Essendon young gun Archie Perkins has a big future in the game, says David King.
King loves the 20-year-old’s ability to create space for himself in tight areas and then find a teammate by foot.
Perkins kicked a late goal in the Bombers’ come-from-behind win over Hawthorn last week to go with 15 disposals, six tackles and six score involvements.
King sees shades of Geelong champion Paul Chapman in the way Perkins plays.
“The Bombers were able to find a way last week to win that game against the Hawks and I believe it’s off the back of a lot of their young kids that don’t get talked about enough,” he told SEN’s The Picks.
“I thought (Ben) Hobbs’ 20 minutes in the last quarter was absolutely fantastic. He was involved in six scores.
“(Darcy) Parish and Nic Martin are 13 and 10 for score involvements last week, so they’re leading the way. The next group of players are all pretty even, but when young kids are having score involvements, you’ve got to stand back and say, ‘Wow, this is impressive’.
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“Perkins, I think, is going to be a top-liner in our game, I really do. I think he’s going to be one of the better half-forwards.
“His ability to understand the space around him, step in and out of traffic, and then use the ball in a manner that the next guy takes the mark.
“He kicks to advantage, he hits the right spots at the right times – I said at the time when he got drafted, he’s little bit like Paul Chapman.
“He’s not going to blow you away with anything on a testing platform, he’s probably not the quickest guy, not the best leap or anything like that, but throw a ball out there and you can’t beat them.
“That’s what I like about this guy, he’s an absolute competitor.”
Perkins, who remains unsigned for next season, has kicked 18 goals in 28 games for Essendon.
The second-year Bomber was selected with the ninth pick overall in the 2020 National Draft.