Essendon-mad SA draft prospect's willingness to play interstate

Top 10 draft prospect Dyson Sharp has built a strong CV in his draft year.

The South Australian talent comes highly-touted following a stellar National Championships, awarded the Larke Medal as the best player of the series in his side's triumph.

Former winners of the Larke Medal include Will Ashcroft (2022), Sam Walsh (2019) and Christian Petracca (2014), with emerging talents Leo Lombard and Harvey Langford taking out the medal in the two years past.

Delivering a personal sales pitch, the Central District midfielder expressed that his leadership remains a standout quality.

“(I am) a big competitor, love winning, love being around a team environment and the group," Sharp told SEN SA's The Run Home.

“Love to connect with heaps of people, I’ve been noted as quite a good leader which I think is a really good quality as a footballer. I love to take lead and get around as many people as I can and play some pretty consistent football. Try to get as many wins on the board and have fun doing it.

“There’s not really much else to it; just enjoy playing footy with my mates and getting wins on the board.”

Despite captaining the SA side, Sharp did not grow up following an Adelaide-based club, revealing his staunch support for a Victorian giant who - coincidentally - hold two picks within the top 10.

Sharp stated: “I was an Essendon supporter, still am!”

With just a matter of weeks until the National Draft, Sharp has spoken with all but one AFL club, with significant interest from a range of teams across the country.

“Since the combine, (I've interviewed with) pretty much all of them,” Sharp revealed.

“I haven’t spoken to one club – I don’t think I’ve spoken to Brisbane – but apart from that I’ve had interviews with most. Some just small 20-minute ones that I’ve had at the Combine, and then I’ve had a couple at home, at cafes and on Zoom, that kind of stuff.

“Been fortunate enough to speak to most clubs – 17, just haven’t got around to Brisbane but they’ve got some pretty good Academy picks anyway.”

Given neither Adelaide nor Port Adelaide hold picks inside the top 10, likelihood would suggest that the talented midfielder will be selected by an interstate club.

As it stands, just six clubs share the top echelon of selections, and given West Coast holds picks one and two, Victoria seems a likely landing spot for Sharp as Richmond, Essendon, Melbourne, Carlton and Hawthorn hold picks three through 11.

Speaking on the prospect of moving interstate, Sharp explained that each club has done their due diligence in exploring the teenager's willingness to venture away from home.

“They ask questions about how you are with your family and if you’ve got a girlfriend – which in my case, I do – is she going to move over, how your sisters are going to go, that sort of stuff. Some clubs straight up ask, do you want to go home. If you have three years in our footy club, will you get home sick – that kind of stuff,” he said.

“It’s hard to answer those questions when you don’t really know. I’ve never really left home for longer than two weeks on holidays, so it’s hard to give an answer when you could move over there and make a life out of it and be really good, or it could be the opposite effect, and you could want to go home pretty easily.”

Despite the unknown, Sharp remains committed to whichever club is willing to take the punt, open to moving wherever he may land.

“The clubs are really good at keeping you connected with your families and friends back home. You look at guys like Shannon Hurn, who have actually made a life over in Perth and stuff like that.

“Having those people to talk to and having those as examples… moving interstate for me isn’t too much of a worry. I’ll just cross that bridge when it happens, if it does happen.”

The 2025 AFL Draft takes place on November 19 and 20.