Marsh a gamble worth taking
Key forward Jonathon Marsh is one of the most intriguing recent draft prospects.
Hailing from Margaret River, the grandson of East Fremantle legend Ray Sorrell stands at 192cm and has unnatural pace for a player his size.
But despite starring as a forward for WA this season, there are questions on whether he is tall enough to play the position at the elite level.
And if he can't play forward, is he smart enough to play in the midfield?
The fear of the unknown is likely to see Marsh slide down the draft order when recruiters gather on the Gold Coast for tomorrow's national draft, but with a highlight reel to rival those of Lance Franklin and Jack Darling, clubs may be kicking themselves if they're not brave enough to punt on the electrifying young prospect.
Fremantle are considering selecting the fleet-footed big man at pick No.17, but at this stage it is more likely he would land in the second round of the draft, somewhere between picks 21 and 35.
After speaking to clubs at last month's draft combine, Marsh said he would be happy to play anywhere as long as he's given the opportunity.
"I had a couple (of clubs) saying 'we wouldn't mind seeing you as a big midfielder' or 'we like how you play forward' or 'we'd like to see you dashing off half-back', so it was pretty mixed," he said.
"Then I had some clubs saying I was too risky to take on board, so there were a lot of mixed messages.
"I really haven't had any club that says they're really too keen on me, so come November 21 I'm still going to be really nervous.
"There's no sure spot for me, I don't reckon, so we'll just have to wait. Hopefully I get the opportunity."
Marsh's breakout game this season came against the Northern Territory at Brownes Stadium in June, where he used his pace to chalk up four goals from 22 disposals.
East Fremantle colts coach Mark Foster was the first to move Marsh forward, half because he saw him as a difficult match-up and half out of necessity.
"We had a lot of midfielders this year so he was forced forward in a way," Foster said.
Foster said while he could see Marsh succeeding in the AFL as a forward, the potential to move positions should be seen as a positive rather than a negative.
"Most guys that get drafted this year will know exactly where they're going to play… whereas Marshy is still up in the air," he said.
"The fact is that he's got that freakish ability that people really like but nobody knows where he fits in at the moment.
"He's got the right work rate and work ethic behind him but he's still such a raw athlete."
Marsh said he knew he still had plenty of work to do to make it at the next level.
The first step, he says, is to stop relying so much on his speed.
"I'd like to slow down and be a quick decision maker rather than just get the ball and run, run, run," he said.
"To get the ball, sort out what I'd like to do with it and dispose of it efficiently is probably the next step in my game."
