it’s not even certain CDT isn’t a 200cm midfielder
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Squiggle tips Cats at 80% chance -- What's your tip? -- Team line-ups »
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LIVE: Geelong v Melbourne - 7:40PM Fri
Squiggle tips Cats at 80% chance -- What's your tip? -- Team line-ups »
List Mgmt. 2025 AFL Draft
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Grockadoc
Brownlow Medallist
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Essendon apparently up to their eyeballs in Allen.
Allen will be retired before they win a final, but then again so will Harley Reid.
tigs2010
Pick 1...
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I counted 26 of 33, I got distracted and missed 3 of his touches. 3 of the 7 were points. 1 of the 26 was admittedly an absolute stinker that found a teammate via an underground trip to China lol.
His gimp teammates dropped a few absolute sitters where he hit the target and they were just potatoes.
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FMD!!!Excellent report on the performance of this years Draft and MSD prospects
Zerohanger
AFL Draft Focus: Pick 1 contenders shine, club-tied talent and Mid-Season prospects catch the eye
Top names made early statements, while there is reason for Carlton, Richmond, Essendon and Adelaide fans to get excited.
JONTY RALPHSMITH
STAFF WRITER | MARCH 31, 2025 - 10:03AM
The first round of the Coates Talent League, Australia's premier talent pathway competition, got underway over the weekend, which brought with it plenty of talking points.
Club-tied talent, top 10 prospects, mid-season fancies and 2026-eligible talent all shone, while some lesser-known quantities made a statement, and there were some standouts from the VFL and SANFL.
See what has the industry talking below...
Race for Pick 1
The three frontrunners for the number one pick for the 2025 National Draft all had strong outings on the weekend.
Willem Duursma was best on ground in Gippsland's win over Murray.
The athletic dynamo had four shots on goal and was as flashy and hard working as usual, and his contest work was notable.
With many questioning his strength over the footy entering 2025, Duursma used Round 1 to show his willingness to regularly put himself at the bottom of the pack and put his head over the ball. His movement at stoppage, often when matched up on much bigger-bodied AFL Academy member Riley Onley, made him a dangerous asset.
Calder's Cooper Duff-Tytler, duelling at times with fellow top 10 prospect Louis Emmett, stood out with his work on the spread and ability to open up the ground with possession, finishing with 26 disposals and two goals against Oakleigh.
Dyson Sharp played senior footy for Central District, and while he finished with just 10 disposals playing half-forward, his clean hands at the foot of marking contests was impressive, and he had three shots at goal, while also setting up his team's match-winner.
Carlton father-son, Richmond NGA Cody Walker shows promise
Let's not oversell it, it wasn't a best on ground performance and Cody Walker still has a few gears left to reach in his Coates League career, but it was a promising start to his season.
Two moments in particular stood out: a classy finish around the body from 30 in the first quarter which showed his ability to get the ball from hand to foot quickly, and his finishing polish; and a last quarter score assist.
With his team leading by two kicks with less than five minutes to play, Walker got the ball in space inside 50 and pulled his kick to find a short target and help run the clock down, rather than blaze away.
It's the sort of maturity Carlton has been crying out for in close finishes to start the season.
Walker had multiple centre bounce attendances each quarter, lining up on stronger bodies and looking adept, while his read of the play was also impressive to start his bottom-age campaign.
Carlton father-son starts well
Harry Dean, the son of Blues legend Peter, was arguably his team's best in Murray's loss to Gippsland, with his intercepting a feature as the match went on.
Took several big marks, crashed packs and showed a nice turn of speed in his 17 disposals.
Essendon NGAs shine
Hussien El Achkar was the hyped player of pre-season from Calder and delivered with a four-goal performance in Round 1.
The powerful small forward looks set for a big 2025, as does his Dons NGA teammate Adam Sweid.
Following a strong practice match against Western Jets last week after 2024 was wiped out by an ACL rupture, Sweid turned in a fine performance on the ball against arguably the best midfield in the competition.
He played with confidence and was hard to stop with ball in hand.
Best of the 19-year-olds
Bendigo's Connor Evans' toughness, dash and aerial work all stood out after a tragic off-field accident prevented the 2024 Vic Country squad member from taking part in the National Championships.
Namesake Tom Evans collected 33 disposals and showed a good balance of attack and defence in a new backline role.
Tasmania's Ollie Depaoli-Kubank was arguably the best for his side. The silky mover had a solid national carnival in 2024 but needed to put a focus on his contested work this season to take the next step, and he showed some positive signs, with his movement at stoppage and willingness to put his head over the footy, mixed with his clean hands and sharp stepping, contributing to a fine game.
