so i thought i would put a final list out there(unless the combine changes things), less speculating and putting names out there that i think have AFL traits and more basing the rankings on a 3 tier idea base, 1. where i rank them, 2. where i think they will go in the draft(clubs whispers and hype) and 3. how good i project them to be in the AFL
End of Season Top 50
1. Sid Draper - Sth Adelaide 180cm - i think he has had the best lead up to the draft, he burst onto the scene in 1 game at the u16s and left an impression, then went on to dominate for SA at the u18s as an underager winning all australian selection and being SA's MVP, he had a reasonable champs as a draft age player and ended the year with half a dozen 20+ disposal games in the sanfl, adding to his long resume, so i thought i would put him as pick 1
2. Levi Ashcroft - Sandringham 179cm (Bris FS)- nearly as good a junior career as his brother, where his brother was mostly seen as a pick 1 certainty if not for FS and GWS going Cadman instead of bidding, he hasnt had the same hype or the same impact, but he is a fantastic prospect in his own right and should go very early, i think pick 2 like his brother makes sense as he is undeniably a highly talented youngster
3. Jagga Smith Oakleigh 181cm - he knows how to win the footy, he has been an accumulator for Oakleigh, at the Champs for VM and for Richmond VFL, he also seems to have started being more direct with disposal which i have liked seeing as last year and early this year he was a bit of a ball hog and didnt play for the team or use it in a winning fashion, some are forecasting him to be pick 1, i see him more at 3 but either way he will go high because of his impressive resume on paper
4. Harry Armstrong Sandringham 194cm - every time i see him play which is most of his games, he is an impressive focal point for whatever team he plays for, 4 goals in a grand final is a great feat as most tall forwards get swamped in prelims and grand finals so for him to perform in modern day defensive structures as a KPF is impressive, he should be the first tall to get picked imo
5. Finn O'Sullivan Oakleigh 182cm - highly talented player who if he had an injury free season with over 25 disposals average wouldve gone at pick 1 with some quality traits in movement, marking ability, kicking action and footy IQ, but injury plagued his season and even when he did play he rarely played at the level he needed to prove himself, he could either come back and be a George Wardlaw story or fall off to mediocrity like Brodie Kemp, its hard to tell, i think he will come back and be a solid piece in a midfield at the AFL level, but he has caused a touch of doubt for his future with such a meh year, where he was to be measured against his peers.
6. Leonardo Lombard GCS A 178cm (GCS)- last year he came onto the scene at the CTL for Gold Coast really standing out from his team mates, he then went on to have a huge run as an underager for the SUNS VFL premiership winning team, he came into this year and kept up his speed and aggressive running style, he will be a fantastic player at the next level and the SUNS get another quality youngster coming through their academy
7. Tobie Travaglia Bendigo 187cm - a player that has been a joy to watch for 2 years at Bendigo, he is an intercepting machine and very flexible for a medium sized player, he can run and carry and his disposal is good also, he just stands out in games and has big influence on results, the next Tom Stewart/James Sicily/Redman type who could also push into the midfield with his running game
8. Sam Lalor GWV 187cm - another player troubled with injury this year, although when he played i did see signs he could be an impressive impact player in the future, so i have jumped on board the bandwagon and i think he is an exciting prospect that could go anywhere from 5-15
9. Harvey Langford Dandenong 190cm - he and Hynes were fantastic players last year and i mentioned they needed to work on fitness and speed and it seems they took that to heart, both coming out of the blocks having huge 2024 seasons and boosting their credentials, Langfords contested marking being a feature early in the CTL and Hynes bursting speed out of the middle being his feature early, Langford then went on to have the best carnival i have seen from an individual and shared honours with another gun in Lombard, he has rocketed up the rankings and deserves a top 10 placing
10. Josh Smillie Eastern 194cm - a player that won VM MVP in the u16s as a hbf, went on to learn midfield and competed decently, his mobility being a weakness, some got excited by the prospect of a tall mid and the absence of a pick 1 favourite with FOS injured, but after a less than average Champs for VM averaging 18 disposals as a full time midfielder, he came back to earth, i think he has talent, but he needs to work on that running game to make it at the next level imo
11. Taj Hotton Sandringham 182cm - if not for injury, i would have him at pick 1(shades of early Chris Judd), but with a knee on a running player i cant have him in the top 10
