Resource Noob's 2026 Draft Prospect Video Thread

[noobermensch]

New video for today:

Kodah Edwards from SA was one of the best on the field in the opening half of the Futures game, playing midfield, tackling hard, breaking into space and show class with the ball at times. He was moved to the forward line in the second half and drafted out of the contest a little but still did enough to be named among the best for his team on the day.

 

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LeCras shapes as an interesting option in the 2026 pool with a lot of the attributes coveted by teams in a modern forward. Medium sized at 190cm, super clean hands in marking contests and the running power to leave his matchup in the dust. He played both forward and wing in the Futures game, and while he didn't find a huge amount of the footy, he was still named among the best for his team.

 

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Patterson is another talented prospect in what looks to be another strong crop from SA. A small forward who can do a bit of everything and kicked bags of goals as a bottom ager. A quick first step and change of direction helps him slip tacklers or get out on the lead. He's dangerous at ground level and capable of leaping for marks.

 

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A prospect in the extended first round mix for 2026, Gus Teixeira is a hard working wing or half forward with running power on the outside and creativity with his disposal. The Dragons always seem to have a handful of kids emerge in their top age season to dominate the Talent League and Teixeira looks to be a strong candidate to do just that.

 

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Heath Mellody, not to be confused with Will Malady, looks to be one of the top prospects from WA in next years draft pool. In the Futures game on grand final day he played mostly on a wing, holding his width well and showing elite running power (both endurance and pace) to burn off his man and continually find space, allowing him to be used regularly as an outlet by his teammates and finding a significant amount of the ball. While his disposal was a little off here, typically Mellody is a penetrating and accurate kick of the footy.

 

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There's been plenty of buzz around Lewis Houndsome this year, a big lump of a lad near 200cm tall who moves really well, plays with a physical edge, and can take a grab at a point that few defenders can reach. Lewis hasn't managed to truly dominate a game this year or kick a big bag of goals. Draft watchers and recruiters will be looking to see him impose himself on games more consistently in 2026.

The ruck/forward combo of Houndsome and Van Hattum shapes as an exciting watch next year for the Northern Knights.

 

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An interesting watch for Arki Butler fans, one of the few this year where he played the majority of the game through the midfield rather than as a small forward. Here we see strong hints of what I expect will be his main role in 2026 as a goal kicking and game breaking midfielder with excellent pace, skills and x-factor.

 

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Back in the chair after a bit of an extended break. Still in off season mode so the video will be sporadic, getting more frequent as we build up to the new season.

Here we have a look at Garrison Kenh, one of the top prospects for WA from their upcoming crop. In this game he shows his poise with the ball, evasiveness and ability to impact in contested situations.

 

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Big Harry has reportedly grown to 206cm now and looks set to be the dominant ruck from this draft crop. In this game he featured his excellent movement for his size, ground game and follow up at stoppage given the early rain made the ball slippery. As things dried out later in the game, he started to show his ability to impact in the air and clunk big marks which makes him dangerous during his rotations forward.

 

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The Power Cube Marlon Neocleous got off to a strong start in round one of last season, showing his ability to damage through the middle of the ground and inside the forward 50. He had some lovely slick clearances from stoppage, hit up leading targets with F50 entries, and got on the end of a couple himself to hit the scoreboard. The strong wind didn't help his disposal accuracy, but he managed to work through it to become increasingly damaging as the game progressed.

 

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Marcus Prasad was a star at U16 level and showed some flashes of that talent in his bottom age season at Talent League level. At 167cm he'll need to overcome his lack of size, but plenty of other small forwards have proven over the years that its not an insurmountable problem if the talent is there.

This performance was one of his best of the season, dangerous at front half stoppage, hitting the scoreboard and most impressively applying elite defensive pressure.

 

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A good test for one of SA's top prospects Archie Van Dyk with his team facing off against Sturt who would ultimately end the season as premiers. Van Dyk showed his excellent aerial strength for a midfielder and racked up plenty of the footy, having a strong impact around the contest. His disposal by foot suffered under the pressure of the Sturt midfielders, his left foot kicking particularly scrappy.

 

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It's surprising to see Jack Pickett being left out of some of the top prospect lists heading into the new season. Pickett is a slightly undersized but exciting and damaging tall forward. Jack loves a fearless leap at the footy and has the athleticism to sit on heads which combined with bucket hands makes him a significant aerial threat. He's shown strong forward craft and an ability to kick bags of goals and has the competitive fire to apply strong defensive pressure.

