The countdown is now well and truly on, with less than four weeks left until names are called at this year’s Telstra AFL Draft, which means it is time for the penultimate Phantom Form Guide, with AFL Media’s rankings of the best 30 players in this year’s pool – this is a ranking and not AFL Media’s mock draft on where players will be drafted
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A highly talented prospect who can play just about anywhere on the field and revels in his versatility. Duursma has played as a marking defender, a deep forward and even on the wing, but has saved his best work as a tall midfielder who can go forward and hit the scoreboard, which he did often in his draft season. Duursma plays well in big games and has been seen as a No.1 pick contender for three years. He ran 6:19 minutes at the 2km time trial at the Combine and also ran the 20-metre sprint in 2.99 seconds, while he was top 10 in running and standing vertical jumps tests.
After a stellar bottom-aged season that saw the Gold Coast Academy prospect be named an under-18 All-Australian, a back injury saw Uwland miss the first half of this year. He returned late in the season to feature for the Suns’ VFL side. A midfielder in the Errol Gulden mould, Uwland runs hard, kicks well, takes the game on and makes the game unfold. He tested at the Draft Combine, placing second overall in the running vertical jump test on his right leg (94cm) and third in the vertical jump (75cm).
Duff-Tytler impressed plenty of scouts at the Combine. He finished in the top 10 for the 2km time trial (6:21 minutes) and the 20-metre sprint (2.92 seconds) in what was a strong illustration of his athleticism and traits as an athletic ruckman. Duff-Tytler is a threat around the ground, he follows up like another midfielder and can also go forward and kick goals, which he did playing for Essendon’s VFL side late in the season. There’s plenty of growth left in Duff-Tytler but he has comfortably locked himself in the top handful of players this year.
A hamstring injury ruled Patterson out of testing at the Combine but testing isn’t required to know how the speedster plays. As exciting as any player in this year’s crop, ‘The Rocket’ Patterson fires off half-back and through the midfield and can’t be caught. Patterson reads the game well, is physically ready to play at the next level and had a strong carnival that saw him named an All-Australian. Patterson, who had NRL clubs trying to woo him to their sport, is tied to Gold Coast’s Academy.
Annable’s best test at the Combine was his 2km time trial run, which he completed in 6:22 minutes to be in the top 10. The midfielder’s premium work is when the footy is in front of him and it’s his to win. In fact, it’s Annable’s specialty. He averaged 21 disposals and four tackles in his eight VFL games with the Lions and was dominant at under-18 level all season. He’s a leader who has trained alongside Brisbane’s younger players in recent years and will be able to step straight into the demands of the top level.
Robey dominated at the end of the season with the Eastern Ranges to be a key member of their Coates Talent League premiership win. He kicked four goals in the Grand Final, having had a couple of big games before that playing through the midfield (40 disposals and three goals against Western Jets and 25 disposals against Calder Cannons the following week). The 192cm prospect is big, strong and burly but uses his sizes to effect and has presence whether in the midfield or as a half-forward option. He also played the end of his season with a cracked collarbone. Robey is the bolter of this year’s group but belongs at the top end of the class.
A super Grand Final closed out Taylor’s excellent season. As best-on-ground in Eastern’s win over Sandringham, Taylor had 25 disposals and 15 marks in a dominant aerial display across half-back. He has swagger and plays with it, with the taller defender able to match up on a range of different opponents and stop them while also being an attacking presence, in a Nick Vlastuin type of way. He ran 3.1 seconds for the 20-metre sprint and 6:45 minutes for the 2km time trial at this month’s Combine and is right in the thoughts of clubs in the first half dozen selections.
Dean is as highly rated as any key defender to come through the draft in the past five years. He’s a competitor, first and foremost, and enjoys shutting down opposition forwards having been a defender through his whole junior career. Dean, whose father Peter played in two flags with Carlton, was named the All-Australian centre-half back after his carnival with Vic Country and his ability to read the ball in the air and get in a spoil when it looks out of reach is a real quality. He didn’t test at the Combine after having a clean-up of his shoulder injury from last year.
