Marcus Krasnadamskis was not on a Coates League list at the start of 2025.
Not until February did he even register to play local footy, as basketball was prioritised given his prodigious talent in that sport had him in considerations of American colleges.
Nine months later, he could be on an AFL list.
The AFL National Draft is set to take place from Wednesday 19 November, with the first round to take place on that night, the rest of the National Draft on 20 November and the rookie and pre-season drafts, with Krasnadamskis likely to be selected on Thursday night.
He has been heavily linked to Western Bulldogs’ pick 33, with the Dogs currently having Tim English as their primary ruck and the untried Lachie Smith – a Bunyip junior – the only other ruck on their list.
Krasnadamskis has also been linked to West Coast and is understood to have spoken to eight AFL clubs since bursting onto the scene mid-year for Eastern Ranges.
The Ranges, based in Kilsyth, had him on their books in the 2024 season, but he did not play a game of footy at any level last season before playing four Under-19s games for Berwick this season, which laid the foundation for his strong Coates League form.
“We tracked him from afar and when we got wind he was back playing, we didn’t even send a recruiter out to watch him, we just made the phone call to bring him in and see what he could do,” Eastern Ranges Talent Lead Danny Ryan said,
“When we had that conversation, I’ll always remember the massive smile on his face.
“He was so excited to get the opportunity and then when the opportunity came for him to play, I think he had an even bigger smile on his face.”
There is a stigma among people in the football industry that players with a basketball background tend to bring an athletic base but lack the physicality or combativeness to compete.
Speaking to Pakenham Gazette earlier in 2025, Krasnadamskis said it was therefore a major focus of his season.
“I want to show that I’m not just this kid coming from basketball; I can play football too,” Krasnadamskis said.
“A big one for me is physicality, I want to bring a lot more of that because I am quite skinny but I’m not afraid to use my body.
“And I want to show I can pick the ball up off the ground because I’ve played a lot of midfield so I can be a ground-level presence.
“It’s been confronting this year but not in a bad way: it’s getting real.
“It’s starting to become more evident that I may have a chance of getting drafted and that’s a big thing for me.
“I can’t thank the boys enough for trusting me to come back again and allowing me to show my abilities and be the player I am.”
The Ranges believe the teenager who lives in Emerald and models his game on Fremantle’s Luke Jackson has the traits to succeed at AFL level.
Further strengthening his stocks, Krasnadamskis blitzed the AFL Draft State Combine in October, coming second in the 20-metre sprint with a run of 2.887 seconds, and fourth in both the standing and running vertical jumps, with leaps of 74cm and 88cm respectively.
“He’s a really untapped talent because he plays on natural instinct and has a step like a smaller midfielder,” Ryan said.
“He’s an excitement machine at his size and you see his basketball background come out when he gets the ball in traffic and he’s not afraid to get down and dirty and crash and bash with the little fellas.”
Despite playing almost exclusively as a ruck for the Ranges in 2025, Krasnadamskis has limited previous experience in the position, highlighting the significant scope he has as he further develops his craft.
There is a widespread belief among industry sources that he is the second best ruck in AFL Draft class, behind only top five contender Cooper Duff-Tytler.
Having played elsewhere throughout juniors could hold him in good stead entering an AFL environment, given the typical career trajectory for rucks is to start as a key forward as they strengthen their frame before playing increased minutes in the ruck.
“A hard worker and someone who’s competitive on the field, off the field, just in pretty much everything that you do, really,” Krasnadamskis said when asked what a club would get if it drafted him.
“I’ve always loved, not to make everything a competition, but to sort of be the best at everything I do, which going into an AFL system will really drive me to be and perform and do the best that I can do.”
