicked five goals in total for the carnival.
Having only played school football for Scotch College before being picked for Vic Metro, Sutherland said the step up had given him confidence he could match it with his peers, but that he hasn't made a decision on his sport of choice yet.
"It's certainly helped me playing at this level and getting that experience at a higher level to make a more informed decision overall," Sutherland told AFL.com.au.
"But I haven't really thought about it too much and it's something I've got to decide in the next few weeks."
The 195cm key forward has been closely monitored by club recruiting teams since the start of the season, when it became clear it was not fait accompli he would follow the cricket pathway. His father James is Cricket Australia's chief executive.
Some scouts view Sutherland as the best tall prospect in this year's crop, and he's expected to be among the players invited to the national NAB AFL Draft Combine when the list is released in the next month.
It seems likely he will have made a decision on his future by then, but he said he had not put a timeframe on making that call, despite an avalanche of attention in recent months.
"Hopefully the time will be right when it all comes together for me, but I'm just staying in the moment and enjoying it and enjoying this championship win," he said.
"[The spotlight] has been a little bit too much at times, I can't say I want that much attention, but it's all pretty positive so I can't complain. Nobody's been having a crack at me."
Sutherland plays with some swagger: he likes to have the ball in his hands, backs himself with set shots, and he's not afraid to get in the face of opponents. But he admits coming into Vic Metro's team a little uncertain of how he'd fare.
"I wasn't really sure how I'd go, but I think I settled in OK and progressed and improved in every game. I'll take a lot of confidence from that going back to school and potentially in the TAC Cup," he said.
Will Sutherland holds a 2017 draft football, but will he be at the event in Sydney? Picture: AFL Photos
Scotch plays two more games before the football season ends in early August. Sutherland has been in discussions with the Sandringham Dragons to play some under-18 games after that, but nothing has been confirmed.
On Wednesday against the Allies he spent some time in the midfield, a role he has also played at school level. He says his time with Vic Metro – he only started training with the squad in May – has fast-tracked his development.
"The championships on the whole has been an awesome experience," Sutherland said.
"It's been really nice to come in and have the boys help me settle in. It was obviously a bit more disappointing [to lose to the Allies] coming off such a good effort against South Australia last week and not being able to back it up, but it was an awesome time."
