Resource Noob's 2025 Draft Prospect Video Thread

[noobermensch]

Hudson was the man of the moment, taking a mark late in the fourth quarter and calmly slotting the winning goal from 40 on a slight angle. Prior to this huge moment he put together a solid game, the highlight being his intense pressure applied through the forward line and midfield. He also directly assisted two more goals for his teammates.

 

[noobermensch]

Carlton father-son Harry Dean is shaping as one of the best key defenders in this years draft pool in a year that's extremely thin for that type of prospect. In this game Dean was a bit of a wall in D50, taking strong marks and intercepting the ball regularly.

 

[noobermensch]

A second straight dominant performance at the Champs from Sharp leading to a second straight demolition job of the opposition. It would be a brave person that would bet against Sharp winning the Larke medal from here and SA have all but sewn up the Champs title already only three weeks into the carnival. He was everywhere again here, powerful at stoppage, tireless on the spread, popping up with a couple of goals and again showing his strength overhead.

 

[noobermensch]

Nairn went big in a dominant Champs performance booting 7 goals for SA against a WA team that simply couldn't handle him on the day. He was powerful and clean in the air and solid at ground level and could easily have had 9 goals if he hadn't been robbed of a couple by dubious umpiring decisions.

 

[noobermensch]

It was a tough day for WA but Fred put together a strong performance to be their best on the day. He worked hard all game and found plenty of the footy in space where he was able to damage with his disposal, although his midfield group was soundly beaten by the WA mids overall. His ability to place his kicks to a dangerous spot inside 50 or float them perfectly to the advantage shoulder of his target is elite.

 

[noobermensch]

A VFL debut to remember for Kalani White who started slowly but grew in confidence over the course of the game and ended up playing his part in a 4th quarter surge by Casey that broke the game open, with Kalai kicking two goals in that term. He's still skinny and raw, but there were plenty of exciting signs here for Demons (and possibly Sun) fans.

 

[noobermensch]

Dovaston keeps on building and improving as the season progresses and should be considered firmly in the first round frame at this stage as the premiere small forward in the draft pool. He's lacking almost nothing for that role, capable of kicking all types of goals, willing and able to apply defensive pressure at a high level, brings teammates into the play with creative disposal, electric around the footy with his pace, agility and a touch of magic. It would be nice to see him frank his form with a big performance at the Champs, but the talent level is undeniable.

 

[noobermensch]

Cumming set the tone for this performance by SA at the opening bounce with his attack on the contest and the man. His numbers from this game won't jump out at you, and playing his half forward role with occasional rotations into the midfield he's rarely going to be prolific, but the moments of quality from him keep coming consistently game after game. His athleticism and talent allow him to do some things that most others can't, as demonstrated by a soaring pack mark in the goal square in the third quarter.

 

[noobermensch]

Charlie has been kicking goals for fun since returning from an injury delayed start to the season, following up his 8 goals in round 8 with another big bag of 7 on the weekend. He's an unfashionable, throwback type of player, a real stay at home, "undersized" full forward in the mold of a Lockett or Dunstall from a bygone era. He doesn't mind laying a tackle or bump occasionally, but mostly he just wants to kick goals and he's excellent at doing just that. Let's hope his latest heroics will earn him a call up to represent Vic Country in their remaining Champs games.

 

[noobermensch]

An intriguing watch for draft nerds with Willem moved away from the mid/fwd role that he typically plays for Gippsland. He was mostly deployed on a wing in the first half and struggled to impact as much as we've come to expect this year, but that changed dramatically in the second half with a shift into defence which saw him produce one of the best displays of intercept marking that I've seen this junior season. I've wondered at times if Willem's positional versatility is a bit of a curse, and this shift into other roles here may suggest that the clubs themselves aren't fully sure where his future lies and wanted more of a look at him playing other roles.

 

[noobermensch]

Another excellent game from Aidan Schubert who's become the early draft bolter at this year's Champs. He split the ruck duties much more evenly with Ainsworth in this game which limited his opportunities to hit the scoreboard but gave him an opportunity to show an aspect of his game that we hadn't seen as much of through the first two games. He was strong in the ruck, giving his mids first use on a number of occasions and playing a large role in SA's overall dominance through the middle, as well as finding a stack of the footy himself and using the ball constructively by hand and foot.

 

[noobermensch]

Farrow was named among the best for WA in a tough game for the Black Swans. His move into the midfield continued through the first half of this game, and he was solid around the ball although struggled at times to match up with a SA midfield that was well on top. He spent more of the second half in his more familiar defensive role, which allows him the time and space to utilize his kicking skills to their full advantage.

