Resource Noob's 2026 Draft Prospect Video Thread

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The expected move of Noah Williams into a full time midfield role this season produced a solid first up display. Even though his Falcons team copped a bit of a beating on the day, Noah showed the qualities that should see him thrive on ball in spite of his lack of size. He plays with a physical edge, loves the contested stuff, and enjoys applying defensive pressure. He has the burst of pace to carry the ball out of congestion into space where he can use his penetrating left boot.

 

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A strong first up performance from a guy who'll be right up there with the leading possession accumulators across this draft year. Knapp works his backside off to get from contest to contest and knows how to find space on the spread. He has some similar traits to Jagga Smith with his slight frame and dancing feet which allow him to navigate congestion into pockets of space for clean disposal. His kicking was not as efficient as usual in this game, perhaps impacted by his targets getting out competed on the day by their Dragons opponents.

 

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Bottom ager Jake Miller isn’t eligible to be drafted until 2027 but may already be the best key forward in the Talent League. Miller is coming off a big 2025, kicking bags of goals at the U16 champs and putting together some big Talent League games against opponents 2 year older than him. He started 2026 with a bang, roaming high up the field as a marking target, finding heaps of the footy and showcasing his excellent field kicking. He chipped in with three majors and clunked a big, contested mark late in the fourth.

 

[noobermensch]

A strong first up performance for Prasad. He spent much of the game high up the ground, getting involved in linking the play with his typical energy, flair and slick ball use. He made the most of the opportunities that presented themselves inside 50, slotting a couple of majors including one brilliant, dribbled goal from the boundary.

 

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An early look at Bulldogs NGA Khaled El Souki who turned in an exciting first up performance for the new season. Playing a hybrid mid/fwd role, El Souki is somewhat undersized but has the pace and power to break tackles and take on the game. He showed last season he's capable of hitting the scoreboard and slotted two majors in this one. His field kicking was a little off the mark at times in this game which will be a watch as we progress through the year.

 

[noobermensch]

The first game of the new season was a promising one for Crows NGA Anthony Long who looks to have developed significantly from what we saw last year. Long is a powerful mover able to carry the ball and damage with his penetrating kick, and he plays with a physical edge, crashing in to win contested ball and laying strong tackles.

 

[noobermensch]

Not Jack Pickett's strongest performance, but worth covering given he's a top 10 contender in this pool. He started the game playing deep forward, starved for opportunities with the Stingrays dominating territory in the opening term, and increasingly roamed up the field as the game progressed in an attempt to get more involved in the play. The Falcons midfield was under pressure all game, leading to the quality of ball entering their F50 being poor, but even then Pickett was caught out of position on a couple of occasions. In spite of his struggles Pickett still managed to slot a couple of majors and take two strong contested grabs which showed the qualities that we'll no doubt see more of as the season progresses.

 

[noobermensch]

Jackson Phillips impressed in round 1, displaying a number of traits that could well put him in the draft frame come the end of the year. Unlike some midfielders that rotate forward, Phillips looked dangerous inside the forward 50, connecting on a couple of nice hit up leads. In the midfield his stoppage craft looks solid, always on the move and able to time his run to hit the drop zone. He has the pace to burn off opponents, and his kicking skills look to be penetrating and accurate.

 

[noobermensch]

A strong first up performance from Clancy Snell, leading a defensive unit that stifled their opponents and dominated in the air. Snell showed excellent judgement of the ball in flight along with a willingness to launch fearlessly, taking a couple of strong contested grabs and disrupting his opponents when he couldn't get hands on it himself. He was constructive with the ball, highlighted by a number of long and accurate kicked up to the wings.

 

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Ethan Herbert dominated the tap work in this game and showed his strong follow up at ground level. His North Adelaide team were smashed in the opening quarter, down by nearly 50 points at the first break. They had to slowly grind their way back into the contest over the next three quarters with Herbert prominent in their resurgence but were unable to quite bridge the gap by the final siren.

 

[noobermensch]

Huge numbers for Cody Walker and a better overall performance this week. His power at stoppage and contests around the ground was extremely influential, his athleticism on the spread difficult for opponents to handle and he even spent a little bit of time in the ruck getting a couple of hit outs with his huge leap. His kicking was again a bit wayward, though not quite as much as last round.

