Draft Spotlight #1 | Mattaes Phillipou
Written by Nathan Sepe
As part of the 2022 National Draft Coverage, Blue Abroad will place the spotlight on some potential draftees for the Carlton Football Club.
The first player in the spotlight is Mattaes Phillipou, a fast-paced and athletic midfielder who has slowly worked himself up the draft ranks following an impressive 2022 season.
Carlton currently holds picks 10, 28, 62, and 64 in the upcoming AFL Draft, meaning the Blues would be likely to take Phillipou at pick 10 if the opportunity arises.
Projected to land within picks 9 to 11, Phillipou is a very likely prospect for the Blues, who have the flexibility to add some more depth in every area across the ground.
Born in late December, Phillipou is one of the youngest in the upcoming draft.
Phillipou has proved himself as a strong and athletic ball user with a real bullish nature about the way he composes himself across the ground.
Arguably the best talent from South Australia in the upcoming draft, Phillipou has had a sensational National Championships for South Australia, as well as dominating at SANFL Under-18 level.
Playing his footy for Woodville-West Torrens in the Under 18 SANFL, Phillipou averaged 28 disposals, 7 inside 50s, 6.6 marks per game, and kicked 12 goals across the eight games he played this year.
His best game of the season came against Sturt, where he tallied 36 disposals, 7 tackles, 10 inside 50s, and a goal to top it off.
Phillipou also played three games for the SANFL Reserves side this year, averaging 14 disposals per game and kicking four goals across the three games, showcasing his forward presence in a senior side.
The left-footer, who measures 191cm tall and 83kg in weight, is similar to a young Patrick Cripps, who was 188cm tall and 88kg in weight going into his draft.
Being quite lean for his height, Phillipou has the ability to evade his opponents with class and can find a kicking or handball target within seconds.
Phillipou’s positional awareness is up there with the best in this draft class, ultimately one of the best in finding open space and dispositioning his opponent.
This is most evident in his forward craft throughout his Under 18 SANFL games, where he is able to zone his movement and read the drop of the ball superbly.
The one downside of Phillipou is his physical build, but being one of the younger prospects, time will improve this.
Throughout his National Championships campaign for South Australia, Phillipou was able to showcase his talent against the best in Victoria, which is the strongest draft pool in this year’s draft.
His performance against Vic Metro in the pouring rain at GMHBA Stadium put on show his ability to create space in a tightly contested battle with a slippery ball.
His poise around the contest caused some trouble for the Metro midfielders, who are all great ball readers themselves.
Phillipou also suits the outside wing position if needed and his positional awareness makes him a dangerous threat to sit outside the stoppage and use his speed to burst down the ground.
Phillipou is a player that can transition into both the midfield and forward line at any given time, the type of player that would seamlessly fit into any side’s game plan.
Phillipou is a likely target for the Blues, however, he is certainly a floater in the top 10 if the Victorian boys drop down lower than expected.
Chance of landing at the Blues: 70%
Stay tuned for more draft prospects.
