Fremantle’s Caleb Serong is one of the competition’s most underrated midfielders.
That is the opinion of Tim Watson who has described the Dockers on-baller as a “complete player” given his ability to be effective in different areas of the game.
Serong won the NAB Rising Star award in 2020 before claiming the AFLCA Best Young Player Award alongside Gold Coast’s Noah Anderson last year.
But still Watson, along with Nathan Buckley, believe the 21-year-old is underrated due to the conversation always focusing on Andrew Brayshaw and the form of recruit Will Brodie.
“He’s probably the midfield player of the competition that just doesn’t get the credit that he deserves for the way that he plays,” Watson said on SEN Breakfast.
“He’s as clean as any midfield player that is going around, he’s as smart as any midfield player going around and he plays inside and outside.
“He’s a complete player in my opinion.”
Garry Lyon asked: “He’s not underrated, is he?
“NAB Rising Star winner. He’s rated, he has been rated.”
Buckley responded: “I think he is (underrated).”
Watson added: “I think he is because people talk about Brayshaw and then they say, ‘oh yeah, then there’s Serong as well’.
“We talk about the best midfielders in the competition and we don’t talk about him. He’s up there in the conversation around effectiveness around the ball.”
A text received by Lyon prompted further questions about Serong’s credentials.
“I got a text from a very knowledgeable football man which says, ‘Caleb Serong is clean, great hands, not a great kick’,” he said.
“I’m just putting it out there.”
Buckley replied: “His penetrating disposal out of the centre bounce looked alright.”
Watson joked: “Not a great kick? I’d check that person’s credentials if I was you.”
Serong is averaging 26.4 disposals (third at the club) for the high-flying Freo this season and is second at the club for contested possessions, third for clearances and fourth for inside 50s.
He has played 47 games for the Dockers having debuted in 2020 when third in the best and fairest, while finishing fourth last year.