 

[noobermensch]

A much quieter game from Arki this week, but when you're a top 5 prospect the bad will get scrutinized along with the good. He played more through the midfield than forward but struggled to get into the game in either role. He did have a couple of instances where his pace and disposal were able to cut through, but those were few and far between.

 

[noobermensch]

Huge numbers from Noah Williams who seemed to be involved in everything. His repeat efforts in contested situations is a real standout trait, and his tackling pressure in particular was immense here. His ability to damage with the ball continues to be somewhat stifled in the closer confines of the inside midfield role, so it'll be interesting to watch if he can find more space on the spread as the season progresses.

 

[noobermensch]

Apologies to Max Downes for featuring a game of his that was turned into a mess by the rain and wind that persisted from start to finish. Max is typically a mid/fwd who plays with some physicality and class. He showed the physical side here, scrapping hard for the footy in tight and occasionally showing clean hands with the slippery ball. He was attacking when the situation and conditions allowed, chipping in with a couple of goals to round off a solid performance all things considered.

Also, thanks to the broadcast for sticking the mic in a nightclub after half time.

 

[noobermensch]

Tigers NGA Tanner Armstrong was best on ground for the Bushrangers in a typically industrious display. He won a lot of ball at stoppage with his clean hands at ground level a feature, helping to initiate a lot of his teams attacking moves. Tanner's disposal was more damaging than we sometimes see from him, hitting up leading targets nicely and releasing outside runners with handball.

 

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A real day out for Seb Marsic who almost single handedly kicked the Chargers to victory with his big bag of seven goals. He presented strongly all game and took a couple of really nice contested marks, but absolutely maximized the chances that came his way on the day, and it'll be interesting to see if he can back up this performance going forward. The most impressive part of his game might have been the tackling pressure he applied which is valuable trait for a modern tall forward.

 

[noobermensch]

First look at the power cube for 2026. Marlon Neocleous was better this week after a quiet opening round, playing midfield and forward and ending as one of his team's best in a humbling loss. His pace and reaction time allowed him to apply strong defensive pressure, and his powerful frame ensures that his tackles stick. His pace and lateral movement allowed him to attack the game and carry the ball forward, and his kicking skills were typically neat.

 

[noobermensch]

A second straight strong performance to start the year for Jackson Phillips, playing a significant role as his Stingrays registered a convincing win over the highly fancied Gippsland Power. Phillips powerful movement through congestion is a point of difference in his game, and he plays with a physical edge. He found more of the footy this week, though perhaps wasn't quite as damaging by foot.

 

[noobermensch]

Every year there are prospects that miss out at the National Draft and use it as motivation to come back better the next season. Oliver Griffin may well be one of those, having put him name in the early frame for the mid season draft. He was impressive in this game, especially early, showing competitive fire and physicality along with the springy athleticism, clean hands and aerial attack to make him a real marking threat.

 

[noobermensch]

A lot to like about this first up performance from Ethan Drever. A midfielder with a big frame who likes to impose himself in contested situations, Drever was especially effective at stoppage, getting first hands on the ball a lot or laying tough tackles to prevent the opposition breaking free. One of the most impressive sights in footy is a midfielder breaking clear from center bounce, driving forward and bombing a long goal, and Drever nearly did it twice at a pivotal time in the final quarter. On the negative side, he will need to work on his composure and decision making when kicking the ball.

 

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A first look at the prolific Jacob McNicol who's started off the AAMI Talent League with a bang, racking up possessions and kicking goals for fun over the first three weeks of the season. McNicol plays the classic junior footy mid/fwd role for Glenelg, and a significant portion of their forward thrust comes from his classy left boot, directly kicking goals himself or setting up his teammates inside F50. He did sky a few kicks where a bit more composure would have been nice, but when you kick the ball 28 times the odds are you'll get a few wrong.

Unfortunately, the broadcast was quite choppy at times, so we probably missed a few of his moments.

 

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A first look at Albert MacGowan after a few requests from viewers for his game from last weekend. MacGowan has racked up heaps of the footy over the first two weeks, playing as a hard working and gut running midfielder. His strength is his ability to get to contests and always provide the plus one outnumber, as well as spread hard to provide an outlet option. He'll likely need to show more of an ability to damage with the ball.