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Preview 2026 AFL Draft General Discussion

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Yeh I like him a lot too. Next years draft is pretty strong. Definitely better than this years
Small things stand out at that level, He got beaten and knocked over by a bigger guy, ball up. hits the contest as speed and wins the pill. also loved his dad running around oval all game ha

Even the talls stood out Noah Bevis so raw but looks a talent.
 
Gus Kennedy is son of former Frankston player Paul and boy is there plenty to get excited about

Great thing about footy is people see different things, imo he hasn't stood out but is built like a brickhouse which is a good sign.
 

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We don't have top end academy picks. Ashcroft x2, Fletcher are all father sons.


That's the list. Our first rounders via academy are Hipwood (pick 14/2005) and Sam Marshall (pick 25 last year). Rest are all later picks or selections out of scrapheap whom we persisted in academy as overagers or VFL and they came good later.

Coleman (undrafted as 18 yo, pick 24 as 19 yo), Payne (pick 54), Bruce (Cat B selection age 22) etc.

We are not very good at hoarding talent via this academy pathway. We should be absolutely robbing the QLD market using academy but that hasn't been the case so far. We may finally have one this year in Annable as a genuine top 10. Should do a better job in this area like Gold Coast are doing.
Coleman was pick 37, 2019.

Gold Coast are putting $2m a year in to their academy. Not sure any other academy is coming close to that figure.
 
Said it at the start of the year that I reckon this draft is shaping up as a genuine super draft.

2025 pool looks alright and a few guns in the open pool in CDT and Lindsay etc but Walker, Cochrane, Butler, Prasad and Robinson are far more tantalizing prospects for me.

The quality of the 16s carnival they played in last year was almost better than what I saw of the 18s champs
 
Said it at the start of the year that I reckon this draft is shaping up as a genuine super draft.

2025 pool looks alright and a few guns in the open pool in CDT and Lindsay etc but Walker, Cochrane, Butler, Prasad and Robinson are far more tantalizing prospects for me.

The quality of the 16s carnival they played in last year was almost better than what I saw of the 18s champs
There's potential that only 1 of those names you mentioned is unaligned next year, kind of puts it in the same spot as this year
 
Yep, no more of a scam than Collingwood getting 2 x Daicos' cause their dad.

Give me 2 players of their combined quality that the Academy's have produced.

Is it a flawed system? Yep, in so many ways. But if it helps a quality 15yo develop and get drafted that probably wouldn't just playing local footy, that's pretty good.

Pretty sure Cooper isn't the top or even 2nd top rated in his age group in the Lion's Academy. So it won't be Lions 'stealing him' in the top 10. Reckon all clubs will have a shot at him if they want to bid on him. Bet they don't though.

Except Josh Daicos was passed on 57 times by all 18 clubs and Collingwood ended up using their draft pick to take him after no bid for him.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
A few bottom agers being named for a run as the champs kick into gear.
WA & Vic C backing quite a few of them in this week by the looks.
SA and Allies didn’t go with any game 1 & I assume Vic M will go with limited bottom agers throughout.

SA
Edwards (Emerg)

Allies
Nil

WA
Mellody
Gale
Wilson
Van Rooyan
Spawning-Guy (Emerg)

Vic C
Neocleous
Walker
Malady
Szerszyn
Armstrong (Emerg)

Vic M
Assume Butler
 

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