AFL Draft: South Fremantle midfielder Fred Rodriguez shines, Kane Bevan puts hand up as mature-age prospect

Classy South Fremantle midfielder Fred Rodriguez has pushed his case as a first-round prospect with a strong performance in a losing effort for Western Australia’s under-18 championship side. Rodriguez was the stand-out midfielder for the Black Swans in their 97-point trial match loss to a WAFL under-21 representative side at Fremantle Community Bank Oval on Saturday morning. It comes as West Perth’s Kane Bevan pushed his case for an AFL berth as a mature-age recruit with a best-on-ground performance for the under-21 team in the 21.11 (137) to 5.10 (40) victory. Rodriguez looked at home against the bigger bodies of the mature side which featured 11 footballers with league experience. The teenager – who made his league debut for the Bulldogs in round one – showed composure in the contest and racked up several strong clearances. Fellow top draft prospect Cody Curtin was not as prominent, starved of opportunities in attack but managed to take a strong contested mark in the third term from a Rodriguez clearance to kick a valuable goal. It was a tough outing for the WA under-18 side who were missing at least half a dozen of their first-choice players because of injury. Bevan stole the show though, with the 2022 Jack Clarke medallist standing out amongst rest in front of a strong contingent of recruiters. The 21-year-old – who has become regular at league level for the Falcons – won a heap of clearances and moved through traffic with precision. Bevan kicked two goals in the first term to stamp his authority before running out the game as the best midfielder on the ground to showcase his athletic strengths. Claremont forward Sam van Rooyen – the younger brother of Melbourne’s Jacob – also stood out with his athleticism up forward. The 20-year-old kicked five goals and was a presence around the ground, showing the traits which had him train on at Fremantle previously. South Fremantle forward Chase Bourne also hit the scoreboard with three goals, while East Fremantle spearhead Jack Cocking looked good with two in the second term. West Coast next generation academy prospect Wes Walley produced one of the highlights of the first term, laying a strong rundown tackle up forward before finishing the set shot. SCOREBOARD U21 5.3, 10.6, 14.9, 20.11 (137) U18 2.4, 3.5, 4.7, 5.10 (40) Goals – U21: S van Rooyen 5 C Bourne 3 K Bevan 2 J Cocking 2 D Roberts 2 L Yeo J Cleaver C Burke A Caldow L Kickett L Ravenhill. U18: C Banfield C Curtin B Hart W Walley T Williams. Best – U21: K Bevan S van Rooyen C Bourne T Bell A Caldow C Burke S Royle. U18: F Rodriguez C Banfield H Walker K LeCras T Williams.