{"id":293529,"date":"2025-11-18T22:29:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T22:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/293529\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T22:29:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T22:29:09","slug":"the-schools-that-create-the-best-afl-players-afl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/293529\/","title":{"rendered":"The schools that create the best AFL players – AFL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

Have you ever wondered which school produces the best AFL<\/a> talent? And how it translates to the draft?<\/p>\n

At its core, our goal was to answer a question that raw draft numbers alone can’t.<\/p>\n

This isn’t just another “most drafted” list. Our data team (Blank Theory<\/a>) developed a world-first Player Success Score (PSS)\u00a0that measures:<\/p>\n

Draft Capital: where they’re picked and the hype they carry
\nCareer Output: games, goals, and on-field impact
\nElite Honours: Brownlows, Premierships, All-Australians<\/p>\n

The results? A definitive top 15 schools producing the AFL’s brightest stars \u2014 plus a few surprising underdog stories that prove talent can come from anywhere…<\/p>\n

If you’ve got a little Auskick fanatic tearing up the local oval, chances are you’re already wondering \u2014 how do I support their dream of making it to the big league? From weekend training sessions to footy camps, you’re pulling every lever. But here’s a curveball: have you considered their school?<\/p>\n

Choosing the right school could give your future footy star a real edge. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as asking which school has produced the most draftees. To find out which schools really deliver the goods, the strategic minds at Blank Theory<\/a> built a world-first metric that scores not just how many players a school produces, but how good those players actually become.<\/p>\n

The AFL school success formula \u2014 Explained<\/p>\n

It’s called the Player Success Score (PSS). It’s simple, really (we swear).
Let’s break it down:<\/p>\n

Draft Capital Score (DCS): A #1 draft pick is worth more than a #50. Why? Because clubs invest heavily in top picks. This score shows which schools produce the most hyped talent straight out of the gate.
\nCareer Output Score (COS): This one rewards longevity and impact. Games played, goals kicked, Brownlow votes \u2014 it all counts. It highlights schools that produce consistent, long-term contributors.
\nElite Honours Score (EHS): This is the stuff that legends are made of. Brownlow Medals, premierships, All-Australian blazers \u2014 the awards every kid dreams of. Schools earn big points here when their players go from good to great.<\/p>\n

Each score is added together to create the PSS. A school’s overall PSS is the total of its alumni’s scores \u2014 so schools that produce both stars and stalwarts rise to the top.<\/p>\n

And the trophy goes to\u2026 the ‘Big Four’<\/p>\n

Drumroll, please. The data doesn’t lie \u2014 four Victorian schools stand head and shoulders above the rest:<\/p>\n

Caulfield Grammar (PSS: 48,150)
\nXavier College (PSS: 45,980)
\nHaileybury College (PSS: 41,550)
\nSt Patrick’s College, Ballarat (PSS: 39,890)<\/p>\n

These aren’t just talent factories; they’re superstar pipelines. With alumni like Bailey Smith<\/a>, Chris Judd<\/a>, Josh Kennedy, Jack Gunston<\/a> and Brendon Goddard<\/a>, these schools are elite breeding grounds for AFL<\/a> greatness.<\/p>\n

No surprises that Victoria dominates the rankings. The state’s private school powerhouse continues to reign supreme. But there’s plenty of greatness beyond the border.<\/p>\n

Enter the interstate high-flyers. In Western Australia, Aquinas College and Wesley College punch well above their weight, while in South Australia, Prince Alfred College and Sacred Heart College prove they’re no slouches either. These schools are the shining lights of their state systems \u2014 and genuine alternatives for top talent.<\/p>\n

Honour Roll: Which schools produce the most winners?
\nPremierships: Assumption College<\/p>\n

It’s a school steeped in tradition \u2014 and in trophies. Assumption College tops the flag tally thanks to alumni like Francis Bourke (five flags), David King (two), and Dion Prestia<\/a> (three). It’s a generational success story.<\/p>\n

Brownlow Medals: Aquinas College<\/p>\n

Two names: Fyfe and Cripps. With Nat Fyfe<\/a> (two Brownlows) and Patrick Cripps<\/a> (one), WA’s Aquinas College has quietly become the midfield mecca of the AFL<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Coleman Medals: Wesley College<\/p>\n

There’s only one ‘Goalkicking Factory’, and it lives in WA. Wesley College leads the Coleman count thanks to freakish forwards like Lance Franklin<\/a> (four medals). If your kid’s a full forward, this is your blueprint.<\/p>\n

Diamonds in the rough: Why all hope is not lost<\/p>\n

What if your child doesn’t go to one of these footy juggernauts? Here’s the good news: the path to AFL<\/a> stardom is still wide open.<\/p>\n

St Bernard’s College in Essendon has turned value picks into stars \u2014 most famously, Dane Swan<\/a>, who was drafted at Pick 58 and went on to win a Brownlow. Likewise, Tom Stewart<\/a> from Geelong Grammar was a late bloomer taken at Pick 40 \u2014 and now he’s a five-time All-Australian.<\/p>\n

These stories prove a critical truth: you don’t need to be a top draft pick or attend a top-tier private school to succeed. Grit, growth, and game awareness still count.<\/p>\n

The lead AFL talent-producing schools<\/p>\n

Rank
\nSchool Name
\nState
\nTotal Player Success Score (PSS)
\nTotal Players Drafted<\/p>\n

1
\nCaulfield Grammar School
\nVIC
\n48,150
\n45<\/p>\n

2
\nXavier College
\nVIC
\n45,980
\n41<\/p>\n

3
\nHaileybury College
\nVIC
\n41,550
\n38<\/p>\n

4
\nSt Patrick’s College, Ballarat
\nVIC
\n39,890
\n35<\/p>\n

5
\nGeelong Grammar School
\nVIC
\n37,210
\n33<\/p>\n

6
\nAquinas College (WA)
\nWA
\n35,100
\n30<\/p>\n

7
\nWesley College (WA)
\nWA
\n33,650
\n29<\/p>\n

8
\nAssumption College
\nVIC
\n32,800
\n28<\/p>\n

9
\nParade College
\nVIC
\n31,500
\n27<\/p>\n

10
\nMelbourne Grammar School
\nVIC
\n30,120
\n25<\/p>\n

11
\nScotch College (WA)
\nWA
\n28,700
\n24<\/p>\n

12
\nHale School (WA)
\nWA
\n27,550
\n23<\/p>\n

13
\nSt Kevin’s College
\nVIC
\n26,900
\n22<\/p>\n

14
\nPrince Alfred College
\nSA
\n25,800
\n21<\/p>\n

15
\nSacred Heart College (SA)
\nSA
\n24,950
\n20<\/p>\n

(Data 1986 – 2024, inclusive)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Have you ever wondered which school produces the best AFL talent? And how it translates to the draft?…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":266896,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-293529","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-australian-football-league","12":"tag-australianfootballleague","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}