Scouting notes and profiles of the top 31 2026 draft prospects to watchClub recruiters have already turned their attention away from last month’s national draft towards next year’s crop of future stars. Check out 31 players to watch, including 11 tied to AFL clubs.
Chris Cavanagh and Dan Batten
HeraldSun
December 11, 2025 Tanner ArmstrongMidfielder/Defender | 176cm | Murray Bushrangers/Vic CountryA tough, ball-winning midfielder, Armstrong brings some run, good pressure, clean hands and is a groundball specialist.
In one game in the Coates Talent League in late August, Armstrong collected a whopping 18 groundball gets and 11 clearances among 32 disposals for the day.
He also finished as the equal-leading disposal winner on the ground with 25 touches for Team Boak in the under-17 Futures game in September.
An All-Australian at under-16 level in 2024, Armstrong has been used as a rebounding defender at times in addition to midfield roles.
A boarder at Scotch College, he is part of Richmond’s Next Generation Academy due to his Indigenous heritage.
Arki ButlerForward/Midfielder | 180cm | Sandringham Dragons/Vic MetroButler is a talented forward-half player who creates scoring opportunities. He reads the play well, is clean in the air and at ground level, and has a strong goal sense.
An under-16 All-Australian in 2024, Butler kicked three goals on debut for Sandringham and booted 28 goals from 12 games in 2025, including two bags of five. He also played school football for Brighton Grammar.
Butler is looking to improve his fitness and transition into a midfielder-forward role in his draft year. He is the grandson of St Kilda premiership player Allan Davis, who played 250 AFL games across four clubs.
Harrison ChapmanMidfielder | 189cm | Eastern Ranges/Vic MetroA hard-running midfielder who has some good speed and works hard up and down the ground, Chapman was used mostly on a wing this year.
However, he has also had some stints as a taller inside midfielder and has been able to have an impact around clearances as well with his clean hands and link-up play.
Chapman featured in 18 games as a bottom-age player for the Eastern Ranges in the Coates Talent League, including the side’s premiership triumph in September.
Additionally, he played for Team Boak in the under-17 Futures game, collecting 10 disposals and two clearances in a wing role.
Kodah EdwardsMidfielder/Forward | 183cm | South Adelaide/South AustraliaEdwards was a standout bottom-age player for South Adelaide’s under-18s this year, showing quickness, cleanliness and tenacity.
He is particularly strong at extracting the ball from clearance situations and pushing forward to hit the scoreboard.
In one late-season match, Edwards recorded 19 disposals, seven marks and five goals.
He was named one of Team Docherty’s best players in the under-17 Futures game in September, with 13 disposals and two goals, mainly playing as a forward.
Edwards captained South Australia at the under-16 national championships in 2024 and also represented his state in the same tournament as a bottom-ager in 2023.
Ethan HerbertRuck | 200cm | North Adelaide/South AustraliaA competitive ruck, Herbert had more hitouts than any other big man as a bottom-age prospect in the SANFL under-18s this year.
He played 16 games for North Adelaide, averaging 26.4 hitouts and 17.9 disposals.
Herbert follows up well post-contest, covers the ground nicely, works back to support his defence and is a strong mark in the air.
He has also shown some ability as a forward.
An All-Australian at under-16 level, Herbert did not feature for South Australia at the under-18 national championships as top-age prospect Sam Ainsworth shouldered the load.
But he shone on another big stage in the under-17 Futures game in September, gathering 16 disposals and 17 hitouts for Team Boak.
Tate HodgsonDefender | 196cm | Northern Knights/Vic MetroA key defender who showed plenty of promise in 2024, Hodgson had his 2025 season wiped out due to a stress fracture in his back.
He had been an All-Australian at under-16 level in 2024, showing himself to be a player with an impressive intercept game and strong hands overhead.
When he wins the ball back he is composed, makes good decisions and has sound foot skills.
Hodgson had been one of only four bottom-age players included in Vic Metro’s squad for the under-18 national championships but did not feature due to his injury.
He returned to training late in the season as he prepares for 2026.
Lewis HoundsomeForward/Ruck | 199cm | Northern Knights/Vic MetroA key forward and reliable back-up ruck, Houndsome has strong mobility, a natural leap, contested marking ability, sound kicking skills and can play effectively at ground level.
He played 13 games for the Knights in the Coates Talent League this year, averaging 10 disposals, 7.4 hitouts and kicking 12 goals.
Houndsome also played school football for Parade College, winning the best on ground medal in the Herald Sun Shield Division 1 Grand Final in August.
He featured in the under-17 Futures game for Team Boak in September, recording 11 disposals and six hitouts.
