Harry Sheezel is the Round 1 Rising Star nominee after a spectacular debut in North Melbourne’s gusty win against West Coast at Marvel Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Surprisingly playing across half-back after a decorated junior career playing primarily as a dangerous small forward, the first-gamer made the position his own with 34 possessions and nine marks, while also rebounding from defensive 50 on eight occasions.
His kicking skills, as well as his ability to read the play, were obvious, and while there have been some question marks over his athleticism and straight line speed, it looks as though his natural game sense will overcome those concerns.
Sheezel was drafted by the Kangas with pick 3 in last year’s national draft, and came via the AFL Academy and also the renowned Sandringham Dragons program.
Fairly uniquely amongst high draft picks, though, he did not attend a Private School with a big football program, preferring to stay with his friends at Mount Scopus College, a Jewish school in Melbourne’s inner south-eastern suburbs.
This background has been documented extensively already, especially as he was the subject of antisemitic responses online, as well as a rather unedifying incident on SEN with a regular caller to the breakfast program.
Sheezel has taken this all in his stride, and has spoken about how his grounding playing juniors, and a handful of games in the seniors, at AJAX (an amateur football club in Melbourne) has shown him how much of an inspiration he can be to other young Jewish footballers as they make their own way.
As a junior, Sheezel was well known for his agility and knack for the sublime, kicking multiple goals on numerous occasions whilst also turning defenders inside out with regularity.
At 185 centimetres tall, and with a relatively mature body – which seems the norm amongst teenagers coming into the top league nowadays – he looks set for a full season of senior footy; whilst teams will certainly not allow him the same length leash that the Eagles did on the weekend, if he can continue to read the play well enough, then it will be very difficult to stop him winning the ball across half back, as Nick Daicos did last year.
Unlike Daicos, though, Sheezel won’t have the luxury of playing in a team that wins more than it loses. At the same time, it certainly doesn’t seem like he’s the type of player who will be kept away from the ball too often.
How coach Alastair Clarkson utilises him on a week-to-week basis will be a fascinating watch, as his skills and creativity are much needed in defence, but those same traits would obviously also be welcomed up forward.
‘Clarko’ has historically liked his best users behind the ball, but players with natural goal sense aren’t nearly as common as the commentariat would like you to believe, as evidenced by the chorus of ‘he could kick 60 goals a year as a stay at home forward’ whenever a midfielder kicks two or three goals in a half when operating in the forward 50.
Jack Ziebell and Harry Sheezel of the Kangaroos celebrate. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Chances of winning the Rising Star
Playing in a team that is likely to struggle will hurt slightly, because there will be weeks when it is hard graft for the Kangaroos. Conversely, we can expect him to have plenty of opportunity – not to mention responsibility – to play throughout this season.
Plays Like
I think there’s a bit of Nick Dal Santo about Sheezel, particularly his sure hands and the very neat short-to-medium-range kicking.
There may be some Kangaroos supporters who will scoff at that, but Dal Santo was a three-time All-Australian who played more than games, and was a prime mover in St Kilda’s best teams between 2008 and 2011, before finishing up at North.
Ceiling
Whether Sheezel can move into a full-time midfield role will be more apparent over the coming years. This, combined with his ability to impact forward of centre, will dictate whether his ceiling is a place in the top 50 players in the league… or closer to the top five.
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