TURN on any TV sports show or radio program at the moment and its been hard to miss the name of Foster teenager, Willem Duursma, who tonight will cease being a Tiger or a Gippsland Power prospect and become the property of a big AFL club.
If he goes pick one or two in tonight’s AFL National Draft, it will be the West Coast Eagles, the ideal fit for someone who tries to model his game on Western Bulldogs’ premiership player and captain, Marcus Bontempelli.
“If I can get to be anything like him I’ll be rapt,” he told one of umpteen interviewers during the week.
But he also aspires to join his siblings and some of the past Foster players who have gone on to greatness in the gallery of stars about the bar in the Tigers’ clubrooms.
“I hope they can clear a space out for me just up there,” he told Channel 7’s Mitch Cleary, reaching up above his much-scrutinised height of 193cm to point to the array of photos and brief bios.
Draft night starts at 7pm tonight, Wednesday, November 19 with Duursma expected to join his three siblings in the big time, but may hold bragging rights over them all by going the highest in the draft.
Xavier, who at 25 is the eldest, went at pick No.18 to Port Adelaide in 2018 before moving to Essendon at the end of 2023.
Zane just completed his second season at North Melbourne after being taken with pick No.4 in 2023, while sister Jasmin was originally taken by Port Adelaide with pick No.45 in 2022 before joining Carlton.
But Willem is set to trump them all, with West Coast’s pick No.1 looming large.
The AFL’s Gettable Draft Countdown show starts this morning with interviews of the hottest property, including Will Duursma and them it’s on with the draft later tonight.
GETTABLE DRAFT COUNTDOWN - WEDNESDAY (times in AEDT)
- 9.15am: Cooper Duff-Tytler (Calder Cannons) and Julian Petracca (CDG Sports)
- 9.30am: Cam Nairn (Central District) and Lachie Crnogorac (Phoenix Management)
- 9.45am: Zeke Uwland (Gold Coast Academy) and Dylan Hodge (TGI Sport)
- 10.00am: Jacob Farrow (West Perth) and Luke Morabito (TGI Sport)
- 10.15am: Willem Duursma (Gippsland Power) and Dave Trotter (Hemisphere Management)
- 10.30am: Harry Dean (Murray Bushrangers) and Anthony Panozzo (Hemisphere Management)
- 10.45am: Mick Agresta (Carlton Recruiting Manager)
- 11.00am: Sam Cumming (North Adelaide)