SAM Sturt could be the bolter of this year's NAB AFL Draft pool after his exciting end to the season for the Dandenong Stingrays.

The 188cm forward comes from a promising cricket background, and will trial with Cricket Victoria later this month.

However, his run of form for the Stingrays has seen 16 clubs make contact with Sturt, with some viewing him as a potential top-30 pick.

Sturt has played four games for the Stingrays and has kicked nine goals playing across half-forward, also impressing scouts at school level playing for Peninsula Grammar throughout the season. 

Stingrays talent manager Mark Wheeler said the 18-year-old had been on the radar of the TAC Cup side.

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"His first love was cricket and he probably dedicated a lot of his time to that, but we've kept an eye on him," he said.

"We went and watched him in round one this year playing for Peninsula and have been tracking him since then.

"We played him when we could play him given his commitments with school, and we were going to play him three weeks before he did, but he had a family holiday booked in.

"He's a good left-footer, he's hard at the ball and he has a freakish ability above his head."

Sturt's emergence was too late for him to be invited to the NAB AFL Draft Combine, but he is one of 11 Stingrays players to have been picked to test at the state combine, where his speed is expected to stand out.

Wheeler said Sturt had been juggling his cricket and football but clubs were excited by what they had seen in his small sample of under-18 appearances.

"He's definitely good enough with his cricket. He's training every Sunday at the moment at Junction Oval and is a really good batsman," Wheeler said.

"One of the clubs asked him [which he'd choose] and his response was well above his years. He said he'd given six years of dedication to his cricket and he's still there, and that he'd only given footy a bit of a go and look where it's got him.

"He hasn't done a pre-season so the upside – and that's why all the clubs are running – is great and how good can he be? It's that crystal-balling."

Toby Bedford, Riley Bowman, Zac Foot, Will Hamill and Bailey Williams are the five Stingrays who have been invited to the 80-player national draft Combine next month at Marvel Stadium.

Toby Bedford in action for Vic Country during the U18 Championships. Picture: AFL Photos