Is this the next Jeremy Howe?

Comparisons to highlight reel Collingwood star Jeremy Howe have become par for the course for Sturt teenager Jordan Houlahan.

A high-leaping half forward capable of standing on opponent’s heads, the 19-year-old half forward enters this year’s draft as arguably the most exciting pure football talent on draft boards.

Sturt general manager David Oatey said while the entire football package was still coming together, Houlahan’s capacity to excite was unquestionable.

“Jordan is a spectacular player,” he said.

“He has an outrageously good vertical jump but also reads the flight of the ball really well, so every week he will take a couple of Jeremy Howe-type hangers.

“While he’s played up forward, like Howe, he potentially could end up playing across half-back.”

Howe joined Collingwood under the assumption he would reprise his role as a high-flying forward, but as the injury toll hit, he was forced to move to defence and hasn’t looked back. After finishing fifth in last year’s best and fairest the 27-year-old former Demon placed fourth in 2017 behind runner away winner Steele Sidebottom.

With a similar skill set, the Sturt teenager shapes as a player with untapped X-factor heading into this year’s draft.

After undergoing a shoulder reconstruction last October the young forward took some time to find his feet after a limited pre-season.

Having left school last year, he spent this season living and working on a family orchard five days a week.

He played every game for South Australia at the national championships and made a reserves debut. Given the varied schedules he played in both the Under-18 and reserve grade Grand Finals.

A Carlton supporter growing up, Houlahan has had his worth ethic questioned by some and acknowledges it’s an area for improvement.

“It’s an area I’ve got to work on,” he said.

“I only did about four weeks of pre-season and started the year off a bit slow, but the second half of the year was solid. After the shoulder injury I’ve done as much as I could to try and catch up.

“My running is getting better but it has to keep improving.

“If I get to a club then that system should help me with the areas I need to.”

Rated a second or third round prospect, a host of clubs are interested in securing a player who has areas to work on but can do things few can’t.

Inside Football Draft profile...

JORDAN HOULAHAN
19-Feb-99 | 185.7cm | 76.0kg | Sturt
“Jordan is a spectacular player who tested well at the draft camp. He has an outrageously good vertical jump and also reads the flight of the ball really well. Every week he will take a couple of Jeremy Howe-type hangers. So he has some x-factor about him but how that translates to AFL we’ll see. He might end up playing as a defender rather than a forward but he’s a nice shot at goal. More on the introverted, laid-back side than on the extroverted end of the spectrum.” – Sturt general manager David Oatey.

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