WA amateur looms as smoky in AFL draft
A Mt Lawley amateur player who opted out of WAFL ranks after a season with Swan Districts colts in 2013 has emerged as a potential AFL draft bolter after being asked to train at Essendon.
Charles Lill, who played 19 games as a centre half-forward for Swans colts in 2013, was asked to train with the Bombers after a stellar season at centre half-back with Mt Lawley's A-grade amateur team.
_The West Australian _contacted Lill yesterday but he replied via text that he was unable to comment and referred questions to Essendon, who confirmed he was training with them.
Mt Lawley president Gary Formica described 19-year-old Lill as a "quality young man".
"He is the best junior to come through our club in years and I really rate the young man," Formica said.
"It won't surprise me if they grab him because he is one of the best young players to come through this club and I have been here since 1978."
Daniel Spencer, who coached Lill at Swans in 2013, said he was a highly skilled player who had work to do on his mobility when he coached him.
"I thought he was a really talented player," Spencer said.
"He played at centre half- forward for us and was very good off both sides of his body. He had good leading patterns and he was a good contested mark."
Spencer said Lill had made an early start to training for the 2014 season but was also playing grade cricket with the University club and decided to play amateurs when cricket and football training started clashing.
Swans retained him on their supplementary list in 2014.
Formica said Lill played mainly at centre half-back at Mt Lawley but had adapted well when asked to play different roles.
"He is smart, he moves well. He has got discipline and that means he is a kid who is capable of going further," Formica said.
Lill comes from a successful sporting family with links spanning three States. He is the son of former Claremont and West Perth defender Simon Lill, and the grandson of South Australian cricketer and Norwood league footballer John Lill, who was also Melbourne Cricket Club secretary between 1983 and 2000.
Charles is also the great grandson of Alick Lill, a Norwood player who shared the 1925 Magarey Medal with Port Adelaide's Peter Bampton.
Swans could have another draft smoky as speculation mounts that North Melbourne have plans for Ethan Hughes. North flew teenager Hughes to Melbourne for testing last week.
Hughes, 19, played the final two games of the season for Swans after crossing from Peel earlier in the season. It was his first year of WAFL football, having previously played for Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault in the South West Football League.