 

[noobermensch]

BOB's performance on the weekend seems to be flying under the radar a little with his name missing from the lists of SA's best. He's a talented kid who's been struggling to find his best form since an injury delayed start to the season, but there were some excellent signs here. At his best he can cut through congestion with a burst of speed and break lines with his excellent disposal by foot and we started to see a lot more of that come to the fore in this game. After failing to get a touch through the first 20 mins he started to find a lot more of the footy as the game progressed, hopefully signaling that this is just the start of bigger things to come.

 

[noobermensch]

Justifiably named in the bests for SA, Kellaway put in one of his typically tough and hard working displays with some moments of quality with the footy. This SA team has been largely dominating opponents on the back of their willingness to sacrifice and work for each other, and Kellaway exemplifies that attitude. He showed some versatility by playing a decent amount off the half back flank in this game but would roll up to play as an extra midfielder, setting up as a sweeper behind the stoppage.

 

[noobermensch]

The shift of Willem out of the midfield continued here. He played as a key defender for the first three quarters of the game to decent effect, taking some intercept marks and showing that the increased time and space exiting defense helps his kicking skills significantly. With Gippsland trailing entering the fourth quarter, he was moved into the forward line and responded with a couple of goals to help surge his team to another victory and consolidate their lead at the top of the Talent League ladder.

 

[noobermensch]

After missing a game Talor Byrne was back in action putting in a strong performance playing predominantly forward with only a brief rotation through the midfield. The change in role didn't prevent him from finding the footy, and using it well. He was an absolute pest to the opposition all game, applying huge amounts of defensive pressure and winning a number of free kicks which helped him hit the scoreboard. Lets hope he gets the call up to represent Vic Country this coming weekend.

 

[noobermensch]

Cody has become one of the most consistently prolific midfielders in the Talent League over the last two months of play and was on his way to another massive 30+ possession performance here before a wrist injury ended his game prematurely. He sustained the injury at the first bounce after half time and battled on manfully for a few more minutes before checking out with his team already well in control on the scoreboard.

 

[noobermensch]

Hunter Holmes is the younger brother of Geelong's Max Holmes and comes with a similar reputation as an elite junior athlete. That combination of pace and endurance will have Hunter firmly in the draft frame even though his footy game is still quite raw at this stage. He turns in consistently solid performances but is yet to have that real break out game at either Talent League or Champs level that would have his name moving higher up draft boards.

 

[noobermensch]

Archie Van Dyk is an elite talent for 2026 currently starring as a bottom ager for South Adelaide in the SANFL u18s comp, predominantly playing midfield and forward. In this game he showed his clean hands at ground level and ability to find angles for creative disposal, but the standout was probably his marking display, attacking fearlessly in the air and out muscling opponents in 1v1 contests.

 

[noobermensch]

In a draft pool without a lot of key defensive talent, Xavier Taylor has been making a strong case to be the first to have his name read out on draft night. He's somewhat undersized for the position, but excellent in the air with clean hands and fearless attack. He assertively takes the game on, willing to come off his man to intercept or impact third up and will often be seen dashing through the middle of the ground in transition.

 

[noobermensch]

Back-to-back games of 16 marks in the Talent League put bottom-ager Billy Wigmore on the radar as an exciting prospect for the 2026 draft. Billy is a medium sized defender capable of reading the play and intercepting with clean 1 grab overhead marks, his aerial prowess allowing him to play taller than his listed height. He attacks the ball on the ground as well as the air, and works hard to get involved exiting D50.

 

[noobermensch]

Fulfilling a request for a look Kevin Bartlett's grandson Callum Smith who's been putting up big numbers in the Talent League over the last month or so. He's a big bodied inside midfielder who finds plenty of the footy and is able to regularly hit the scoreboard.

Personally, I have concerns about his lack of athleticism and disposal skills, but we'll see how he fares over the rest of the season.

 

[noobermensch]

Great to see Jack Dalton back out there for his first Talent League game of the season after some pretty significant injury setbacks. This was one of the busiest performances of the season with Dalton seemingly involved in everything around the ground, working extremely hard both to find the footy and apply defensive pressure. This game was an extremely scrappy affair between two traditional rivals with clean skills at a premium, which wasn't helped by the rain and wind arriving in the second half, and like the majority of players from both teams Dalton struggled at times to hit targets.

 

[noobermensch]

An early look at bottom aged Essendon NGA Blake Justice who's looking to be a likely type for the 2026 draft. He's tall and rangy for a midfielder, with clean and quick hands. He lacks strength right now which is not unusual for a bottom-ager but doesn't shy away from the physical side of the game.

 

[noobermensch]

Another prolific outing for Josh Lindsay, rebounding off half back for Vic Country and directing play with his silky left boot. His Country team was under the pump all game from a SA team that's dominated this Champs series, but Lindsay was able to absorb the pressure and respond with composure and class all game.