‘I’ve never wanted to lose a hitout’: Meet teenage goliath and hot draft prospect Harry Van Hattum

Harry Van Hattum believes the critics who think ruckmen are overrated have it all wrong.

The most common argument is how most AFL premiers this century operated with a bargain-basement big man, with all-time greats Max Gawn (2021) and Dean Cox (2006) the obvious exceptions.

Van Hattum – a 205-centimetre teenage goliath who could be a top-five selection at next week’s draft – sees it very differently, particularly while tracking the steep rise of Fremantle’s ruck dynamo Luke Jackson.

A 19-year-old Jackson, playing as Gawn’s ruck sidekick back then, was a key reason Melbourne swung that year’s grand final in their favour. Now a Docker, Jackson joined Gawn in the 2026 All-Australian team – and the former understudy helped Fremantle reach the grand final.

“I think ruckmen are super important,” Van Hattum told this masthead.

“Every game, the ruckman’s the first person who gets their hands on the ball. The ruckman’s the biggest, most physical guy on the ground, so I think they’re crucial to every AFL team.

“But Jackson is insane. Not many ruckmen have the ability to follow up, and have the agility and ability to get around the ground like he does. His skills and the stuff that he does are pretty unreal. I’ve modelled my game on him and I pride myself on the same stuff.”

“I’ve never wanted to lose a hit out, a marking contest, or anything, so I take that into everything I do, which is probably the biggest part of my game.”

Harry Van Hattum

The league’s recruiters have the chance late next week to show whether they agree. Van Hattum, who spent his draft year studying Jackson’s every on-field move, is the test case.

Richmond have two top-five picks, and a long-term ruck need, even after signing ex-Giant Kieren Briggs in free agency, while Melbourne hold selections four and 14, so could jump in before the Tigers’ second pick while considering life after Gawn.

Van Hattum, whose family own 20 acres in Kangaroo Ground, a semi-rural township north-east of Melbourne, is the latest ruck prospect slapped with the “generational” tag.

The Northern Knights product’s enormous frame, physicality, athleticism and exceptional kicking skills have combined to make him hot draft property.

He credits Sydney Swan Jesse Dattoli’s father, Vinny, for his kicking prowess. Dattoli snr not only coaches Northern Football League club Heidelberg, but also runs private skills sessions.

“He’s changed my whole style – my ball drop, and pretty much everything,” Van Hattum said.

“I was never a terrible kick, but it was always something I wanted to improve on. Working with Vinny is where my elite kicking skills came from. I’ve been smashing fundamentals with him ever since I was like 12, 13 years old.”

It is not unheard of for a club to draft a ruckman in the top 10, but it isn’t common, either.

West Coast used pick four last year on Van Hattum’s friend Cooper Duff-Tytler, although he is more of a ruck-forward than a specialist ruckman.

Jackson was the No.3 selection in 2019, while Matthew Kreuzer (No.1, 2007), Nic Naitanui (No.2, 2008) and Billy Longer (No.8, 2011) are other relatively recent examples.

Brodie Grundy and Tim English were top-20 choices, but the likes of Gawn, Tristan Xerri, Tom De Koning, Darcy Cameron and Lloyd Meek were all down the order.

Van Hattum has got to know Kreuzer, who is a football coach at his school, Ivanhoe Grammar.

“Matty Kreuzer obviously went pick one, which is pretty rare, and I want to try and go as high as I can and change that a little bit,” he said. “Playing in the AFL is my absolute dream, wherever I end up.”

Van Hattum also has the nasty streak that recruiters love from key-position and ruck prospects. But he admits he has had to learn to harness it the right way.

“I’m naturally super-competitive. I’ve had to tone that down a little bit,” he said.

“I’ve never wanted to lose a hit out, a marking contest, or anything, so I take that into everything I do, which is probably the biggest part of my game.

“I sometimes got caught up in it in school footy and took it a bit too far, and lost track of the footy, which becomes a disadvantage to my team. I had some chats with my dad and coaches, and I’ve done a better job balancing that this year.”

Van Hattum hopes to make an instant impact in the AFL. He is already counting down the days to facing off in the centre with Gawn, Jackson and Grundy, another ruck star he is likened to.

“They’re all greats of the game,” he said.

“Maxy Gawn has nine All-Australian blazers, so that’d be awesome to go up against him. Hopefully, in a few years’ time, I’ll get a bit stronger, a bit more explosive, and be able to beat them one day. I’ll try not to be intimidated, but it’ll be a huge challenge.”

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.