Blake Justice: Timing, clean hands and speed. But raw.

There is plenty to like about Blake Justice beyond the Draft Combine sprint time.

His speed will attract attention, but his timing around the contest, awareness and work by hand are what stands out to me the most. He holds his space well, gives himself options and can bring teammates into the game.

For Essendon supporters, there is an added reason to pay attention. Justice is available to the club through its Next Generation Academy.

I think there is an AFL midfielder in the making here. He is still raw physically, and his kicking needs work, but he also has attributes that could give him a start as a forward while the midfield side develops.

Timing that gives him options

The thing I like most about Justice is how well he holds his space.

He doesn’t always rush towards the ball (no bee to the honeypot here) or get drawn into a contest before he needs to. His timing, whether entering a ground-ball contest or presenting to a player with the footy, is really good......

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