STRENGTHS:
+ Ball use
+ Consistency
+ Inside-outside balance
+ Kick penetration
+ Versatility
+ Work rate
IMPROVEMENTS:
- Endurance
- Inside craft
Lindsay is a player whose improvement areas are difficult to identify given he does so many things well, and has no glaring weaknesses. His best trait is arguably his ball use, credit to a raking left-foot kick when is often used to penetrate the attacking 50. He uses the ball well on the run, either wheeling away from stoppages or chaining possessions on the outside. Lindsay makes the right decisions and is largely effective in the short and long-range.
If being pedantic, Lindsay's kicking is perhaps at its best when lowering his eyes. He is adept at gaining quick metres and compounding them by launching the ball long, but looks so slick when darting short passes inside, down the line, or to leading targets inside 50. Either way, he generates great momentum in attacking phases either as a connective outside runner or clearance winner.
Having cut his teeth as a wingman and defender, Lindsay began to gain midfield exposure late last year and that was his primary position for Gippsland in 2024. He still reverted back to that original posting at times for Vic Country and the AFL Academy, but came into the year wanting to improve his inside craft and followed through to average 5.4 clearances from 23.4 disposals in the Coates Talent League.
In that sense, Lindsay gets a big tick for versatility. He has maintained his quality on the wing and flanks while improving his contested work and enjoying stints up forward. Few others have the same kind of inside-outside balance as he is developing, and continuing to build his endurance base will only widen his scope. It will also lend to greater durability and see him become even more prolific from contest to contest.
Lindsay's consistency is felt through his work rate and week-on-week output. He is capable of racking up bulk possessions as a designated kicker or go-to at the centre bounces, hardly wavering in his ability to have between 20-30 touches. Even if he doesn't his ball use makes him a high-impact type. While most midfielders' defensive running could improve, Lindsay has also shown an appetite for tackling and hunts the opposition.
He's the type of leader who can drive standards and lead by example. He did so with a relatively young Gippsland group this year having garnered tips from a squad which produced six draftees in 2023, and one as an over-ager in 2024. Having had arguably his best outing on the biggest of stages - the National Championships final - Lindsay proved he can rise to the occasion and compete with the best of the best.
SUMMARY:
Clubs in the market for consistent, tough and damaging players who can fulfil a variety of roles should look no further than Lindsay. He firms as a genuine top 20 talent who could feature anywhere within night one of the draft – potentially just outside the first 10 picks. Likely to slot in as a half-back or wingman early in his AFL career, Lindsay offers good scope as a midfielder and his productive ball use suits the way many sides like to shift the ball quickly from end to end. Left footers just look a class above at times, and he fits that bill.