An athletic Sandringham Dragons ruckman is one of the most intriguing names leading into this year’s Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
AFL Media’s Cal Twomey says that 202cm tall Max Ramsden is the player who is creating plenty of interest early in the 2022 season.
Ramsden, who is playing in the NAB League with the Dragons, is expected to be on the radar of several AFL clubs as the mid-season draft approaches.
“I do have a name for you that’s emerged over the last couple of weeks,” Twomey said on SEN Breakfast.
“Max Ramsden is the name to keep an eye out in the lead up to the Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
“Sandringham Dragons ruckman who I watched play in the NAB League on the weekend. He’s a pretty exciting player.
“202 centimetres, he looks like Max King. He can move around the ground. Ran a 6:04 in the 2km time trial. In the combine a couple of years ago Matt Rowell ran a 6:17, so he can move.”
Twomey explained why Ramsden, 18, is eligible for the mid-season draft having nominated for last year’s national draft.
“He missed out last year, he’s been playing school footy at Melbourne Grammar,” he added.
“There’s obviously been no school footy over the past couple of years, so he wasn’t really picked up along the journey.
“He only really entered the Sandringham Dragons program at the end of last year. He did nominate for the draft though, so that means because he nominated last year he is eligible for the mid-season draft this year.”
Twomey likens Ramsden’s situation to that of Jacob Edwards who was taken by North Melbourne with pick 1 in the 2021 mid-season draft.
“We know that clubs are looking at the mid-season draft as a place to stockpile talls. Seven ruckman were taken in the mid-season draft last year,” Twomey said further.
“It’s a very similar story to the Jacob Edwards one from last year.”
Ramsden and the Sandy Dragons will be in action this Saturday against the Calder Cannons.