12. Murphy Reid Sandringham 180cm - a player i think is brilliant at times, but im unsure if he is driven enough?
13. Joe Berry Murray 180cm - i think small forwards with skill and good goal sense are vital for finals footy
14. Alix Tauru Gippsland 191cm - strong intercepting defender, tough as an Ox
15. Jobe Shanahan Bendigo 194cm - great hands in the contest, moves well for a key forward, good focal point
16. Isaac Kako Calder 175cm (Ess NGA)- quick small forward, goal kicking and pressure forward
17. Bo Allan Peel 191cm - has looked fantastic for Peel in the WAFL and during the finals, love his dash from midfield and because he came from hbf reminds people of what Will Day has done at the hawks
18. Kayle Gerreyn West Perth 199cm - he has been fantastic in the wafl colts and was big for WA at the Champs, one of the most consistent talls in the draft pool
19. Luke Trainor Sandringham 194cm - wonderful KPD, with an intercepting game and good disposal, good efforts in rep footy for AFL Academy and at the Champs, unfortunately has concussion issues and so has dropped down the order a little
20. Xavier Lindsay Gippsland 183cm - a player who has lifted this year to put his name up for 1st round consideration, his Champs games being a highlight
21. Jack Ough GWV 194cm - very similar to Bo Allan, he was a quality 3rd tall defender who now has transformed into a quality midfielder
22. Cooper Hynes Dandenong 190cm - explosive pace, kicked a few lovely goals this year, played well without dominating for Vic Country, he seems like a quiet type and lacks some confidence from his game of PIG in pre-season, but when he feels comfortable, he can play great footy
23. Ben Camporeale Glenlg 186cm (Carl FS) - i think Carlton will get their FS at a good price because of the depth of talent this year, Ben is a fantastic tough in and under prospect, in and under guys can kick chaos balls as they are under pressure a lot, but he does the hard yards that dont get you the fame that the running types get.
24. Sam Marshall Sandringham 185cm (Bris A) - a player that had a solid underage year winning the u18s Champs with the Allies, then he backed it up with a fantastic year for Sandringham winning the premiership and playing well and again for the Allies in a less successful team
25. Hugh Boxshall Claremont 187cm - a player that had a good u16s, then was unseen last year because of PSA school footy in WA, then came out and took some courageous marks and played great footy at the Champs, he has gone back to help Claremont win the WAFL Colts grand final, gathering a lazy 30 touches in the GF
26. Oliver Hannaford GWV 180cm - a player who struggled to gain attention as a hbf, but then his move forward saw him show off his speed and attacking flair as well as piling on some goals to rocket him up draft lists
27. Malakai Champion Subiaco 172cm (WCE NGA) - fantastic small forward, very quick, can fumble at times dropping his value a little, but should be an exciting prospect at the Eagles
28. Jesse Dattoli Northern 179cm - a player who has been a quality marking small forward for awhile, but this year he added some midfield and wing minutes during the champs which gave him a boost to his value
29. Alex Dodson South Adel 203cm - a player tossing up between Basketball and footy, he had a couple great games in the ruck and a couple average games in the ruck, i think he is the best pure ruck in the draft pool
30. Evan Bradley North Adel 174cm - small quick goal sneak, there are 4 top tier small forwards Berry, Kako, Champion and Bradley
31. Harry O'Farrell Calder 196cm - shut down tall defender, injured during the champs so lost a chance to prove himself
32. Jonty Faull GWV 195cm - injury interrupted year, unconventional KPF, but he knows how to kick bags
33. Luke Urquhart East Frem 190cm - fantastic burst player through the midfield, gave WA a chance by gaining ground and putting territorial pressure on opponents
34. Christian Moraes Eastern 183cm - obviously talented, but his disposal lets him down and that could be a problem at the next level
35. Josh Murphy Murray 190cm - goal kicking medium forward
36. Tyler Welsh WWT 191cm - played 1 game at u18s kicked 8 goals, then played most of the year in the SANFL Seniors for a return of a goal a game average, height is an issue as he has a KPF Body, might need to drop some kilos?
