Resource Noob's 2026 Draft Prospect Video Thread

[noobermensch]

Big Harry was a little off in this one. He mistimed many of his leaps in the ruck, leading to him largely ceding the hit out battle to his opponent, and while he was typically competitive with his follow up work, he wasn't always as effective as usual with the ball. When moved forward he competed hard in marking contests without clunking any cleanly outside of one lovely mark on the lead in the second quarter.

 

[noobermensch]

After a couple of quiet games in the Talent League the hype disappeared on Arki Butler and as a result his solid performances across this two game Academy series have flown a little under the radar. He was one of the Academy's best in game 2 mostly playing through the midfield with occasional stints forward. In a game that often bogged down into slow chip/mark play Arki was damaging with the ball and featured occasional bursts of pace and agility to weave past opponents.

 

[noobermensch]

Another solid showing from Patterson who was perhaps a little scrappier and less efficient with his ball use than in game one but brought the same intense competitive attack on the contest and defensive pressure. He has the ability to use quick thinking, pace and evasiveness to create opportunistic shots on goal from scrambled plays in the forward 50, one of which led to his single major of the game.

 

[noobermensch]

Backing up after his BOG performance in game one, this game from Noah Williams was much less prolific but still impressive in its own right. His intense energizer bunny tackling pressure wasn't quite at the same level as last week, but when he found the ball his possessions were quality and his outside run tested his opponents. He hit targets inside F50 and snapped a lovely running goal.

 

[noobermensch]

A solid first game of the season for Heath Mellody after an injury delayed start to the year. He played mostly off a back flank with stints on the wing, and as we've come to expect from Mellody his running power up and down his wing was a standout, as was his kicking accuracy outside of a shanked shot for goal. He had a few strong defensive actions, and his work rate was strong, although understandably he seemed to struggle a little for match fitness late.

 

[noobermensch]

A first look at Harrison Chapman on the channel after his strong showing for the AFL Academy in game two. His outside run was notable, the majority of his nine marks uncontested and often coming from his workrate to support attacking moves and find space ahead of the ball, but he also worked hard to get back and help inside D50. He showed some nice moves to weave through traffic on a couple of occasions, and proved his quality with ball in hand, both with decision making and skill execution.

 

[noobermensch]

One of the best names in the draft pool, Eagles NGA Jamayson Ketchup showed his talent with a strong Colts performance in round 3. Ketchup has pace, solid kicking skills and more than a few tricks in his bag. This was a game that struggled to get going with a lot of stoppages and sluggish ball movement, but Ketchup managed to break free on a number of occasions for Perth and ultimately won the game for them with two late goals.

 

[noobermensch]

Prolific output from George Gale who played more through the midfield with some rotations back to his more typical rebounding half back role. His clean hands to scoop up contested ball at ground level suggest more midfield minutes could be in his future. He was strong overhead, providing an excellent outlet around the ground for his teammates. His ball use in space was solid, and he contributed two of his teams seven goals on the day.

 

[noobermensch]

So far this season McNicol has been consistently dominating the SA u18s competition every week for Glenelg. His gaudy possession tallies are a product of his elite work rate and ability to read the play. He played almost entirely through the midfield this week, and the territorial control that Sturt had in the game saw McNicol spending more time in D50 helping his team transition and get up the field. His kicking is more variable than is ideal, but can be damaging when he gets it right, and his movement and poise with the ball makes him difficult to contain.

 

[noobermensch]

Big game from bottom ager Moustafa Darwish who did a bit of everything in helping his Cannons get the win. His kicking accuracy needs some work, but there's plenty else here to get Essendon fans excited. He's developing a powerful frame which lets him be strong over the ball in contested situations, he's a strong marking presence around the ground and plays with a composure that belies his years.

 

[DERO]

Flynn Woolhouse? Asking for a friend ;-)

 

[noobermensch]

Flynn Woolhouse? Asking for a friend ;-)

Replied to your PM

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Toner Loc please.

