Josh Dolan Draft Profile – Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central (formerly AFL Draft Central)

SNAPSHOT: “A tenacious and creative midfielder-forward who has flown under the radar but has a high internal rating.” — Michael Alvaro

Behind the fanfare of Sandringham Dragons’ list of top talent comes Josh Dolan, one of the most underrated prospects in the draft. The diminutive midfielder-forward missed out on the Coates Talent League this year due to a torn meniscus, but such was his value to the team that he was already a premiership player last year as a lower-age player.

Dolan, one of the Dragons’ regular winners, also helped Brighton Grammar School to the APS title this year and played three of the four games as Vic Metro won the national under-18 championship. Both sides remained undefeated. He played an important role in the exciting championship decider, scoring two goals from 10 touches and five points.

Even though his star rose in 2024, Dolan had to work hard to earn representative honors. He was not included in Vic Metro squads until the under-16s or 17s and played just six Coates Talent League games as a lower-age player, although one of them was the 2023 Grand Final. He was looking to build on that number this year before being sidelined by injury.

Dolan’s best form came in his last two games for Sandringham. He entered the National Championship on the back of a season-best 28 disposals, six from 50 and one goal against the Giants Academy in Round 5, then went down with 26 touches, six from 50 and a goal against the Northern Knights in Round 14 -th round. He has won a major in every CTL game this year, including three in the first round.

PLAYER FEATURES: