AFL draft prospect linked to West Coast after Essendon NGA miss

The Bombers have plenty of information on Duff-Tytler, who spent time training with them in pre-season before playing a match for the club’s VFL team.

This game could be important for his draft stock. A common recruitment query about Duff-Tytler is based on his height and the role he will play in the AFL and whether he can improve his controversial marking.

Forward attack or forward attack? Can he be effective in attack? Duff-Tytler went some way to answering that question with three goals for the Bombers’ reserves.

Loading

One of these was an impressive dribble goal, where he showed off his mobility and athleticism. Scouts who spoke with this tag noticed an extra energy in his step, as if saying, ‘Don’t forget me and what I can do.’

“You were being talked about as a prospect – as everyone is in their prime – and a lot of people were questioning whether I could play forward,” Duff-Tytler said.

“I didn’t think I had many opportunities to show what I could do and this was the first time I played primarily as a forward and had consistency in that role throughout the match. It was important for me to show that I had that side to my game as well.”

Duff-Tytler was part of Australia’s Under-16 Asian Cup championship basketball team two years ago; NBA draft prospect Dash Daniels, who plays for NBL team Melbourne United and is the brother of Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson, was also with him.

In the final match, which beat New Zealand 79-76, Daniels played with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while Duff-Tytler played with 6 points and 4 rebounds.

One of his teammates was Indy Cotton, who turned his back on basketball and signed with Adelaide as a category B rookie in August.

“It was so hard [to quit basketball]. I devoted about three years of my life to basketball full time,” Duff-Tytler said.

“I didn’t pay much attention to football when I was 14, 15, 16 and devoted most of my time to basketball – and through that I had a lot of great experiences and relationships playing in Vic Country and Australia, but I really enjoyed coming back to football at the end of last year.

“To give myself the best opportunity to play professional sport, I thought it would be best to devote all my time to one sport. I couldn’t imagine giving up football, I just love it so much.”

Duff Tytler knows he’ll be drafted with a high pick, but there’s speculation beyond that.

Four clubs – West Coast, Richmond, Essendon and Melbourne – share the top eight selections and the rising young star would be relieved to have to pack his bags to travel across the country, even if it means eating much less of his grandmother’s curry dinners.