For Calder, powerful athletic forward Cooper Herbert had some nice moments inside 50. Murray's Coen Ainsworth used his speed both in offence and defence, breaking lines and executing run down tackles in a well-balanced performance against Gippsland.
On a scrappy day at RSEA Park, Sandy Zebras and Dragons-listed Charlie Rozenes was a lively presence as he seeks continuity after a 2024 ruined by persistent hamstring issues.
Dandenong's Henry Hayes kicked four goals in a glimmering performance, while teammate Charlie Orchard controlled the airways in defence.
SANFL U18s watch
In the SANFL U18s, Louis Kellaway's impressive form as a strong midfielder has been the major talking point from the early part of the season. The Richmond-father-son prospect has averaged 24 disposals as a tough midfielder for Sturt.
AFL Academy member Sam Cumming has averaged 27 disposals at 73 per cent efficiency across his first three games, and also kicked four goals, leading the North Adelaide midfield.
Noah Roberts-Thomson has also had a consistent start to the year as an attacking and dynamic onballer, while West Adelaide spearhead Mitch Marsh has averaged three goals and six marks per game to push his claim for state honours.
Central Districts duo Aidan Schubert and Josh Reichelt have each kicked five goals in their first three games, while 2026 prospect Doug Cochrane has had a splendid fortnight.
Adelaide-tied Stevens shows promise
One for Crows fans: father-son prospect Mitch Stevens looks to have taken a step forward with his footy.
He showed typically good closing speed and was hard to beat one-on-one but also set up some attacking thrusts in the first three quarters for Gippsland.
He was moved into the midfield in the last quarter and won some clearances and delivered the ball well inside 50. A big pre-season paid dividends in Round 1.
Top key forward fights hard
In a tough day for Murray, Liam Hetherton found a way to pop up for three goals from five scoring shots.
It felt at times that he was the lone tall target forward of the footy for the Bushrangers, and therefore got plenty of defensive attention, but still found space and took some nice marks. Also presented high up the ground and spent time in the ruck.
Tasmania's Jack Miller hard to stop
It wasn't the most free-flowing, highly-skilled game of footy between Bendigo and Tasmania, but when the Devils went forward, Miller was the standout target.
He finds pockets of space, gets separation on the lead and has natural craft.
Miller kicked his team's only two first-term majors and one from outside 50 in the last to keep Tasmania alive: a surprise packet to watch.
VFL watch
In the VFL, Western Jets graduate Massimo Raso has had a magnificent start to life as a Richmond Tiger.
The clean, elusive livewire has split his time between the midfield and forward line, adding energy when on the ball and dynamism inside 50.
Returning after a year of playing only local footy, Gippslander Riley Baldi has averaged 30 disposals across two games for Casey.
Werribee forward Brady Wright has impressed with his marking; and Southport ruck Brayden Crossley has continued pressing his draft case with a strong first fortnight.
Gippsland interceptor wows
Most tuned in for the Willem Duursma show and while he shone, he was arguably outdone by debutant Zac Walker.
The Phillip Island local read the cues well to routinely intercept high balls, finishing with 10 marks and 16 disposals.
A 194cm third tall type, Walker missed the Power's 16s squad but spent last season developing well at senior local level and has hit the ground running.
A late addition to the program, Walker is the sole 19-year-old at a club which has a history of producing Mid-Season Draft picks.
It was a who's who of Power standouts on Sunday, with aforementioned Adelaide father-son prospect Mitch Stevens, midfielders Brodie Atkins, Luke Cheffers and Zach O'Keefe and livewire captain Tom Matthews also playing well.
Little-known Dragons duo lead the way
It was a scrappy slugfest at RSEA Park in Sandy's clash with Western, but Ricky Theodoropoulos and Rory Wright both stood out.
The diminutive Theodoropoulos represented Vic Metro's U16s before getting limited opportunity in a strong squad last year, but his clean hands and speed stood out in Round 1.
Wright, meanwhile, was touted as a smokey to watch in pre-season, and proved an excellent sidestepping, clearance-winning midfielder.
Best of the bottom-agers
There's already cause for excitement in the 2026 Draft. As well as Cody Walker, referenced above, there were several other bottom-agers who shone in Round 1.
Arki Butler's aerial presence as a deep target helped set up a commanding lead for Sandy, while Western's Ryan Hicks showed promise in the midfield in a tough day for his side.
Gippsland trio Cody Templeton, Wil Malady and Marlon Neocleous all impressed.
Templeton has claims to be the toughest in his team with his vigour at the coal face in his first go in a Coates Talent League midfield, Malady's speed made him a dangerous hit-up target, while Neocleous' strength and energy were both factors as the Power ran rampant.
