North Melbourne co-captain Jy Simpkin is loving what he has so far seen from talented youngster Harry Sheezel.
The no.3 pick from last year’s draft has impressed during pre-season practice matches, showing glimpses of why the club opted to select him so early.
He booted three classy goals against Richmond before picking up 21 disposals and kicking a goal in last weekend’s loss to the Western Bulldogs when playing up the ground before dropping behind the ball.
Kangaroos fans have been buoyed by what the classy 18-year-old has already delivered and Simpkin is also excited about what the former Sandringham Dragons star can do in 2023.
“He’s come straight into our team and he hasn’t missed a beat,” Simpkin said on SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“He’s always looking for ways to get better. As we saw on the weekend, he’s silky smooth when the ball is in his hands.
“I can’t wait to watch him get out there this season.”
Simpkin admits it’s a nice feeling to know the club has a good one in Sheezel, but insists all the focus should not be centred around their prized draftee.
He has identified a “smokey” to play senior footy this season in the form of rookie draft selection Blake Drury.
“It’s very pleasing, but not only him (Sheezel), we’ve got a lot of others,” Simpkin added.
“There’s another kid named Blake Drury that probably not many people have heard of. He’s working just as hard and he’ll be a big smokey coming into the season.
“I reckon we’ll see him definitely at some stage throughout the year. The way he’s put his head down, worked hard and tried to get better all pre-season, it’s been really good by those two.”
Drury, a 177cm forward/midfielder from the Oakleigh Chargers, joined the Roos as the no.1 pick in the rookie draft in late November.
As North continues to prepare for their Round 1 clash with West Coast, Simpkin spoke of the club’s medical room which at this point in time is not too crowded.
Cam Zurhaar suffered a calf strain against the Bulldogs and is facing a race against time to prove his fitness, but Simpkin is confident he will play as the team gets set to welcome back defenders Aidan Corr and Aaron Hall.
“I think it’s looking pretty good,” Simpkin said of the injury list.
“Obviously we had a couple of hiccups on the weekend. Cam hurt his calf and he’ll be on modified duties leading up to Round 1 but we’re pretty hopeful he’ll be out there.
“But we’re getting a few guys back. Aidan Corr has overcome his (calf) injury, Aaron Hall will be back, so we’ve pretty much got a full-strength squad going into Round 1 to pick from.”
Callum Coleman-Jones is also on the injury list as he partially tore his left plantar fascia in the VFL last weekend.
The Roos, with new skippers Simpkin and Luke McDonald leading the way, kick off their 2023 season against the Eagles at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, March 18.