What Will He Bring: Jordan Croft

After the fanfare that came with securing young star Ryley Sanders with Pick 6 on Monday night’s National Draft, the Western Bulldogs still had more business to carry out in the first round of the draft, returning nine picks later to further bolster the lineage of father-son prospects that have come through the club in recent years, this time recruiting Jordan Croft, son on Matthew.

Croft’s arrival was always a formality; the Bulldogs had committed to bringing him into the club as a father-son selection during October’s Trade Period. The only question that remained would be when a bid was placed on him. Despite reports of him being ranked just outside the top 10 at this year’s draft, Croft managed to slide all the way to Pick 15, where Sydney eventually placed a bid on Croft. Thanks to the glut of picks that the Bulldogs had acquired during the Trade Period, they were able to comfortably match the bid and secured their second first-round prospect for the night.

THE PLAYER:

Jordan Croft

Height: 201cm Weight: 81kg Position: Key Forward Club: Calder Cannons/Vic Metro

WHAT THEY SAID:

“A tall forward who is lightly built but extremely athletic. He uses his mobility and height to create opportunities as a marking forward, with his speed and precise kicking key features of his game. He only fully focused on a potential AFL career last year after pursuing volleyball.” – AFL Talent Manager Kevin Sheehan

“Father-sons are always exciting for the supporters, but also for us to be able to access another developing tall. I think we’re really blessed as a Club.

“With Jordan’s athleticism, I think he’s going to bring a lot of different attributes to the group that we’ve already got.” – Western Bulldogs National Recruiting Manager Dom Milesi

2023 SEASON:

Having only decided to fully commit to football over volleyball last year, Croft’s second season with the Calder Cannons was a strong follow-up to what he produced in his first campaign. After booting nine goals in as many matches in 2022, Croft improved in almost every metric in 2023, kicking 23 goals in 11 games, as well as averaging 10.2 disposals and 3.5 marks a game, the highlight being a five-goal haul against the Northern Territory.

So good were his performances that they warranted a call-up to the National Championships for Vic Metro. Although Croft was not quite able to replicate the same numbers he displayed while with the Cannons, he did still manage four goals in the three games he played, including a bag of three against South Australia.

To round out his campaign, Croft was invited to the Draft Combine, and further impressed with his athleticism. At the 2km time trial, Croft finished in fourth place with a time of 6:05.

WHAT WILL HE BRING:

Croft has several desirable traits in a player of his size. Aerially, he is more than a competent footballer, both in pack situations and on the lead, but is also very good at ground level as well. Athletic and agile, Croft moves more like a midfielder than a key forward and can become a great player for the Bulldogs in time.

But to figure out what Croft might add to the side, the first order of business that needs to be addressed is figuring out what position he will actually be used in for the Bulldogs. With 23 goals in 11 games in the Coates Talent League, it would seem safe to suggest he’ll continue to ply his trade in the forward line. However, several reports during the off-season have indicated that the Bulldogs plan to deploy Croft in defence. This too makes sense, given his father Matthew was a very reliable full-back for the Bulldogs during much of the 1990s and early 2000s, surely some of those defensive genes have been passed on down to Jordan.

It’s also hard to see Croft getting much of a look in the Bulldogs forward line in 2024 anyway, barring a cataclysmic run of injuries. Aaron Naughton and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan are already down there, and you would expect Rory Lobb to keep his place, as well. Buku Khamis remains waiting in the wings, and what if the Bulldogs decide to commit to Sam Darcy as a forward? That would have Croft at least sixth in line for a game.

Surely Matthew Croft passed on some defensive genes to his son Jordan? Source: Getty Images

Compare that to the stocks the Bulldogs have in defence. Liam Jones was superb last year but will be 33 years old when the season starts. Alex Keath is starting to slow down and he will start the season at 32 years of age. Ryan Gardner was in and out of the side last year, James O’Donnell could develop into a fine player but isn’t ready to do it all on his own, while Jedd Busslinger is still yet to make his debut. Croft probably isn’t a walk-up start for a Round 1 debut at this stage, but on the surface, it looks like there will be more opportunities for him in defence to start his career.

Also, at just 81kg, it’s clear that he’ll need to build his frame if he wants to become a consistent AFL player, and the Bulldogs’ wealth of talls will mean that he’ll be fair way behind in the pecking order, which will hurt his chances of game time early on in his career, but it also means that he’ll be afforded the luxury of being able to learn and develop in the system without being rushed into the senior side and needing to perform straight away.