ASK anyone about Hunter Clark’s biggest asset and they will tell you it’s his kicking.

Reminiscent of AFL greats like Sam Mitchell, the talented Clark is just as comfortable wheeling onto his opposite side as he is spinning out of stoppages on his preferred foot.

The fact Clark combines such effortless skill with a hardness on the inside is what makes the prolific Vic Country midfielder such a unique prospect going into this year’s draft.

But while some, his coaches included, will wax lyrical about Clark’s ability with ball in hand, the youngster himself concedes it can often be a bit of a poisoned chalice.

Round 18

“I think it can be a weakness for me at times,” Clark tells foxfooty.com.au.

“I can be a bit lazy with it. But when I’m kicking well, it’s my biggest strength. It can set me apart from other players, because I’m able to use both sides of my body well.

“I’ve been working on that for quite a while.”

That work all started back when Clark was just 12 years of age.

A knee injury ruled the youngster out for six weeks, with Clark heeding his doctor’s advice of avoiding kicking on his preferred right side throughout that frustrating period.

Stats courtesy of Champion Data. Source: FOX SPORTS

So, instead, the young midfielder tried his luck kicking from his left foot. He spent the next six weeks perfecting his technique and ensuring it would be match ready upon his return.

“I wasn’t allowed to kick on my right, so I thought I might as well kick on my left,” Clark says.

“It came pretty easily to me. I was able to drop the ball pretty well off my standing leg.

“As the years went on, I kept practising it. Some games, if we were up against a team that we were going to beat pretty easily, I’d say I’d only kick left foot all game.

“I just wanted to improve that. It comes in handy now, being able to swing onto either foot.”

But while Clark himself might think his kicking can be both a strength and a weakness, those who know him best believe it’s nothing but a huge asset for the youngster.

“I wish I could kick both sides like he can,” Clark’s teammate with both the Stingrays and with Vic Country, Luke Davies-Uniacke, says of his close friend.

Meanwhile his Dandenong talent manager, Mark Wheeler, is just as glowing in his praise of Clark’s ability to be able to dispose of the footy on both sides of his body.

“He’s proficient on both sides, short and long,” Wheeler tells foxfooty.com.au.

Clark in action during the TAC Cup. Picture: Christopher Chan. Source: News Corp Australia

“And he turns both ways, so he makes time for himself. He’s one of those players who are pretty gifted when they can find space and time.”

A tough, courageous ball winner, Clark is one of the draft crop’s most rugged inside midfielders.

Yet a groin injury that hampered the youngster’s pre-season saw him trialled in a new position in an effort to help him manage his workload in a long and gruelling draft year.

The Stingrays were the first to move Clark behind the ball to a role across half back, but he stayed there throughout the National Championships and impressed with his run and carry.

“We chucked him behind the ball because he reads it so well and his skills on both sides are so much more advanced on everyone else,” Wheeler says.

“That’s why we played him there. But when he came back and played midfield, he showed that’s where he needs to play at the next level.”

Indeed, it was in the midfield where Clark truly excelled in the second half of the year.

He finished the campaign averaging 26.8 disposals, 6.7 tackles and 6.2 clearances per game in the TAC Cup, while he also showcased an ability to hit the scoreboard from midfield.

Clark enjoyed a fine run of form to end the season. Source: Getty Images

Compared in some quarters to Nat Fyfe in the way in which he extracts the ball from stoppages, it’s in the middle where Clark himself sees his future at AFL level.

“I enjoy playing across half back,” Clark says.

“You get to see the play unfold ahead of you. In the role I play, I try to set things up with my kicking or with my hands and then provide run.

“But I enjoy going through the midfield a bit more. You can get your hands dirty with all of that crash and bash stuff.”

Clark’s ability to play as both a smooth-mover on the outside or as a hard-nosed inside player has caught the eye of AFL clubs, with his late-season form rocketing him up draft boards.

The Western Bulldogs have been linked with the midfielder at Pick 9, while Adelaide is another club believed to be hopeful of landing him with Pick 12.

For Clark, wherever he falls, ending the draft on an AFL list would be a dream realised.

“Since I was a young kid, I’ve always wanted to play footy,” Clark says.

“It’s been my passion. If I was to get drafted, it would mean the world to me and my family.

“My family has put a lot of hard work in and have sacrificed a lot to give me this opportunity. It would mean everything to us.”

HUNTER CLARK

Clubs: Dandenong/Vic Country

Position: Midfield/Half Back

Size: 186cm, 79kg

Draft Range: 10-15