Illness unfortunately ruled Sharp out of testing at the Draft Combine this month. The midfielder ended his season with Central District’s senior side in its finals series loss to Norwood, having had some good experience through the midfield at stages at senior level in the competition. Sharp is a hard-edged midfielder who fronts up every week and had a commanding championships for South Australia, who he captained to its title win. He is consistent and able to push forward and be impactful there too.
Cumming tested well at the Combine after a block of time out recovering from a shoulder injury in the second half of the season, completing the 20-metre sprint in 2.97 seconds and 2km time trial in 6:33 minutes. The midfielder is powerful and brave and is rated by plenty of clubs inside the top 10 available players in this year’s pool. One of his best games of the season came against North Adelaide when he had 21 disposals and kicked three goals, and he performed well for SA at the carnival.
Schubert has been a goalkicker at all levels this season, booting 28 goals from 13 games for Central’s under-18 team, and also 10 goals in four games of South Australia’s under-18 championships. He closed his season by making his debut for the Bulldogs’ SANFL side in the first week of finals, competing hard and kicking a goal from eight touches. The tall forward does just that all the time – competes and competes and also is a strong contested mark.
Grlj showed his top-end mix of speed and endurance at the Draft Combine to be one of the stars of the testing. After finishing second overall in the 2km time trial (5:59 minutes), ‘The Sizzler’ Grlj also blitzed in the 20-metre sprint, finishing in the top 10 with a time of 2.92 seconds. Some players test well but you don’t see it in their game. That’s not the case with Grlj, whose signature move is to dash and bolt through with the ball. The midfielder also got a taste of Richmond’s VFL side late in the season and he has a point of difference to other midfielders in the pool.
A prospect with real upside who has clubs very interested in the top rungs of the draft. Farrow has come from the clouds to some degree, with his form at the start of the season catching the eye of scouts before he started to take more strides during Western Australia’s under-18 championship. At colts level, the tall half-back/midfielder averaged 25 disposals and also averaged 18 playing with West Perth’s senior team. He is a long-strider who uses his size in different ways.
The Geelong Falcons and Vic Country captain is well regarded among his peers and recruiters for his leadership, and he remains a first-round prospect in this year’s group. The left-footer’s kicking is his standout attribute and he can influence the game by spotting up a target, seeing an option out of the corner of his eye or simply just executing the obvious and getting the game moving his team’s way. He averaged 22 disposals during Vic Country’s championships.
The well performed junior decathlete took some of those skills into the Combine, where he finished in the top 10 for agility (8.089 seconds) and the running vertical jump, while also completing the 20-metre sprint in 2.96 seconds. The midfielder/forward can jump for his grabs and takes the ball in the air, while also showing his bursts of speed around the ground. The younger brother of St Kilda’s Mattaes.
Greeves was unavailable to test at the Draft Combine through illness, with the midfielder ruled out of participating. The midfielder has put up some very good performances this season, and it’s his capacity to go forward and be a threat that has clubs considering him early on as well. He kicked 4.2 from 35 disposals in Eastern’s preliminary final, and also had 24 disposals and a goal in the Ranges’ Grand Final win. A bigger-bodied midfielder who can easily shift forward and be a marking target.
The lead-up forward and regular goalkicker showed his engine at the Draft Combine, where he recorded the eighth best 2km time trial (6:21 minutes). He was also in the top 10 for the running vertical jump test. Marsh kicked 30 goals in 15 under-18 games for West Adelaide this season as well as 12 for South Australia at the under-18 championships, with the tall forward effectively finding space and always being clean and tidy around goal.
Dovaston produced the standout moment of the Draft Combine, when he won the agility test with a time of 7.794 seconds, which ranked him fourth in Combine history. It has always been a part of the small forward’s game and he uses it to duck and weave away from opponents. It has worked, too, with Dovaston booting 53 goals across his season, including 38 for the Ranges and finishing with an excellent Grand Final performance where he helped turned the game his side’s way. He lifted to the level with Vic Metro at the under-18 carnival and plays with the bring-it-on attitude that comes with being a smart and cheeky small forward.
Taylor only received a call-up to the Draft Combine a couple of weeks before it started, but he wound up being the performer of the weekend. He won the 20-metre sprint (2.82 seconds) and came second in the agility test (7.84 seconds) to highlight his speed and movement. That has come through in his game in the second half of the season, with Taylor pushing up draft boards through his half-back run and flair.
