Potential top draft pick Willem Duursma has no issues heading interstate if West Coast Eagles call his name

Potential No.1 draft pick Willem Duursma says he has no concerns moving interstate and believes he could become like Marcus Bontempelli in the AFL. The 193cm 18-year-old is widely tipped to be taken by West Coast with one of the first two selections in next month’s national draft, with his versatility and class around the ball drawing acclaim. Duursma is supremely athletic for his size and could become a key piece of the Eagles’ engine room alongside burgeoning star Harley Reid going forward. And the young Victorian says he has no issues with heading west, stating he just wants to make an impact on the AFL as soon as possible. “Obviously, it would be nice (to go pick one), but to me, at the end of the day, I just want to get into whatever club that I go to and work as hard as I can as soon as I can,” Duursma told SEN. “I really care more about being at the club and making an impact straight away, and I think that’s one of my goals for next year – make an immediate impact wherever I am. “Because I’m a country boy living about two-and-a-half hours away from the city already, I’ve got to move regardless. “Football takes you many places, so I am happy to go wherever. Wherever I am, clubs will do a good job to look after me, so it will sort itself out.” Duursma already has two brothers, Xavier and Zane, in the AFL and his sister Yasmin, who dated Reid, playing AFLW for Carlton. However, Willem is the tallest and said he has tried to model his game on Western Bulldogs superstar Bontempelli. “At my best, I’m your taller midfielder, a (Marcus) Bontempelli-type,” Duursma said. “I’ve got a bit of polish and outside run as well. I do love running both ways, (I play) defensively pretty well. “I take a lot of stuff out of Bontempelli’s game and always try to watch Bulldogs games purely for ‘Bont’. His running patterns and pressure acts are really good, which is something I’ve been trying to improve on all year. “I also take a lot out of Will Day’s game. He’s not exactly the biggest bloke out there, like myself, but his footwork and sidestep is something I try do as well. “I think I’ve got a pretty good sidestep, which is based off (Day’s).” Duursma also had high praise for one of his Vic Country teammates in Harry Dean. West Coast are reportedly eyeing a high bid on the Carlton father-son prospect to aid their key defender stocks after premiership star Jeremy McGovern was forced to retire and Tom Barrass made a move to Hawthorn. Duursma said if he didn’t get selected with the Eagles’ top pick, he thought Dean deserved the honour. “I’d probably say Harry Dean (should go Pick 1), Carlton’s father-son,” he said. “I’ve been playing with him at Vic Country all year, in the backline, he is so competitive. He’s got really good skills for a taller defender, and he just works so hard. “I took a leaf out of his book with the way he works so hard at the game, puts his body on the line all the time – I think it’s something that’s really special.”