I think it does sometimes. If I remember correctly we had Ed Allan a couple of years ago who’d missed a lot of the season in WA through injury, missed the champs, came back and had a couple of big games but it was only WAFL colts so not that exciting, but then he had a massive combine and turned a lot of heads as a 195cm midfielder with elite athletic traits.
I think there will be a couple of guys that have eyes on them this year. Langford I’ve spoken about before… posting stinky numbers in pre-season testing. If he can post a modest improvement in his 20m sprint and agility test then he could legitimately be a pick 1 candidate. If he hasn’t improved clubs will be concerned about his capability to play midfield at AFL level and he’s likely to slide.
Kayle Gerreyn is another. Looks a million bucks, 200cm kid with skills, smooth moves and build like a brick shithouse. But tested poorly in preseason, slow sprint and agility times. If he tests well at the combine he could be a big riser.