Margaret River product Kade Dittmar stars as South West draft hopefuls turn out for trial game

Margaret River Hawks product Kade Dittmar has rubber-stamped his AFL draft credentials, with a best-on-ground showing in a trial game between the State under-19s and 17s. Six South West products featured in the hit out at Revo Fitness Stadium, with Dittmar, a big-bodied midfielder standing out as the best of the lot. Former Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault Lion Brady Hough and Busselton’s Jye Amiss and James Tunstill also featured for the State 19s as their preparation continues for November’s national draft, while Jackson Broadbent and Connor Carbone both played for the under-17s side. Dittmar sneaked forward from the first contest in midfield and marked inside 50 to kick the first goal of the game. He was easily the best clearance player on the ground, with his size and strength too much for his younger opponents, but typical of a midfielder his size, he rested forward and made the most of his chances inside 50, adding a second goal to his tally. Amiss played mostly as the deepest forward for the 19s side and kicked three goals, all in the second half. The Busselton product’s impressive marking ability was on display, both at home in a contest and at the end of a lead. Tunstill, a prolific ball winner in the colts for East Perth, started strongly in the middle, but his day was cut short by an ankle injury. For the 17s, Broadbent battled hard, sharing the ruck duties for the younger side, while Carbone also featured on the ball at times.