21 October 2025
By ALEXANDRA BULL
Several South Australian draft hopefuls put AFL and AFLW recruiters on notice with strong showings at the Telstra State AFL and AFLW Draft Combine in October.
North Adelaide’s Bryce Sanders showed off his natural leap, recording an 87cm running vertical jump (right) – finishing first in the category across the state and national combines. The 196cm key position player also impressed in the 20m sprint, running it in 3.010 seconds.
In the running vertical jump (left), Norwood’s Balyn O’Brien finished third in the state combine with a height of 89cm, with Sturt’s Jett Dahiltz (86cm) finishing fifth.
Redlegs’ midfielder Jim Kelly put the jets on in the 20m sprint, finishing with a time of 2.949, his time putting him just outside the top 10 of the national combine.
South Adelaide tall defender, Elliott Duffield, also displayed great athleticism to record an 81cm running vertical jump (right), placing him fourth at the state combine.
In the AFLW State Combine, 19-year-old South Adelaide SANFLW player Melissa Anderson put her best foot forward, placing inside the top five across three of the six categories.
The Panthers youngster – who has played 42 SANFLW games since her debut in 2023 -recorded a 53cm vertical jump, a 66cm running vertical jump (left) and a 3.158 20m sprint, finishing first in the state combine in the latter.
Double Blues’ pair Lily Smart and Sophie Thredgold also had a strong showing, with Smart recording a 66cm running vertical jump (left), a 3.226 20m sprint and an 8.42 agility test, surely catching the eye of numerous AFLW teams.
Thredgold – who was vice-captain of the SA U18 girls this year – posted an eight-minute 2km time trial, along with a 3.160 20m sprint and a 8.42 agility test.
Players will now look toward the 2025 AFL Draft on November 19 and 20, and the AFLW Draft on December 15.