Josh Corbett, the VFL forward your AFL club can really do with

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 09: Josh Corbett of Werribee handballs during the round 10 VFL match between Werribee and Port Melbourne at Avalon Airport Oval on June 9, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Josh Corbett is the Victorian Football League (VFL) forward that every AFL club should be going after right now.

The contested-marking, spring-heeled beast of Werribee, he is all set to become 2018’s version of Bayley Fritsch, Liam Ryan and Tim Kelley.

As many as 4 AFL recruiters have already had a talk with him, while the i50 management came out on top in a competitive race for his signing. If sources are to be believed, the 22 year old is a top-30 draft prospect.

Amazing statistics

It can be safely stated, without any exaggeration that Josh Corbett has indeed taken the VFL by storm this year. A product of the North Warrnambool, he’s 190 cm tall and is right up at the front in the State League when it comes to marks inside 50 (4.1) and contested marks (3.4 per game). His score of 8.2 marks in total per week puts him in the second position among all forwards. There is just one non-AFL-listed players, Jordan Lisle who averages more than 2.6 goals of Corbett.

Considering the kind of fitness freak he is, it won’t be surprising if he uses all new age digital technologies (like health and fitness wearables) to stay in good shape. Talking to the press, John Lamont, the coach at Werribee said that he’s been hearing all the hype but considering that the player Josh Corbett is, it’s understandable why he is on everyone’s radar. Corbett is into his 3^rd year with the Werribee, and has started maturing with time, gaining the ability to link the games together.

He further said, “I don’t know about where he sits in the pecking order … but if you’re at our games, you might be like, ‘Jesus, who marked that? He was five deep, that bloke, when he marked that. Then 30 minutes later, you’ll say ‘Who marked that? It was No.32 again and he’s come flying in from the side’.”

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA – JUNE 24: Werribee coach John Lamont speaks to his team during a quarter time break during the 2017 VFL round 10 match between the Footscray Bulldogs and the Werribee Tigers at Whitten Oval on June 24, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Corbett is being projected as a ‘third tall’ at the next level. His good work rate (with GPS data clocking him at around 14 km per game) will come in pretty handy there. As per Lamont, Corbett’s running capacity will increase considerably in an AFL system, provided that he is able to take good care of his health and recover from the glandular fever completely.

Recruiters already started the hunt for him last season after his health improved, alongside a three-week stretch wherein he kicked 5 goals and nabbed 10 contested marks.

His marking ability has been his strength for a very long time now, even though he had a hard time getting opportunities at North Ballarat Rebels. His amazing effort when he was just 17 years old and took 20 marks on one chilly night in a Hamden League senior match is still talked about by everyone at North Warrnambool.

Michael Harrison, the ex-North Warrnambool President said, “I’ll never forget that night – it was unbelievable. I can’t say enough about him. He can be anywhere in a pack and he’ll be able to mark the ball. He’s one hell of a kid, he comes from a really good family and the way he looks at life is fantastic. He’s always been willing to learn and do a bit extra.”