Top prospect: Moama’s Jobe Shanahan has been identified as one of the leading juniors in next year’s draft class, being named to the AFL National Academy.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
With the 2023 draft complete, the next crop of young stars is ready to make its mark, and a Moama talent is already making a name for himself.
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Jobe Shanahan was last week unveiled as one of the 25 most outstanding players in next season’s draft pool, named as a member of the AFL National Academy.
The selection comes after the young star enjoyed a breakout season, finishing as runner-up in the Bendigo Pioneers’ best-and-fairest as a bottom-ager while also playing in the under-17 Futures game at the MCG on AFL grand final day.
“(AFL National Academy manager) Tarkyn Lockyer called me a few weeks ago and said they’re just selecting the (academy) team, and let me know that I’ve been selected in there,” Shanahan said.
“I was really surprised because I don’t really think I played that well in the grand final day game.
“I was just really happy and just really surprised that I made it. I’m really thankful to the people that select the teams.”
Possessing a formidable aerial presence, Shanahan, who is listed at 192cm, isn’t letting the selection go to his head, however, as he eyes a move up the projected draft board next season.
Aerial threat: Jobe Shanahan’s height and leap make him a huge threat in the air, with strong overhead marking a feature of his game.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
“Yeah, it’s very exciting, but you obviously still have to play well,” he said.
“I still want to have a really good year, but I just want to improve a lot, keep trying to get better and hopefully go up the ranks a bit.
“I probably just want to improve on, and I’ve been trying to improve on it all last year, is my ground balls.
“Just being clean picking up the footy, and also just when I’m in the midfield, just moving from contest to contest, and getting there as quick as possible and just making an impact when I am there.”
Having briefly met his fellow prospects during his MCG cameo, Shanahan is looking forward to getting to know the group properly when the academy meets for its first camp in Melbourne from December 6 to 8.
“I don’t actually even know where it is,” he said with a laugh.
“But I’m very excited just to see how it goes, meet everyone again and meet all the coaches. It’s going to be a lot of fun, I think.
“Obviously I know all the big names, like Levi Ashcroft and Leonardo Lombard. I didn’t really speak to them much (during the Futures game), but they’re all good fellas, I think.”
This year’s number one draft pick, Harley Reid, has already offered Shanahan support should he need it, and the athletic forward has another 2023 academy graduate to lean on for advice in Geelong draftee Connor O’Sullivan.
“We played a lot of basketball together last season, and then we ended up both signing up to go to America with that same team,” Shanahan said.
“We were roommates that whole time, so we just formed a pretty good relationship.
“I was also teammates with Oscar Ryan, too, who got drafted at pick 27, we’re all just really good mates, and hopefully I can meet them in the AFL.”
Shanahan had identified being selected in the AFL Academy squad as one of his main goals for his draft year but has wasted no time in setting himself new targets.
“Probably just playing good footy in those games against the VFL teams and also having a good preseason, hopefully with an AFL club, if that’s what we get to do,” he said.
“Then leading into the draft, just test well, and then hopefully we can see if we get drafted or not, but that’s ages away.”
While there is plenty to play out between now and the 2024 AFL Draft, the signs are looking good for the Bendigo Pioneers prospect, with 25 out of the 30 of this year’s academy members being taken in the draft.
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