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Which players will take the next step, go to another level and truly break out in season 2026?<\/p>\n
SEN Breakfast\u2019s Sam Edmund and Cam Mooney were given the task to come up with a list of potential breakout players for next year.<\/p>\n
The boys tried to keep it to players who have played less than 50 AFL games with some exceptions.<\/p>\n
See their nominations below:<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201cBone stress this time last year which slaughtered his pre-season, then the hamstring in September. He\u2019s had a miserable run.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut 25 goals in 2024, he\u2019s got competitiveness – almost mongrel – he\u2019s got nous and he\u2019s got athleticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cI reckon with a clean run, knock on wood, he can have a massive year for Hawthorn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mooney: \u201cI concur, I\u2019ve got him on my list.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s going to be a star. I\u2019m a big, big fan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harvey Langford (Melbourne)<\/p>\n
Mooney: \u201cThis kid played 22 games last season. Now with no Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver he\u2019s going to see some serious midfield time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think his game will go to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201cThis is an obvious one because injury wiped out this guy\u2019s entire year but before it did he was very highly rated, a very high draft pick.<\/p>\n
\u201cI reckon he can debut and break out all in the one season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mooney: \u201cI think he will too. Hopefully he does. It\u2019s tough to come back from the knee for the first time though.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201cI look at Will Ashcroft and think it can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mooney: \u201c26 games for Levi, averaged 19 possessions, played in a premiership.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve just got this feeling that he\u2019s chasing his big brother (Will) who has already done so well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like this kid is desperate to put his name right up in lights alongside his brother. I think next season will be a massive one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201cThis guy you could also argue may have broken out a couple of years ago but he\u2019s changed clubs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe still has his knockers but I reckon at a new club in a new role that he can play consistently, he can have a massive year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a big fan, I think he is more than what he has been allowed to show.\u201d<\/p>\n
George Wardlaw (North Melbourne)<\/p>\n
Mooney: \u201cI\u2019m desperate to see Wardlaw put together 20-plus games.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know he\u2019s had his injuries and concussions so there are question marks on the young man.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there would be one person who doesn\u2019t love watching this kid go about his business. If he gets a run at it he could turn into a really good player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beau McCreery (Collingwood)<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201cI might be 12 months early with this guy given Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom are going around again.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut at some stage they\u2019ve got to give him more midfield time and I\u2019m expecting it next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cExplosive point of difference in the midfield and someone who can clearly help Nick Daicos. I think he has got a huge ceiling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mooney: \u201cHe plays on a wing at 6\u20195, can run and now looks like he\u2019s put on some muscle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to see what they do with him. Does he play as an on-baller or does he push forward and with a little bit of size take marks inside 50 and kick goals?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he can kick 20-plus goals it will be huge for the Crows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keidean Coleman (Brisbane)<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201cHe missed both Brisbane flags, but in 2023 pre his nasty knee reconstruction he was their best player in that Grand Final.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was runner-up in the Norm Smith voting, he was runner-up in the Gary Ayres Award, he is an absolute jet.<\/p>\n
\u201cScary to think that Brisbane could potentially get better. This guy returning from injury is almost the forgotten half-back.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could absolutely go boonta next year, I reckon he\u2019s going to go crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mooney: \u201cCaddy has the potential to be an absolute jet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only worry I have is what will we get from Essendon next year?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pressure that was put on him this season as the number one key forward who didn\u2019t have a lot of help.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they become a better team I just think he could explode and kick 45 to 50 goals. I think he can be a genuine star.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201cHe showed some real flashes this year but he only managed 10 games as injury continues to stalk him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this guy can seriously play if the footy gods allow it. He\u2019s had all manner of misfortune but there were some signs this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo if he gets a clean run at it over summer and an uninterrupted season he can become a star as a centre half-back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor O\u2019Sullivan (Geelong)<\/p>\n
Mooney: \u201cWas this his breakout year already? So a bit of a question mark.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think by the end of next year he\u2019ll be their number one defender. I think this kid has got huge upside.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a different player to Tom Stewart but he\u2019ll go past Sam De Koning (and Jack Henry) and be their number one key.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe might have exploded this season but there\u2019s just something about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201cOnce I saw those pipes and that rig the other day I\u2019ve signed on!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mooney: \u201cIf we were doing rankings from one down, he would be my number one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we have seen, heard and know, by the end of next season he\u2019ll be the best under-22 player in the comp.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got it, the penny has dropped.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bailey Humphrey (Gold Coast)<\/p>\n
Mooney: \u201cAgain a question mark, but I love this bloke so much.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s played 62 games so a little bit over the threshold we set. He did have a good year in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe kicked 24 goals and he can play that Dusty role under Dimma. He might be a poor man\u2019s Dusty but that\u2019s still a pretty good career.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he can play midfield then push forward and kick 30-plus\u2026 I am so big on Bailey Humphrey it\u2019s not funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201c11 games last season before injury hit.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like he has trained harder over the off-season. He\u2019s got that No.4 aura now, don\u2019t forget.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201cHe kicked 19.20 this year as a key forward in season two.<\/p>\n
\u201cBen King kicked nearly 50 in year three up there and I think this guy could go close to doing the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m locking in Ethan Read to double that goal tally and kick about 40 or more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finn O\u2019Sullivan (North Melbourne)<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201cPlayed 22 games but only averaged 14 disposals. With more midfield minutes he could easily go bang.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edmund: \u201cI just think he\u2019s got something about him. He could set Marvel alight next year, he\u2019s got ridiculous speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mooney: \u201cThe more I look at it the more I think he\u2019s had his breakout season, but he\u2019s only played 44 games.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan Logan Morris go to another level? The kid kicked 52 goals and has played in two premierships.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis breakout now has to be 70 goals next year. I\u2019ve put some pressure on the kid!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Which players will take the next step, go to another level and truly break out in season 2026?…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":309685,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-309684","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\/309684","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=309684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/309685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}