Resource Noob's 2025 Draft Prospect Video Thread

[noobermensch]

A solid display from Willem in helping his Gippsland Power tune up for the finals with a big win over the Pioneers. His kicking was again a bit variable, but his midfield game has really matured over the course of the season which should make recruiters feel much more comfortable drafting him with that mid/fwd role in mind. His movement around stoppage without the ball is much improved, and he’s started to use his natural athletic traits to carry the ball forward out of congestion for damaging possessions. His acceleration for a guy his size is super impressive, and once he gets a head of steam up he seems nearly impossible to stop.

 

[noobermensch]

Grlj is back in Talent League action after a long absence for school footy, Champs and VFL. He picked up where he left of all those months ago, impacting significantly at stoppage with clean hands, bursts of pace and strong tackling pressure. He spread well and presented around the ground as an outlet for his teammates. His excellent recent form has put him right back in the top 10 frame, and a strong finals campaign could move him up into the very pointy end of the draft.

 

[noobermensch]

A typical powerful, physical and prolific performance from Cody who was clearly the Pioneers best on ground even as they lost against the impressive Power. These kinds of performances have become par for the course for Cody who remains in rarified air as one of the very elite prospects for 2026.

 

[noobermensch]

This kind of an incredible, dominant performance creates questions that recruiters need to answer. Is Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves the most talented prospect in the draft pool? Has he been hampered all season by injuries that have prevented him from fully showing what he has to offer?

No other prospect has had such a huge gap between his best and his worst this year, and this might just be the best single game performance we’ve seen this year. It’s the first time that he’s looked convincing playing on ball, showing that he’s capable of getting first hands on it and driving his team forward. His running power was as elite as always, but instead of running to get to a contest and then hovering around ineffectively he was much more active and impactful. His elite traits like his ball skills and marking are so good that if he can find the ball 29 times like he did in this game he is going to dominate.

 

[noobermensch]

Another 5 goal game from Arki who's become one of the most exciting and prolific small forwards in the Talent League, and a red hot chance to be a top 10 pick in next seasons draft. His leap and attack in the air were especially notable in this game, leading to some spectacular results even though they didn't all come off.

 

[noobermensch]

The Bison continued with his dual wing and forward line role and seems to be becoming more comfortable in it over time. He was everywhere, taking marks as an outlet around the ground and deeper forward to set up goal scoring opportunities. He booted three and could have had more if his set shot kicking had been more accurate.

 

[noobermensch]

One of the best VFL performances by a draft prospect in this pool, Fincher was put straight into the midfield from the opening bounce and rewarded the coaches trust by ending among Sandy's best for the game. He worked incredibly hard and proved how tough and competitive he is by matching it with grown men in the clinches. He found a lot of the footy, laid plenty of tackles, and showed some poise with the ball.

 

[noobermensch]

Kondogiannis is a medium sized or third tall defender with the running power to impact with rebounding play higher up the ground. His leap and marking strength allows him to play taller than his 190cm would suggest. In this game we saw him running off his man regularly and finding plenty of the footy, although he struggled a little with his kicking skills in the windy conditions.

 

[noobermensch]

I won't lie to you, there are a few issues with this one. The broadcast was a bit of a mess, we lost large chunks of the opening quarter and the second half has no sound. Also, this was clearly Lindsay's worst performance of the season, his kicking way off all game.

 

[noobermensch]

Heavily effected by the poor quality broadcast. Most of Q1 was lost to technical issues and the sound in the second half is missing.

Greeves was back to his variable ways with his disposal, but his power through the contest was seriously impressive in this game, and he showed that his marking can be a real weapon.

 

[noobermensch]

Another draftable club tied prospect for Carlton is Jack Ison. Ison is a versatile midfield/utility type with good size and athletic traits. In this game we saw him win plenty of ball in contested situations, apply strong tackling pressure, and get forward to kick a couple of opportunistic goals. Like a lot of players on the day he struggled with his kicking accuracy in windy conditions.

 

[noobermensch]

2026 number 1 pick and future Brownlow medalist Dougie Cochrane again showing his wares as a bottom ager at senior SANFL level. Dougie had some big moments in the fourth quarter to help the Bulldogs get up over the Crows in a narrow win.

 

[noobermensch]

Swadling had a month of productive footy playing seniors for West Perth, but with a finals spot on the line he dropped back down to Colts level to help them get up and secure their spot. Swadling is one of the most prolific ball winners we've ever seen at Colts level, averaging high 30s possessions, and racked up a casual 42 in this one. His work rate to get to every contest is immense, and he loves to chain out with multiple possessions through overlap run. His decision making and disposal was pretty solid here, although I'd love for him to put away the soccer kicks.

 

[noobermensch]

This late season bust of strong form from Thrillem has probably sewn up number 1 pick. Sporting a tidy new haircut, Duursma played mid forward, took marks, kicked goals, tackled hard, found a decent amount of the footy and used it well by foot which has been a criticism at times. He didn't have many clearances or any of those dashing center breaks this week but was still impressive through the midfield, mostly as a first receiver.