Xavier LadbrookUtility | 200cm | Gippsland Power/Vic CountryAn emerging tall who still has some filling out to do, Ladbrook played a range of positions in his bottom-age season at Gippsland.
He featured as a key defender, key forward and part-time ruckman, showing some impressive signs across all areas of the ground.
Ladbrook moves well, defends strongly one-on-one and has good hands overhead.
He played 15 games for the Power in the Coates Talent League, along with featuring in three senior games for local club Nar Nar Goon in the West Gippsland Football League.
Ladbrook also played for Team Boak in the Under-17 Futures game in September, gathering seven disposals and three marks as he spent time at both ends of the ground.
He had represented Vic Country at the under-16 national championships in 2024.
Cody LeCrasForward | 191cm | West Perth/Western AustraliaA mobile marking forward with sticky hands, LeCras presents as Western Australia's top prospect in the 2026 draft.
The son of former North Melbourne player Brent LeCras has plenty of tricks around goal — just like his uncle, West Coast great Mark LeCras.
Koby has a strong aerial presence and also hurts sides at ground level, regularly turning his opponent inside out and snapping it through the big sticks off his precise and penetrating left boot.
The West Perth product slotted 15 goals in 10 WAFL Colts games this year and showed his X-Factor during his All-Australian under-16 championships campaign for Western Australia, kicking seven goals including three in 13 minutes against Vic Country.
LeCras was among Team Docherty’s better players in the Under-17 Futures game on AFL Grand Final day, taking six marks to go with 10 touches.
Will MaladyForward | 190cm | Gippsland Power/Vic CountryMalady is a dangerous forward who is strong overhead. While lightly-framed, he is athletic and has excellent aerial ability, as well as being a proficient set-shot kick from various angles.
He made a significant impact in his first game of the season for Gippsland, kicking four goals from eight disposals and five marks. He continued to perform well for Gippsland Power and Caulfield Grammar, including a five-goal performance for Team Boak in the under-17 Futures game at the MCG in September.
Malady also featured in the under-18 national championships as a bottom-ager, playing two games for Vic Country. He was named an All-Australian in 2024 after a standout showing at the under-16 national championships.
Heath MellodyWing/Defender | 181cm | Claremont/Western AustraliaMellody was the second-highest rated bottom-age player in the WAFL Colts in 2025.
He played mostly off halfback for Claremont and is a good runner who wins his own footy, is strong in the air and reads the play well to gather intercepts.
Mellody played three games for Western Australia during the under-18 national championships and impressed during Claremont’s finals campaign — particularly in the Grand Final, where he had 28 disposals, eight marks and a goal.
He also played for Team Docherty in the Under-17 Futures match in September, primarily on the wing, showing agility and two-way running to collect 19 disposals and eight marks.
Marlon NeocleousForward/Midfielder | 168cm | Gippsland Power/Vic CountryNeocleous is sure to be a favourite of draft followers in 2026. What the 168cm livewire lacks in height he brings in pure excitement and he showcased his X-Factor on AFL Grand Final day in the Under-17 Futures match.
Neocleous slotted a spectacular goal on the run from the boundary — celebrating with a chef’s kiss — and provided several other eye-catching moments as he finished with three goals, 23 disposals and seven inside 50s.
The Gippsland Power prospect was also best afield in an Under-17 Futures trial for Vic Country against New South Wales with 26 disposals, five tackles and two goals as his speed, agility, and pressure came to the fore.
He made his Under-18 national championships debut for Vic Country as a bottom-age player — kicking a goal to go with eight touches — and demonstrated his high-impact per possession game in a strong bottom-age season for the Power, averaging 19 disposals, five score involvements and just under a goal per game.
Gabriel PattersonForward | 182cm | Glenelg/South AustraliaA quick and agile forward who is clean at ground level and in the air, Patterson has a great goal sense which makes him a serious threat inside the attacking arc.
He kicked 28 goals from 13 games for Glenelg in the SANFL under-18s this year, highlighted by a haul of seven majors in a round 13 match against West Adelaide.
Patterson was part of the South Australia under-18 squad but did not play a game for the title-winning side. He did feature for Team Docherty in the under-17 Futures game in September, though, kicking two goals from 10 touches.
Patterson is the son of former Collingwood rover Stephen but is not father-son eligible given his dad played just 96 games in the black and white. Gabriel’s sister, Violet, plays for the Magpies’ AFLW side.
Jack PickettForward | 193cm | Geelong Falcons/Vic CountryPickett was one of the most accurate and dangerous forwards in the Coates Talent League this year.
He kicked 31 goals and seven behinds from eight matches for the Geelong Falcons — a 59 per cent accuracy rate from kicks — and showed good forward craft, mobility and overhead marking.