37. Thomas Sims Northern 199cm - contested marking forward, can pinch hit in the ruck, can also kick bags of goals
38. Lachie Jaques Geelong 184cm - intercept marking defender
39. Xavier Ivisic Geelong 180cm - a player who lost his way last year and earlier this year, but came back with avengence
40. Harrison Oliver Sandringham 181cm - good disposal on the small defender
41. Jack Whitlock Murray 200cm - tall forward with athlticism, disappointing year overall
42. Matt Whitlock Murray 200cm - tall defender with athleticism, disappointing year overall for the brothers
43. Tom Gross Oakleigh 181cm - inconsistent midfielder, manic, and when not manic is not very good.
44. James Barrat Bendigo 193cm - played better as a defender than a forward
45. Jasper Alger Oakleigh 182cm - had a few good Vic Country games
46. Lucas Camporeale Glenlg 185cm - good outside midfield, run and carry
47. Hamish Davis Claremont 190cm - had a good champs, got some WAFL experience and is on the up after a huge WAFL Colts GF
48. Rhys Unwin GWV 178cm - since moving from small forward to midfield has improved his value
49. Benny Barrett South Adel 175cm (Port NGA) - quick smooth moving forward/mid, was good at both u16s and u18s champs when given an opportunity, i think he has the talent to make it at the AFL level
50. Archer Day-Wicks Bendigo 186cm - he gets the final spot based on his xfactor plays and strong marking in the forward line
End of Season Top 50
1. Sid Draper - Sth Adelaide 180cm - i think he has had the best lead up to the draft, he burst onto the scene in 1 game at the u16s and left an impression, then went on to dominate for SA at the u18s as an underager winning all australian selection and being SA's MVP, he had a reasonable champs as a draft age player and ended the year with half a dozen 20+ disposal games in the sanfl, adding to his long resume, so i thought i would put him as pick 1
2. Levi Ashcroft - Sandringham 179cm (Bris FS)- nearly as good a junior career as his brother, where his brother was mostly seen as a pick 1 certainty if not for FS and GWS going Cadman instead of bidding, he hasnt had the same hype or the same impact, but he is a fantastic prospect in his own right and should go very early, i think pick 2 like his brother makes sense as he is undeniably a highly talented youngster
3. Jagga Smith Oakleigh 181cm - he knows how to win the footy, he has been an accumulator for Oakleigh, at the Champs for VM and for Richmond VFL, he also seems to have started being more direct with disposal which i have liked seeing as last year and early this year he was a bit of a ball hog and didnt play for the team or use it in a winning fashion, some are forecasting him to be pick 1, i see him more at 3 but either way he will go high because of his impressive resume on paper
4. Harry Armstrong Sandringham 194cm - every time i see him play which is most of his games, he is an impressive focal point for whatever team he plays for, 4 goals in a grand final is a great feat as most tall forwards get swamped in prelims and grand finals so for him to perform in modern day defensive structures as a KPF is impressive, he should be the first tall to get picked imo
5. Finn O'Sullivan Oakleigh 182cm - highly talented player who if he had an injury free season with over 25 disposals average wouldve gone at pick 1 with some quality traits in movement, marking ability, kicking action and footy IQ, but injury plagued his season and even when he did play he rarely played at the level he needed to prove himself, he could either come back and be a George Wardlaw story or fall off to mediocrity like Brodie Kemp, its hard to tell, i think he will come back and be a solid piece in a midfield at the AFL level, but he has caused a touch of doubt for his future with such a meh year, where he was to be measured against his peers.
