Leek Alleer leaps higher than Nic Nat and into draft reckoning

SANFL coach Paul Thomas says mature-age prospect Leek Alleer will develop “exponentially” in the AFL system if he is taken in the upcoming draft.

Alleer, who fled war-torn South Sudan with his mother and sister when he was six, has skyrocketed into second-round calculations after an eye-catching campaign for Central District as an intercept-marking defender.

The 20-year-old’s freakish athleticism was on display on Saturday, when he broke the running vertical jump record with ease in South Australia’s combine. Alleer recorded 107-centimetre, shattering the previous record of 103cm set by North Melbourne’s Kyron Hayden. Nic Naitanui previously held the mark with 102cm.

Draft prospect Leek Alleer. Credit:Cory Sutton

Thomas, who worked in development for Adelaide before taking the reins at Central District in the SANFL, notes that Alleer’s emergence has only just begun given he was sidelined in 2019 — his draft year — with both a broken fibula and dislocated ankle.

“He missed 18 months of footy, which means he probably wasn’t training a lot either,” Thomas said. “Getting extra craft will exponentially help him develop his kick, even his aerial presence, but then to stick those marks … exponential growth.

“Having been in the AFL system as a coach, you see the repetition they get, the extra time they get to develop their craft. That really is a difference and separates those in the AFL from the state leagues, the time they get to develop their craft.”

Alleer had been trialled as a forward and on the wing as a top-age player in the under-19 competition last year, but senior coaches at Central District soon identified his potential as a defender.

“I didn’t come across him until I took over as head coach at Centrals this year,” Thomas said.

“His body was pretty sound, and we saw him across the summer in drills that weren’t designed for any other purpose than team principles, and he excelled in defence pressing, making intercept plays, spoiling and numbering off. We saw that as a potential asset for us as a defender with his speed, reach, and ability to make that play.”

Giant leap: Leek Alleer, right, takes a mark. Credit:David Mariuz

Alleer was thrown into the deep end in his senior SANFL debut after being assigned in-form Sturt forward Ash Johnson, who Collingwood recruited in the mid-season draft only a week-and-a-half later.

“[Johnson] was tearing it up a bit in the SANFL with his speed and athleticism, and Leek was able to manage and nullify that in his first game,” Thomas said.

Though Alleer is seen as a peel-off defender in the mould of players like Jake Lever, Aliir Aliir and Tom Doedee, his ability to adapt, to shut down roles is also appealing to club recruiters.

“A few weeks [after his debut], he had to learn to play differently on the spot. He had to shut down and play as a checking defender given that the opposition were moving the ball a bit too fast. He probably didn’t have a great first quarter, took the feedback on board from our backs coach and learnt pretty fast. You talk about his athleticism and his speed, but his ability to adapt and execute quickly shows that he’s a very intelligent young man.”

Alleer spoke to reporters in Adelaide on Saturday and said being drafted would have a positive impact on both his family and Australia’s Sudanese community.

“My mum, she’s been through a lot and has stuck with me throughout everything,” he said. “Just looking back at where she came from, the things that she had to go through to give us this opportunity at life, I think it would mean a lot to her.

“I want to be a role model and I want to show a lot of the kids in my community, my family, my siblings in particular, whatever you put your mind to, you can achieve it if you work hard.”

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