Meanwhile, Geelong's competitive running Vic Country-listed tall forward Jack Pickett started his season with three goals.
Eastern Ranges' Vic Metro quartet start season solidly
Lachy Dovaston, Ollie Greeves, Andy Barker and Xavier Taylor have given themselves a base to build off for 2025 with promising Round 1 showings.
Dovaston kicked three goals and applied manic pressure, looking accomplished in a half-forward position he'll look to make his own this year.
Coming off an enormous practice game against the same opposition last week, Greeves was kept a touch quieter, but still had 23 disposals and was important when the game was in the balance late, and his decision-making impressed.
Following a very limited pre-season, defender Andy Barker took six marks and looked strong against Northern's tall timber, while his partner in crime Taylor was good at ground level in the backline.
Touted Pioneer returns
In a heartening second quarter moment, Bendigo debutant Riley Dillon kicked a set shot goal on debut, with his teammates all getting around him after a tough journey.
The strong-bodied Pioneer has long been touted by the region, but didn't play any footy last year as he was recovering from an ACL rupture, so will work towards a Vic Country trial match in 2024, with Saturday's showing a steady start, finishing with 11 disposals and 12 tackles.
Northern smalls lead way
Those around the Knights rave about the purity of defender Roman Moxon's kicking, and it was clear why on Sunday.
The running halfback wasn't afraid to get up the ground and got plenty of handball receives, repeatedly putting it on a platter for his leading forwards.
Among those were co-captains Seb Murphy and Tyson Gresham. Murphy was arguably best on ground with his toughness around the footy, finishing with 25 disposals and seven tackles, while Gresham was also solid with 19 disposals.
we all knew the Blues had a ripper in Cody Walker, and now another F/S crashing parks, taking contested marks , and quick.
The lucky bastards are going to be kissed on the dick similarly to Collingwood.
At least our man Louis is showing some decent early season form
Tiger_Of_Old
THE_GUN:"Why don't you use your reg acc"7/9/24
Dangerous game taking a ruck in the top 10 let alone top 5.
Tiger_Of_Old
THE_GUN:"Why don't you use your reg acc"7/9/24
No
Guarantee Emmett would be there at those picks so you've burnt pick 4.
Le RickyBobby
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Hes phenomenal. He'd definitely change our midfield profile.
If we have a nother pick in the top 5 I'd be comfortable taking him at 1 over a Duursma type.
Considering Carlton don't have a 1st round pick, we need to make them go into deficit with Walker.
Le RickyBobby
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Pretty sure Walker is 2026 draft eligible.
The club is negligent if we don't make Carlton pay overs for our NGA player.
Le RickyBobby
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If we have pick 1 and we likely will just pick BPA. Let's not get sucked into let's make them pay up nonsense. It's just fan beat up.
Blues might finish bottom 4 next year and they take him at 4 anyway.
- Oct 3, 2009
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We desperately need speed and kicking skills through the midfield. 2 best players with that skillset please.
Le RickyBobby
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I think it will matter where north's first is. If it's a top 5 pick well be able to grab one of Greeves, Duursma, Sharp, Lindsay, Noah HH, Rodriguez if we take CDT at 1.
If we get north's pick outside top 8 selections. We'd be looking at guys like Onley, Cummings etc.
Not too fussed really
Im confident NorF's pick will be in the top 6 and we will get the pick #1 and choice of the best player
even its a similar outcome to Law La & Smelly
I'll take that
Im confident NorF's pick will be in the top 6 and we will get the pick #1 and choice of the best player
even its a similar outcome to Law La & Smelly
I'll take that
Le RickyBobby
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Do you take BPA or list need?
Le RickyBobby
Debutant
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It's the ultimate conundrum. CDT looks an outstanding prospect. If we draft him at #1 does that potentially stunt the development of Faull, Armstrong, Fawcett, Sims? They can't all play 200 senior games.
The other issue I see is Nankervis being captain and our ruckman. If we get CDT nank will still be in the team short term so both would have to play weekly. Essentially taking a KPP away from the players listed above.
The other issue I see is Nankervis being captain and our ruckman. If we get CDT nank will still be in the team short term so both would have to play weekly. Essentially taking a KPP away from the players listed above.
- Jun 15, 2016
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Apart from this elephant in the room-these academy players have been with them for years so they know their abilities inside out-another unfair advantage when we only can play 1 or 2 for 1-3 games in vfl
None of of Faull, Armstrong or Fawcett are ruckman and Simms appears to be more of a forward/ruck.
If CDT is recruited as a ruckman he would br playing a totally different role than the others and fills a serious list need as a young genuine ruckman.