 

[noobermensch]

Toner Loc please.

Who??

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Who??

Toner.

 

[noobermensch]

Toner.

I did do a vid for him leading into last years MSD, I'll do another when we get a bit closer to the draft if he's still considered a strong fancy.

 

[noobermensch]

Toner.

Realised you could have been asking for Sam Toner or Mitch Toner. Need to be more specific bro!

 

[noobermensch]

Another big performance from Ethan Drever who's been one of the most consistently elite midfielders in the Talent League this season. He struggled to control his kicking at times in the windy conditions here, but his work at stoppage was fantastic, generating first use and territory for his team all game. Whether it was swooping on ground balls with clean hands or reading the tap and breaking away with dash, his size, physicality and quick first step makes him extremely difficult to contain.

 

[noobermensch]

With the junior footy schedule getting a little quieter post Academy series we have a bit of space to do some catchup and go a bit lateral. Like many others I'm disappointed that we're probably not going to see Dougie Cochrane the pick 1 favourite play this year, and he'll definitely miss the Champs series, so I decided to go back in the time machine and have a look at Dougie playing in the U16 Champs a few years ago.

Dougie played mostly as a defender with a few rotations on ball and was a major factor in a win for SA against the old enemy Vic Metro.

 

[noobermensch]

Catching up on a fantastic performance from round 1 that I ran out of time to cover at the time. Harrison Chapman showing his elite running power on the outside, finding a stack of the footy and for the most part using it extremely well. Chapman has impressed through this opening third of the season and has the qualities to push himself into first round contention.

 

[noobermensch]

An excellent performance from Phillips in a tightly fought affair between two of this seasons stronger Talent League teams. The intensity and pressure in this game was high, and Phillips applied plenty of strong tackling pressure of his own. The pressure level led to this becoming a rather scrappy affair at times, but Phillips cut through on a number of occasions with pace and class, including a couple of lovely running goals. Unfortunately, he had a nasty looking head clash with a teammate halfway through the fourth quarter which he seemed to struggle to shake off, raising questions about potential concussion.

 

[noobermensch]

Andriani isn't available until the 2027 draft but he's already destroying the competition in the SA U18s comp and racking up some incredible numbers. In this game he was simply unstoppable at center bounce, seeming to get first hands on the ball every time and driving his team forward. If he didn't get it himself, he prevented free movement for his opponents with strong tackling pressure. He was just as impressive on the spread, gut running to find space and always getting to the next contest. He capped off a brilliant display with a lovely running goal in the last quarter.

 

[noobermensch]

Cody Templeton is flying under the radar a little on the back of a consistent start to the season without having the kind of wow performance that makes people sit up and take notice. This was another solid effort from him, splitting his time between midfield and the forward line and impacting in both roles. He's had a slight query around his disposal efficiency in the past, but he was bang on here hitting precision kicks and setting up teammates in forward 50. The highlight of his day came early with a running, bouncing goal from a center square break, one of two majors for Cody on the day.

 

[noobermensch]

Snell was quiet early but increasingly grew into the game to become a dominant aerial force across the Gippsland defensive line, especially impactful in the fourth quarter when the Rebels were trying to mount a comeback and kicking with a strong wind advantage. He took plenty of intercept marks and was disruptive when he couldnt mark it himself with a big spoiling fist. He found plenty of the footy on the rebound out of D50, showcasing his strong and penetrating kicking skills.

 

[noobermensch]

A stat stuffing performance from Hugh McCallum who's started to generate some draft hype with his excellent play in recent weeks for the Devils. He played on a wing through the first three quarters and provided strong two way outside run with the endurance to both get himself into dangerous attacking space forward and fold back defensively. He moved on ball for the last quarter, showing he can impact at the coal face in spite of his slight frame. The four goals were a highlight, and his kicking skills were solid if perhaps lacking a little penetration.