6. Leonardo Lombard GCS A 178cm (GCS)- last year he came onto the scene at the CTL for Gold Coast really standing out from his team mates, he then went on to have a huge run as an underager for the SUNS VFL premiership winning team, he came into this year and kept up his speed and aggressive running style, he will be a fantastic player at the next level and the SUNS get another quality youngster coming through their academy
7. Tobie Travaglia Bendigo 187cm - a player that has been a joy to watch for 2 years at Bendigo, he is an intercepting machine and very flexible for a medium sized player, he can run and carry and his disposal is good also, he just stands out in games and has big influence on results, the next Tom Stewart/James Sicily/Redman type who could also push into the midfield with his running game
8. Sam Lalor GWV 187cm - another player troubled with injury this year, although when he played i did see signs he could be an impressive impact player in the future, so i have jumped on board the bandwagon and i think he is an exciting prospect that could go anywhere from 5-15
9. Harvey Langford Dandenong 190cm - he and Hynes were fantastic players last year and i mentioned they needed to work on fitness and speed and it seems they took that to heart, both coming out of the blocks having huge 2024 seasons and boosting their credentials, Langfords contested marking being a feature early in the CTL and Hynes bursting speed out of the middle being his feature early, Langford then went on to have the best carnival i have seen from an individual and shared honours with another gun in Lombard, he has rocketed up the rankings and deserves a top 10 placing
10. Josh Smillie Eastern 194cm - a player that won VM MVP in the u16s as a hbf, went on to learn midfield and competed decently, his mobility being a weakness, some got excited by the prospect of a tall mid and the absence of a pick 1 favourite with FOS injured, but after a less than average Champs for VM averaging 18 disposals as a full time midfielder, he came back to earth, i think he has talent, but he needs to work on that running game to make it at the next level imo
11. Taj Hotton Sandringham 182cm - if not for injury, i would have him at pick 1(shades of early Chris Judd), but with a knee on a running player i cant have him in the top 10
12. Murphy Reid Sandringham 180cm - a player i think is brilliant at times, but im unsure if he is driven enough?
13. Joe Berry Murray 180cm - i think small forwards with skill and good goal sense are vital for finals footy
14. Alix Tauru Gippsland 191cm - strong intercepting defender, tough as an Ox
15. Jobe Shanahan Bendigo 194cm - great hands in the contest, moves well for a key forward, good focal point
16. Isaac Kako Calder 175cm (Ess NGA)- quick small forward, goal kicking and pressure forward
17. Bo Allan Peel 191cm - has looked fantastic for Peel in the WAFL and during the finals, love his dash from midfield and because he came from hbf reminds people of what Will Day has done at the hawks
18. Kayle Gerreyn West Perth 199cm - he has been fantastic in the wafl colts and was big for WA at the Champs, one of the most consistent talls in the draft pool
19. Luke Trainor Sandringham 194cm - wonderful KPD, with an intercepting game and good disposal, good efforts in rep footy for AFL Academy and at the Champs, unfortunately has concussion issues and so has dropped down the order a little
20. Xavier Lindsay Gippsland 183cm - a player who has lifted this year to put his name up for 1st round consideration, his Champs games being a highlight
21. Jack Ough GWV 194cm - very similar to Bo Allan, he was a quality 3rd tall defender who now has transformed into a quality midfielder
22. Cooper Hynes Dandenong 190cm - explosive pace, kicked a few lovely goals this year, played well without dominating for Vic Country, he seems like a quiet type and lacks some confidence from his game of PIG in pre-season, but when he feels comfortable, he can play great footy
23. Ben Camporeale Glenlg 186cm (Carl FS) - i think Carlton will get their FS at a good price because of the depth of talent this year, Ben is a fantastic tough in and under prospect, in and under guys can kick chaos balls as they are under pressure a lot, but he does the hard yards that dont get you the fame that the running types get.
