Claremont Colts coach Ricki Smith says young gun Charlie Banfield has bolstered his draft stocks after piecing together a solid finals campaign, which saw Claremont claim a threepeat.
The 18-year-old father-son prospect starred in the 55-point win over South Fremantle at Optus Stadium last Sunday, claiming the Mel Whinnen Medal for a best on ground performance.
Banfield finished on 28 disposals, nine inside 50s and two goals in a sensational display, capping off an impressive body of work in the finals where he averaged 27 disposals across four games.
As the focus turns to the National AFL Draft, Smith says Banfield’s finals showing has done well to answer questions doubters may have had.
“If you look at his performance through the final series, he contributed every game and really started to find his way,” he said.
“A lot of people probably have had some question marks over Charlie and his development, but he’s grown so much and is learning to play that position inside as well.
“One thing he’s really good at is putting his head over it, and he just topped it off on Sunday with his performance.
“He led from the front, brought from the start of the game and up against a pretty good opposition inside. I think he did his chances, no harm whatsoever.”
Claremont qualified for the decider the hard way, after playing all four weeks of finals to have a shot at the Colts’ flag and keep their premiership streak alive.
Despite being reigning premiers, Claremont wore the underdogs title, with South Fremantle on fresher legs, having played one week of finals and boasting the likes of State 18s captain Fred Rodriguez and Jack Clarke medallist Toby Whan in its line-up.
With PSA and state representation duties disrupting the team’s chemistry, he says doing it the harder way worked out better for the side in the long run.
“The midfield group hadn’t played together in that first week of the finals. We knew there was going to be some stuff that they had to get right, and the connection wasn’t right there,” he said
“Having to go the long way around and getting to play the three games together, it put us in a really good position. We knew we were only going to get better in that grand final.
“Our run and ability to take the game on really shone out, and that put us in a really good position. There’s no doubt that playing three games and South only playing one in five weeks put us in a strong position.
Banfield was one of 11 18-year-olds who featured in the weekend’s side, with nine 17-year-olds, including brother Harper, also named in the squad.
Nine members of the state Under-18s squad, plus one train-on, also came from Claremont, and with numbers like this, one would expect them to be the favourites in the Colts’ decider.
With three flags to his name and numerous players he mentored seeing success at AFL or state level, Smith, who decided to step down as Colts coach five weeks ago, says the club’s future is in a strong position.
“It’s definitely a passion of mine coaching, and I really like to connect with the players, but it takes a lot of time when you’re balancing your business and coaching and all the other sides of it, it’s not easy,” he says.
“I think the club’s in a great position, and there’s a lot of players that will come through next year and really allow that program to continue to grow and be strong.
“I feel good about it. What’s next is open for discussion, but I’ll wait and see what takes place. I’d like to have a year off. I’ve got a couple of trips booked next year, and I’ll be watching from the sidelines.”
IMAGE: Michael Farrell