West Coast draftee Cooper Duff-Tytler ready to spread his wings in the AFL as next generational Eagles ruckman

Cooper Duff-Tytler has only been an Eagle for just over a fortnight, yet he’s already been dubbed an athletic “freak” with an incredible football brain by a West Coast teammate. There is widespread excitement among the faithful that the 201cm footballer from the Calder Cannons will be the next star ruckman to don the blue and gold, following in the footsteps of modern-day greats Nic Naitanui and Dean Cox. And all signs early at Lathlain point to a bright future for the 18-year-old, who has already displayed his remarkable athleticism and skills which defy his height. Eagles spearhead Jake Waterman has only needed a few training sessions to know that Duff-Tytler will be comfortable at AFL level in any role. “He is just a freak. He’s got that basketball background which gets thrown around a fair bit. When you say basketball, their feet just move 25 per cent faster,” Waterman told The West Australian. “He’s really smart. I haven’t had too many chats with him about footy, he just picks everything up straight away. He’s a quick learner. “Some of his behind-the-goal footage, his forward craft is pretty natural. We know he can play in the ruck; we’ve seen him play in the ruck all year. “If he can come in the forward line, have good craft, compete and be quick, now we’ve got five on the bench in the AFL, there’s much more flexibility in that department. “I’ve got no doubt we’ll see him at AFL level next year. It’s just when and that’s sort of up to him and it’s up to a few other guys because there’s positions there to be taken.” The Victorian teenager is set to start his AFL career as a forward-ruck as he develops a body to cope with the rigours of the big league. Duff-Tytler has shown he is more than capable in attack, kicking three goals on VFL debut for Essendon earlier this year and he has looked comfortable as a third tall in ball movement drills. It has put him in contention - alongside the likes of Bailey Williams, Archer Reid and Jack Williams - to fill that forward-ruck role next year as the Eagles’ rebuild begins to make significant strides. Duff-Tytler has drawn comparisons to another star footballer in WA, with many pointing to Fremantle’s Luke Jackson as the model he can replicate. And the young man from Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School is happy to wear the moniker of “unicorn”, which has been handed to Jackson. But he wants to pick aspects of several players’ games to ensure he becomes the best footballer possible. “Luke Jackson and Tom De Koning, you try to pull stuff out of their game that you can put into yours, as well as Riley Thilthorpe. There is not one player you want to play exactly like, it’s multiple players you try to pull what you can out of their game and stuff that you need to work on and strengths that you share,” Duff-Tytler said. “My mobility and follow-up work – it’s my biggest strength. Being able to compete in the air but when it gets to ground level, I often think I’ve got an advantage over my opponent in that space. “(Jackson’s) versatility – you see him play midfield, ruck, forward, wherever he is needed. If I can do something like that it’d be good.” Former Melbourne and Fremantle ruckman Jeff White says the new ruck rules to be introduced next year should help a young player like Duff-Tytler thrive in the middle from the outset. From next year, ruckmen will no longer be able to cross the centre line before engaging with their opponent at centre ball-ups. This is set to benefit athletic, high-leaping ruckmen such as Duff-Tytler, who no longer must grapple with bigger, stronger men. “They’re so athletic these days and with the new rule coming in, it gives them a little advantage,” White said about draftee ruckmen. “If they come in the system in 2025, when the big rucks can come across the line, it gives them a disadvantage because they push them off in the air. “If you’re mobile around the ground, you’re smart and you can read the play well, you can get off your man a little bit. But certainly the one-on-one contest around the ground is where they’re challenged. But that’s part of learning, it’s part of using your feet. “The size is something that’s challenging for young rucks that come into the competition. But they find their way, they learn and after two or three pre-seasons they get a bit of fitness to them.” White said the dynamic, “two-way” ruckmen such as Duff-Tytler were what clubs looked for in the modern game, especially now that there are five men on the bench. “That’s what it’s definitely moving towards and it’s what recruiters are definitely looking for too. Someone who is dynamic, someone who can play two ways, sometimes three ways,” he said. “You add a little bit of danger down there for opposition backs, it can be really critical. “And then be that mobile option like a midfielder, it is a good starting point for young kids coming through.”