Pickett booted seven goals against the Western Jets and finished the season with back-to-back bags of five, including a match-winner against the Bendigo Pioneers.
He also kicked 25 goals from eight games for Geelong Grammar in the APS competition, including five against Geelong College.
Pickett represented Vic Country at the under-18 national championships, kicking three goals, and added two more in the Under-17 Futures game in September.
Darcy SzerszynDefender | 188cm | Dandenong Stingrays/Vic CountryA medium defender who intercepts and shuts down opponents, Szerszyn held down a spot in defence for Vic Country across three games at the under-18 national championships.
The Dandenong Stingrays prospect averaged 11.7 touches, 4.3 intercepts and four marks, showcasing his reading of the play and burst against South Australia with 15 touches, seven intercepts and five marks.
Szerszyn plays taller than his height suggests and flies for his grabs, clunking 25 intercept marks in his last eight games for the Stingrays in the Coates Talent League.
His best came in wet conditions against the Oakleigh Chargers where he had 16 disposals at 87.5 per cent efficiency, nine intercepts, four intercept marks, four spoils and 136 SuperCoach points.
Cody TempletonMidfielder/Forward | 179cm | Gippsland Power/Vic CountryAn X-Factor player, Templeton showed a great ability to impact games both when playing onball and forward during his bottom-age season.
He is a natural midfielder who cracks in hard, has one-touch hands, is quick and agile and can drive through traffic.
However, Templeton also finished as Gippsland’s leading goalkicker in the Coates Talent League in 2025, booting 21 goals from 17 games including two bags of five as he spent significant time forward.
When in attack, he presents well, is a strong mark and brings good energy and forward pressure.
Templeton featured mostly as a forward for Team Docherty in the Under-17 Futures game in September, but registered only two behinds from nine disposals.
Archie Van DykMidfielder/Defender | 185cm | South Adelaide/South AustraliaOnly three players averaged more SuperCoach points than Van Dyk in the SANFL under-18s this year — Jack Cook, Dyson Sharp and Aidan Schubert.
Van Dyk averaged 25.8 disposals, 14.4 contested possessions, six marks, six score involvements, 5.2 tackles and 153 SuperCoach points from 13 matches.
His standout performance came against Glenelg, where he recorded 37 disposals, 22 contested possessions, 15 intercepts and two goals.
Van Dyk is versatile in defence and has strong aerial ability.
He was selected in the under-16 All-Australian side alongside MVPs Cody Walker and Lucas Robinson.
Harry Van HattumRuck/Forward | 202 cm | Northern Knights/Vic MetroVan Hattum is an imposing and athletic presence who looms as one of the leading talents in the 2026 draft crop.
He played five games for the Northern Knights, averaging 16.2 disposals, 12.2 contested possessions, 4.8 marks (2.8 contested) and 0.8 goals. His standout performance came in a finals loss to the Sandringham Dragons, where he had three contested marks, one goal, 15 disposals, 14 contested possessions, six clearances and 130 SuperCoach points.
Van Hattum trained with Vic Metro’s squad and debuted against Vic Country. He also played for Ivanhoe Grammar in the AGSV grand final, where he competed against West Coast No. 3 pick Cooper Duff-Tytler.
In the under-17 Futures match at the MCG, Van Hattum had 11 hitouts, two leaping marks, seven touches and one goal.
Benji van RooyenRuck | 203cm | Claremont/Western AustraliaVan Rooyen got his chance to ruck for Western Australia at the under-18 national championships due to injuries to others and held his own against some of the top 2025 draftees, including Cooper Duff-Tytler.
He had a strong season with Claremont in the WAFL Colts, averaging 12.5 disposals and 30.1 hitouts across 14 games and was part of a Grand Final win in September.
Van Rooyen also played in the Under-17 Futures game for Team Docherty, recording five disposals and 15 hitouts.
He is the younger brother of current Melbourne forward Jacob.
Noah WilliamsMidfielder | 176cm | Geelong Falcons/Vic CountryWilliams took out the medal as Team Boak’s best player in the Under-17 Futures match, underlining his forward-half impact with 17 disposals and seven inside 50s playing mostly on the wing.
The 176cm prospect is damaging, quick, defensively-minded and skilful, with the Geelong Falcons using his traits in a variety of different roles this year.
Williams was a tackling machine in Geelong’s finals win over the Pioneers, laying 12 tackles to go with 15 disposals and six clearances.
The St Joseph’s product debuted as a bottom-ager at the under-18 national championships and was solid with nine touches.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/scouting-notes-and-profiles-of-the-top-31-2026-draft-prospects-to-watch/news-story/ba516b6b46298e6c83dde3052e1f18d1
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