24. Sam Marshall Sandringham 185cm (Bris A) - a player that had a solid underage year winning the u18s Champs with the Allies, then he backed it up with a fantastic year for Sandringham winning the premiership and playing well and again for the Allies in a less successful team
25. Hugh Boxshall Claremont 187cm - a player that had a good u16s, then was unseen last year because of PSA school footy in WA, then came out and took some courageous marks and played great footy at the Champs, he has gone back to help Claremont win the WAFL Colts grand final, gathering a lazy 30 touches in the GF
26. Oliver Hannaford GWV 180cm - a player who struggled to gain attention as a hbf, but then his move forward saw him show off his speed and attacking flair as well as piling on some goals to rocket him up draft lists
27. Malakai Champion Subiaco 172cm (WCE NGA) - fantastic small forward, very quick, can fumble at times dropping his value a little, but should be an exciting prospect at the Eagles
28. Jesse Dattoli Northern 179cm - a player who has been a quality marking small forward for awhile, but this year he added some midfield and wing minutes during the champs which gave him a boost to his value
29. Alex Dodson South Adel 203cm - a player tossing up between Basketball and footy, he had a couple great games in the ruck and a couple average games in the ruck, i think he is the best pure ruck in the draft pool
30. Evan Bradley North Adel 174cm - small quick goal sneak, there are 4 top tier small forwards Berry, Kako, Champion and Bradley
31. Harry O'Farrell Calder 196cm - shut down tall defender, injured during the champs so lost a chance to prove himself
32. Jonty Faull GWV 195cm - injury interrupted year, unconventional KPF, but he knows how to kick bags
33. Luke Urquhart East Frem 190cm - fantastic burst player through the midfield, gave WA a chance by gaining ground and putting territorial pressure on opponents
34. Christian Moraes Eastern 183cm - obviously talented, but his disposal lets him down and that could be a problem at the next level
35. Josh Murphy Murray 190cm - goal kicking medium forward
36. Tyler Welsh WWT 191cm - played 1 game at u18s kicked 8 goals, then played most of the year in the SANFL Seniors for a return of a goal a game average, height is an issue as he has a KPF Body, might need to drop some kilos?
37. Thomas Sims Northern 199cm - contested marking forward, can pinch hit in the ruck, can also kick bags of goals
38. Lachie Jaques Geelong 184cm - intercept marking defender
39. Xavier Ivisic Geelong 180cm - a player who lost his way last year and earlier this year, but came back with avengence
40. Harrison Oliver Sandringham 181cm - good disposal on the small defender
41. Jack Whitlock Murray 200cm - tall forward with athlticism, disappointing year overall
42. Matt Whitlock Murray 200cm - tall defender with athleticism, disappointing year overall for the brothers
43. Tom Gross Oakleigh 181cm - inconsistent midfielder, manic, and when not manic is not very good.
44. James Barrat Bendigo 193cm - played better as a defender than a forward
45. Jasper Alger Oakleigh 182cm - had a few good Vic Country games
46. Lucas Camporeale Glenlg 185cm - good outside midfield, run and carry
47. Hamish Davis Claremont 190cm - had a good champs, got some WAFL experience and is on the up after a huge WAFL Colts GF
48. Rhys Unwin GWV 178cm - since moving from small forward to midfield has improved his value
49. Benny Barrett South Adel 175cm (Port NGA) - quick smooth moving forward/mid, was good at both u16s and u18s champs when given an opportunity, i think he has the talent to make it at the AFL level
50. Archer Day-Wicks Bendigo 186cm - he gets the final spot based on his xfactor plays and strong marking in the forward line
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