A BACK injury sidelined Caleb Marchbank for most of 2013, but he made up for lost time with a promising draft season.
Marchbankplayed the first two games of the Murray Bushrangers' TAC Cup seasonlast year and in the second encounter was kneed in the back. It left himwith stress fractures, and kept him out of action for six months.
Along rehabilitation process meant Marchbank entered this season feelingconfident in his body, and he was able to piece together an impressiveblock of form in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships for Vic Country.
Hewon All Australian honours, and was hoping to carry that form into theend of the TAC Cup season before a knee injury ruled him out of the endof the season.
He missed the national combine with the injury but is expected to be back running by the time of November's draft.
He'sversatile. Marchbank played much of his junior career as a wingman,including the under-16 championships, but grew a bit and became a mobiledefender.
That's where he played his bestfooty for Vic Country, although he did push forward at times to markwell on the lead and read the ball nicely in the air.
Becauseof his size (193cm/85kg) and ability to move across the ground, someclubs view him as a tall midfielder at the next level. With his ballhandling, smarts and strong marking, you can't pigeonhole Marchbank intoone spot.
Hisversatility and size can be looked upon in the opposite way, with someclubs wondering whether he will be tall enough to hold down a keydefensive post.
He's also not overly quick offthe mark, but counters that by being able to read the play well and getahead, in front or around opponents.
Themain issue, though, has nothing to do with his talent or size but moreabout exposed form. Over two years Marchbank hasn't played all that muchfooty.
Being able to switch to either end makes Marchbank a valuable prospect, and of a similar mould to Collingwood's Ben Reid.
Marchbank is likely to fit somewhere in the first 15 picks, and he has many suitors.
Despitehis injuries and limited exposure over the last two seasons, Marchbankhas strong appeal. He's a flexible, strong-marking player who can beused at both ends of the ground. There aren't too many prospects who cando it as well as him in this pool.
