Yes, Serhat: smarts put Temel front and centre

SERHAT Temel might not have the running ability of Tom Scully but if this year's NAB AFL Draft pool was judged purely on kicking and marking, he would have a case to be the first player chosen.

The Calder Cannons forward is a throwback to the old-fashioned footballer, when nous and know-how could be amply substituted for speed, agility and a V8-sized engine.

When assessing potential draftees, AFL clubs search for the right balance of speed, fitness and undoubted football skill.

Temel, it seems, has enough of the latter. It's now a matter of whether weakness in the first two categories proves a stumbling block in his quest to go to the next level.

He wasn't invited to the AFL's draft camp in Canberra but instead went to the Victorian state screening session.

"He probably wouldn't be jumping out of his skin with any of his results or anything like that and people will argue that perhaps that [his athleticism] is what might go against him," Cannons football manager Len Villani said.

"I think he was a bit disappointed about [them] and thought he could have done a bit better."

Temel's beep test result of just over 10 would be at the lower end of the players vying for a spot on an AFL list come November 26.

But Villani says after two years at TAC Cup level, Temel started to see reward for his efforts towards the end of the season.

"There's that argument that he might struggle a bit with his leg speed but you don't see him getting beaten on the lead too often," he said.

"We've been drumming into him the last couple of years that those are the things that he needs to work on, his work rate and that type of stuff, his defensive game.

"He's starting to turn the corner a little bit I think in that regard, and just his last four or five weeks of the season were out of this world."

The 18-year-old would have been on the periphery of clubs' sights after a solid TAC Cup season with the Cannons.

But by the end of the finals, he had flown up the charts - and with a bullet.

At 195cm, Temel can play at either end of the ground. He first made the Vic Metro squad as a backman before missing selection for the national championships.

However, he switched back to his more familiar forward role mid-season and it was in the finals that things clicked.

All the Cannons had to do was kick it near their burly forward and he'd do the rest.

Despite playing in defence for part of the season, Temel finished with 54 goals with a staggering 26 of those coming from his last five matches.

His finals tally included hauls of eight, seven, two and a superb five goals in Calder's grand final win, when he was among the best afield.

"He probably took on the top half a dozen defenders in the country (in that time) if you like and he pulled their pants down," Villani said.

"He was very impressive and he beat them hands down. He was just unstoppable.

"He's just so smart and I don't think I've seen a better pair of hands, to be honest, since I've been down here the last four or five years.

"I remember Darcy Daniher was one who really stood out with his hands - they were just sensational - but I think he (Temel) is just a level up on that again."

Temel was named the Cannons' best finals player and also finished third in the club's best and fairest count.

Fellow Cannons Jake Melksham, Daniel Talia and Jake Carlisle are likely to be picked up in the top 20 on draft night and though a couple of clubs have recently expressed interest in Temel, he won't be selected as high as his teammates.

Villani just hopes his natural forward gets his chance.

"I think they're sort of at the stage where they're starting to move back towards just picking good footballers," he said.

"It'd be a brave club not to sort of consider him late third [round], fourth round or at least as a rookie prospect.

"I think he's got a lot to offer, particularly in this draft where there's probably a pretty weak pool for those key position, 195cm-type blokes."

Log on to afl.com.au on D-day, Thursday, November 26, for the most comprehensive coverage of the 2009 NAB AFL Draft. We’ll have live chats, live audio streams, in-depth player profiles, club reaction and our famous afl.com.au Draft Tracker.