East Perth coach Ross McQueen ‘100 per cent’ hopes defender Jake Soutar gets AFL mid-season draft opportunity

Ross McQueen could be forgiven for being conflicted with Jake Soutar’s rise into contention for the mid-season draft, but “100 per cent” of the East Perth coach is hoping an AFL club takes a chance on his teenage defender. On Friday, The West Australian revealed the 190cm 19-year-old had emerged as a shock bolter for Tuesday’s draft, drawing interest from North Melbourne despite having played only a handful of games at WAFL league level. Soutar was among the best for a WAFL under-20 side in their clash with WA’s under-18s last week and backed up with a standout performance in the Royals’ shock 39-point win over Claremont on Saturday, starring with 20 disposals and six marks in what was just his seventh senior State league appearance. Giving AFL clubs the chance to pluck players midway through the season has proven far from universally popular within the WAFL, but McQueen said no part of him begrudged players like Soutar getting an opportunity to graduate to the top level. “I’d love for him to get a chance. That’s every kid’s dream,” McQueen said. “If that’s the case and he gets an opportunity, I think it’s a great thing for these young blokes. They put a lot of work in to WAFL footy — it’s a big commitment, we ask a lot — and if they can get that opportunity, I think it’s good news. “It’s interesting — you’re not quite sure what every club’s looking for, every club’s a bit different. “He’s a very coachable young man, he’s brave and he reads the game really well for us as a defender. Whether that can translate to the next level and keep growing — it may even be in a different role — he’s really shown that he belongs at our level.” The Royals’ defence shut down the ladder leaders’ tall forward trio of Jaiden Hunter, Sam van Rooyen and Kieran Gowdie, who came into the game having combined for 34 goals across the season but contributed only one against the Royals. McQueen said Soutar had more than played his part in their back-line’s brilliant showing. “They’ve got some real weapons up front. His intercept possessions in the third quarter were elite and really set us up. He was great,” he said. “He keeps growing, that’s game (No.7) now for him. He’s willing to learn, (defensive coach) Mick Gladwell’s doing a ripping job with him.”