7 October 2025
By ALEXANDRA BULL
A number of South Australian draft prospects may have caught the eye of AFL recruiters at the 2025 Telstra AFL and AFLW National Combine testing in Melbourne.
This year’s testing was held at the Melbourne State Netball and Hockey Centre, with 21 of South Australia’s top AFL and AFLW draft prospects participating in the 2km time trial, standing vertical jump, running vertical jump, 20m sprint, and agility test.
Sturt’s Blake Thredgold showed off his athleticism, finishing seventh in the 20m sprint with a time of 2.918, along with finishing 10th in the vertical jump with a height of 71cm, and sixth in the running vertical jump, recording a height of 89cm.
Central District’s Cameron Nairn placed inside the top five for the 2km time trial, posting a time of 6:13, with teammate Aidan Schubert, and West Adelaide forward Mitch Marsh rounding out the top 10, both recording a time of 6:21.
Marsh also used his height to his advantage, finishing ninth in the running vertical jump (84cm).
Woodville-West Torrens’ Jeaven Phillipou – brother of St Kilda’s Mattaes – also sent a notice to AFL recruiters, recording a time of 8.089 (sec) in the agility test and finishing third in the running vertical jump with a height of 90cm.
Double Blues’ midfielder Noah Roberts-Thomson had a good showing, finishing sixth in the 20m sprint with a time of 2.918 (sec) and sixth in the agility test with a time of 8.024 (sec).
West Adelaide’s Lucy Waye had her work rate and athleticism on display in the AFLW National Combine, finishing inside the top 10 in four of the categories.
The SA U18 Girls squad member recorded a times of 3.209 (sec) in the 2om sprint and 8.594 (sec) in the agility test.
Waye also recorded a 55cm vertical jump and a 63cm running vertical jump, giving AFLW recruiters plenty to be excited about.
Glenelg goal sneak Eloise Mackereth finished eighth in the 20m sprint with a time of 3.250 (sec), with Panthers’ winger Lily Baxter posting a time of 8.660 (sec) in the agility test.
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