 

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Noah Williams is an undersized wing and midfielder with some exciting traits who could be ready to break out with a big top age season. He wasn't often prolific at finding the ball in his bottom age season but has the pace and disposal skills to do maximum damage with ball in hand and loves to lay a tackle. In this game he showed an ability to sense the moment, lifting in the final term with the game on the line and kicking a couple of goals in a late Falcons surge that ultimately just fell short.

 

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Freo NGA Lucas Robinson has long been considered as one of the best of the WA crop for 2026, bolstered by his elite performances at the U16 champs. His performance as a bottom ager in the Colts grand final demonstrated what he brings. A huge and powerful frame for a mid, along with the ability to impact aerially around the ground. There are concerns around his athletic profile, which may see him start to slide down the draft rankings a little under the intense top age spotlight.

 

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Heath Mellody played an important role in helping Claremont secure victory in last year's Colts grand final. The Bulldogs struggle to handle his potent rebounding run off the half back line, one particular highlight being a running goal in the first quarter that helped Claremont get up and about. His athleticism allowed him to impact defensively in the air and at ground level.

Considered by many to be one of the top prospects from the 2026 WA crop it'll be interesting to see if Mellody gets a move into the midfield this season and how that effects his game.

 

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Every season there seems to be a club linked talent for the Lions pushing up into first round contention and Caylen Murray could be that guy for season 2026. Murray played the first half of the Futures game in defence, finding plenty of the ball and showcasing his rebounding run. He moved further up the ground in the second half, playing mostly on a wing, and drifted out of the game somewhat but still showed enough to get Lions supporters excited.

 

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Kodah Edwards put a serious marker down in his first game of the season, although unfortunately his heroics were unable to lift his team to a win. Playing largely forward in the first quarter he was starved for opportunities with West Adelaide dominating the ball and territory as they took an early lead. Kodah exploded in the second quarter, kicking a couple of 1v1 goals playing deep forward in a setup that reminded a little of Pagans paddock. He started to find more footy through the middle and was the major factor in a big Souths comeback, however he missed some very kickable opportunities late in narrow loss.

 

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Exciting first up performance from Ethan Herbert who's shaping as one of the best pure rucks in this year's pool. He was up against a taller opponent and didn't have it all his own way but showed some excellent ground level work on the follow up, able to field the ball below his knees with clean hands and possessing the poise to choose the right option. A few strong contested marks rounded out a pretty complete demonstration of his skill set.

 

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If we didn't already have enough super exciting prospects for 2027 Archie Simpson announced himself as another one to watch in his first U18's performance for North Adelaide. As we saw in his U16 Champs run, Archie doesn't always find a stack of the footy, but he's absolutely maximum damage when he does get it, his blistering pace, power, and agility allowing him to break lines, dance around opponents, and find space inside 50 for shots on goal, his four majors in this game key in helping the Roosters to victory.

 

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A decent first up performance for one of this year's "big two" draft prospects. Cody Walker found plenty of the ball but had some struggles to overcome. In theory the CTL doesn't allow tagging, but Cody was paid extremely close attention when playing through the midfield, making it difficult for him to find space for clean disposal. His kicking accuracy remains a watch, but he still had moments of strength and power to cut through congestion, kicked two goals of his own and directly assisted two more.

 

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Big HVH monstered the ruck in this game with his size, competitiveness and touch, providing silver service to his midfielders. He also clunked a couple of big contested marks, kicked a couple of goals and all around put together an exciting first up performance.

 

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A blistering start from Arki Butler who tore the Ranges apart in the opening 15 minutes of this game with one of the most dynamic and damaging displays of footy you'll see at this level. He kicked three of his four goals in this span, as well as getting involved in some decisive chains of ball movement for the Dragons as they opened up a significant early lead that they never surrendered. While he faded out of the game in the second half, his opening salvo stamped him as one to watch for the very pointy end of this year's draft.

 

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Some excellent numbers from Cody Templeton in round one. Playing the mid/fwd role that many elite junior prospects settle into these days, Cody found plenty of the footy inside and outside the contest and slotted 4 majors in helping his team to a big win. His disposal by foot was a bit wayward, both field kicking and in front of goal, something to keep an eye on as we progress through the year.

 

[noobermensch]

Another exciting first up display from a first round prospect. Wil Malady snagged 6 goals playing as a forward and wing, showcasing his aerial strength and accurate set shot goal kicking. His impact on the wing showed he has some versatility to his game, running hard and applying strong defensive pressure.

Unfortunately, the broadcast lost about 5 mins of the opening term which included one of Wil's 6 goals.