Another player who was unfortunately ruled out of testing at the Combine through illness. It ended an at times frustrating year for him with different injury niggles, but between that the Stingrays prospect showed his qualities as well as a half-forward/midfielder who can hit the scoreboard – including his 29-disposal and five-goal game against Greater Western Victoria and his four-goal haul against Western Australia.
Barker has some very exciting traits – he’s quick, he flies for marks, his kicking breaks the lines and he plays with some genuine pizzazz. He showed all of that through the carnival for SA, when he was used on the wing and averaged 16 disposals. Shortly after that he went down with a season-ending ACL knee injury that will see him miss most of next year as well, but clubs still like his talent and what he put on show before the injury setback.
The left-footed key forward has been out of action since July when he suffered a PCL injury to his knee. It ended his under-18 carnival campaign and saw him miss the end of Sandringham’s CTL season as well. Ludowyke has developed his game in the first half of this year after showing some promising signs last year as a bottom-ager, putting together some solid games for the Dragons and also the AFL Academy this season.
The dogged Calder Cannons and Vic Metro midfielder produced a good Combine, completing the 20-metre sprint in three seconds flat and finishing the 2km time trial in 6:25 minutes. Sweid is a midfielder who just keeps on attacking the ball at ground level. After missing 2024 with an ACL knee injury, he had an excellent year and averaged 25 disposals for the Cannons and was named in the CTL team of the year, as well as the under-18 All-Australian team. The Bombers will have first call on him as a member of their Next Generation Academy team.
It was a very exciting campaign for Pickett, who produced plenty of eye-catching moments with Glenelg. The 19-year-old booted 32.18 at reserves level for the Bays, including four goals in the Grand Final, and he showed that day as many others a propensity to take the game on and use his daring speed. Clubs are looking at small forward options and the cousin of Melbourne’s Kysaiah booted four goals on his SANFL senior debut.
There’s upside to build on with King, who was the outright winner of the vertical jump test at the Combine with a leap of 80cm and came in the top 10 for the running vertical jumps tests. The Sydney Academy prospect’s athletic traits have never been in doubt and it’s that leap that has seen him often fly for big grabs or attempt some unlikely marks inside the forward line. The Swans will have first call on matching a bid on King.
A leg injury sidelined Ison from testing at the Combine but his finish to the season had put him well in discussion as a top-30 selection. The left-footer’s kicking is a real asset for him and his final month of the year saw him rise up the draft board, including a 30-disposal and 10-clearance game against the Cannons. He is a bigger-bodied midfielder who also plays forward and impacts games there. Ison is a member of Carlton’s Next Generation Academy.
Kyle took the eye of clubs through the year with his dashing runs from half-back and through the midfield playing with the Allies and the Swans Academy. He could even be the first of the Sydney Academy prospects to attract a bid come draft night. He can mark above his head and moves in a similar way to Giants gun Finn Callaghan when he’s dodging through traffic. He tested well at the Combine, too, placing No.1 for the running vertical jump on his left side (98cm) and No.1 on the right side jump too (95cm).
The Suns Academy prospect had a disrupted second half of the year after injuring his hamstring in the Allies’ first match and missed the rest of the carnival. He returned late in the year to perform well at VFL level for the Suns, and also impressed at the Combine, where he was ranked in the top five for the 2km time trial (6:15 minutes) and top 10 for the running vertical jump on his right side (88cm). The midfielder can also be used as a forward option but he is at his best gathering the ball around the ground.
Nairn’s best performance at the Draft Combine came on the opening day when he ran the 2km time trial in 6:13 minutes, placing him fourth overall in a terrific showing. After being used largely as a forward in South Australia’s carnival, including kicking seven goals against Western Australia, the left-footer finished his season in the midfield with Central District’s under-18 team and had 30 then 31 disposals in consecutive weeks.
Thredgold is a wiry tall defender who uses his reach, athleticism and competitiveness to shut down opponents and occasionally get his own ball and start forward forays. He enjoys the chance to take on and blanket the opposition’s best tall forwards and can do it in a few different ways. His power was on show at the Combine when he finished in the top 10 for the vertical jump test and the 20-metre sprint (2.91 seconds).