James Willis was taken at pick 32 in the 2021 AFL Draft by Geelong, he was recruited from North Adelaide.
He plays as a midfielder type, he currently stands at 181cm, 76kg.
Full Draft coverage: 2021 AFL Draft: All the Picks
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Geelong selected the midfielder despite a late season knee injury in the SANFL in 2021, he had damaged some cartilage along with a meniscal tear & partial ACL damage.
Willis was ecstatic at being selected by the Cats.
“In my last game, I landed on it weirdly and after that it hurt really badly,”
“I thought that was my hopes down the drain,”
“It’s still a bit sore, but I’m getting there”
“But once I heard my name, I was just so excited.” Willis said.
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Willis averaged 24.3 Disposals, 5.1 Marks & 4.7 Tackles in the SANFL U18s in 2021.
Fantasy Impact: James Willis is a powerful inside midfielder that should be able to have a high impact at AFL level, he’ll continue through his knee rehabilitation with the hopes of joining full training early in the new year.
Willis has a high clearance rate at stoppages, he reads the play well & can hit the scoreboard.
The short term fantasy prospects for Willis appear to be limited, Geelong will be patient with a rookie coming off a knee injury. The Cats also currently have excellent midfield depth.
The longer term fantasy prospects could be noteworthy, once he develops & builds a big tank it is expected he will play as an inside midfielder as his primary role.
Willis is likely a pass in season long fantasy at Round 1, it is worth tracking his rehab progress & his integration at the lower level in 2022 for future scoring ability & any potential debut.
He’s a pass in single season draft leagues.
Willis is worth targeting in dynasty leagues right after high priority selections, the long term payoff could be very good with an expected inside midfield role.
2021 AFL Draft Top 10
1. Jason Horne-Francis (Nth Melbourne)
2. Sam Darcy (Western Bulldogs)
3. Finn Callaghan (GWS Giants)
4. Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
5. Mac Andrew (Gold Coast)
6. Josh Rachele (Adelaide)
7. Josh Ward (Hawthorn)
8. Jye Amiss (Fremantle)
9. Josh Gibcus (Richmond)
10. Neil Erasmus (Fremantle)
Full Draft coverage: 2021 AFL Draft: All the Picks
Article by: @aflratingsPete
Source: AFL Geelong
Image credit: Geelong
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