 

[noobermensch]

Dalton was a dominant player in the rivalry matchup between the Dragons and the Chargers on the weekend, working super hard with second and third efforts in contested situations and finishing off his work with a couple of goals. Kicking efficiency hasn't always been a strength for Jack but he was a little tidier in that area here. Unfortunately, we lost the first 8 mins of the game due to technical problems with the broadcast.

 

[noobermensch]

The stats are solid but modest for Grlj in this game, but this was an impressive performance. Some sequences of play were the type of thing that only Grlj is capable of among this pool of draftees, dodging and weaving through traffic or bursting through with pace. His disposal was tidy and creative.

Unfortunately we lost the first 8 mins of the game due to technical difficulties. Lets hope we didn’t miss any all time great Grlj highlights.

 

[noobermensch]

Huge statistical performance from Finn in this game. His possession count is a testament to his work rate and running power, able to overlap repeatedly and continually get involved in ball movement with extra gut running efforts. He turns the ball over a bit more than you'd like when kicking to marking contests, although it can be tough to know how much that's on the kicker and how much on the marking target at this level, and when he hits up options in the clear he's able to find them well.

 

[noobermensch]

Following up one of the best performances of the season, NHH was just okay here, an example perhaps of some of the frustrating inconsistency we've seen from him this season. He wasn't able to find as much space to damage with run and skills that we saw from him regularly last year, however we did see a continuation of his increased willingness to get stuck in to contested situations, and an improved ability to field loose balls with clean hands below his knees which has been a criticism in the past.

 

[noobermensch]

An interesting watch for supporters of teams that might be considering picking Josh Lindsay up the pointy end of the draft as he switched up his role and played all four quarters on a wing. Lindsay seems to be in a patch of softer form right now, and he didn't always find it easy to get into the play on his wing in a less familiar role, although his natural traits should ultimately suit the position quite well with his endurance, solid aerial impact for his size and of course his elite kicking skills which should be a weapon that regularly laces out leading forwards inside 50.

 

[noobermensch]

Greeves played a higher split as a forward in this game, especially in the first half where he showed some nice moves including a strong lateral lead into space which drew the footy. He kicked one goal and should have a couple more with straighter set shot kicking. Ollie's application to applying tackling pressure has been noticeably improving as the season's progressed which has been the biggest criticism of his game.

 

[noobermensch]

Oskar seems to be this year's late season draft bolter, which is an interesting situation given he's been super consistent this year, turning in strong performances from round 1, it's just taken everyone a while to catch on to his quality, including the Metro selectors who didn't call up Oskar for a single game at this year's carnival. Oskar is quick and beautifully balanced, able to change direction on a dime to beat tackles and weave through traffic. His kicking skills are above average, and he can disposal of the ball quickly while running at full pace.

 

[noobermensch]

Sweid has consistently delivered this year for the Cannons and this game was no exception. His ability absorb contact and maintain his momentum, using his low center of gravity to remain stable, keep his feet and get away clean disposal is first class. He's played more stints in the forward line as the season has progressed and has showed some good signs in that high forward role that he's likely to find himself playing early in his AFL career.

 

[noobermensch]

Not a huge possession count, but Sharp was a powerful force around the contest in this game, accumulating clearances and tackles and showing once again that he's probably the prospect most physically and mentally ready to step in and play AFL from round 1 next season. Unfortunately, with Central Districts losing their finals games in the seniors and U18s this is probably the last we'll see of Dyson in 2025, but he's left a lasting impression and will be one of the most coveted prospects at the draft in November.

 

[noobermensch]

Wow, now this is what you call a draft bolter. On a field with a bunch of kids that have already cemented their spots in the upcoming draft, Sullivan Robey was the star of this game, having such a dominant performance that at one point Ollie Greeves crowned him as king in celebration of one of his goals. Playing heavy midfield minutes at this level for the first time, Robey was near unstoppable... his combination of size, pace, power and physicality too much for the Jets mids to handle. In slippery conditions on a heavy deck, Robey showed his superior balance and coordination to keep his feet and find room in tight spaces to extract the ball and release his teammates.

It takes a combination of talent and opportunity to become a success, and even though it's taken a while to get here, there's no doubt that Sullivan Robey has captured the attention of draft watchers and recruiters alike, and they'll be keen to see what he can do through the remainder of this finals series.

 

[noobermensch]

CDT left one of his best performances to last, showing us some of the things we'd been hoping to see from him all year to justify his lofty status in this draft pool. This was by far his best marking performance, especially when you consider the conditions making the ball slippery. He played forward for more than 50% game time, something that I'd been crying out for at this level, and he was fantastic inside F50, doing everything apart from slotting the shots that he created for himself, ending up with 2 goals 5 behinds. This kind of forward line performance makes drafting CDT a significantly less risky proposition, given his 200cm height makes him very much on the short side for a ruck.

Edit: not actually his last game for the season, apologies for the confusion