Club-tied talent keen to impress at Draft Combine
JUST under 20 per cent of invitees to the 2024 AFL National and State Draft Combines are already tied to clubs, either via father-son eligibility or as Academy members – Northern and Next Generation (NGA). It means there may be a little extra emphasis on results for some eager to impress those in attendance.
>> SCROLL to see the full list of club-tied combine invitees
Potentially the top prospect in this year’s draft, Levi Ashcroft, is one of three father-son candidates who will attend the National Combine, along with a further five at the state events. The prolific midfielder recently made his nomination for Brisbane official, and is set to join brother Will at the Lions.
Arguably the next highest rated talent is Gold Coast Academy product Leonardo Lombard, who may yield a top 10 bid. The Suns’ program famously produced four first round picks last year, though Lombard is the only player of theirs to earn a combine invite in 2024, and is a standout among the crop.
Lombard is one of five Northern Academy members on the national list, among a group of seven overall. He and Brisbane-linked midfielder Samuel Marshall are the best of the bunch, while Giants Academy ruck Logan Smith is also around the mark as a potential second round prospect.
The selection of NGA hopefuls stands at a high of nine overall players in the three club-tied categories, with six set to participate across the three state combines in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Three will attend the National Combine, with one a top 15 talent.
Namely, Essendon-tied small forward Isaac Kako is the main event. While a syndesmosis injury may rule him out, the Calder Cannons star would likely give the stopwatches a good run. Adrian Cole (St Kilda) and Malakai Champion (West Coast) have also had strong top-age campaigns.
With the likes of Ashcroft, Lombard, Marshall, and Kako all well poised to receive bids in the top 30 picks, Carlton will be hoping twin father-son candidates Ben and Lucas Camporeale slide out of that range. The former is considered a chance to feature there, while the latter is a late-draft option.
Coming into the year, Adelaide father-son gun Tyler Welsh garnered plenty of fanfare. The powerful forward has enjoyed a near-full season of SANFL League football in the Crows’ program and presents as a readymade talent with great physical traits. He’ll attend the SA state combine.
Cross-town rivals Port Adelaide have a few balls to juggle, too. Rome Burgoyne and Louie Montgomery are father-son eligible and have turned out for the club’s SANFL outfit, while Benny Barrett comes under the NGA banner. The livewire forward has gained senior experience in South Adelaide’s reserves.
Elwood Peckett (St Kilda) is another father-son prospect to consider, especially with his late-season form. The Saints have him, along with Cole and fellow NGA member Lennox Hofmann to fit into their calculations. Cole is the only National Combine invitee of trio.
While the combine lists are a great indicator of AFL interest, given club nominations determine who gets to participate, they are not the be-all and end-all. A raft of other club-tied players will be front of mind having represented their states or stepped up to state league level, so can still find their way to the top.
CLUB-TIED COMBINE INVITEES
NATIONAL DRAFT COMBINE (11/65)
Father-Son (3):
Levi Ashcroft (Brisbane)
Ben Camporeale (Carlton)
Lucas Camporeale (Carlton)
Next Generation Academy (3):
Adrian Cole (St Kilda)
Malakai Champion (West Coast)
Isaac Kako (Essendon)
Northern Academy (5):
Cooper Bell (GWS)
Joel Cochran (Sydney)
Leonardo Lombard (Gold Coast)
Sam Marshall (Brisbane)
Logan Smith (GWS)
>> FULL LIST: 2024 AFL National Draft Combine
STATE DRAFT COMBINE (13/62)
Father-Son (5):
Rome Burgoyne (Port Adelaide)
Louie Montgomery (Port Adelaide)
Elwood Peckett (St Kilda)
River Stevens (North Melbourne)
Tyler Welsh (Adelaide)
Next Generation Academy (6):
Riak Andrew (Melbourne)
Benny Barrett (Port Adelaide)
Lennox Hofmann (St Kilda)
Ricky Mentha (Melbourne)
Jayden Nguyen (Essendon)
Luke Quaynor (Collingwood)
Northern Academy (2):
Josaia Delana (GWS)
Tom Gillett (Brisbane)
>> FULL LIST: 2024 AFL State Draft Combine
Cox’s near-perfect score lights up Combine
AN INCREDIBLE athletic performance from Bendigo Pioneers’ Lavinia Cox saw her record a near-perfect Physical Performance Rating (PPR) across the four National and State Draft Combines that took place earlier this month. Following in the footsteps of now-Swan Holly Cooper who won with a score of 95 last year, Cox dazzled her way to a […]
TOP 5s | 2024 AFL State Draft Combines
CLUB-TIED talent and fast rising prospects have dominated the AFL State Draft Combines, held in Victoria, South and Western Australia over the last fortnight. Essendon Next Generation Academy (NGA) member Jayden Nguyen dominated the Victorian event, achieving top five results in four tests. >> TOP 10s: 2024 AFL National Draft Combine Nguyen, a 178cm utility, […]
TOP 10s | 2024 AFLW National Draft Combine
A SERIES of blistering runs and jaw-dropping jumps headlined the 2024 AFL Women’s National Draft Combine that was held yesterday at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC). After the 2km time trial was completed on Friday, the remainder of the indoor tests – conducted by Rookie Me – took place on Sunday. One of the […]
TOP 10s | 2024 AFL National Draft Combine
NORTHERN Knights key forward Gabriel Stumpf has lifted his stocks after achieving the top performance rating at this year’s National Draft Combine. The mobile tall finished with an overall score of 89.3 having notched the highest standing vertical jump (76cm), and fastest 20-metre sprint (2.815 seconds). Performance ratings take into account each athlete’s age, gender […]
2024 AFLW Draft: Mature-age duo receive Combine invites
TWO mature-age talents have earned AFLW Draft Combine invites this year among 89 other top-age or over-age prospects. We take a look at the two players – hailing from the SANFLW and WAFLW respectively – and give a glimpse into their games. Tiffany King (Christies Beach / South Adelaide)Tall Defender | 179cm | 08/04/1999 King […]
2024 AFLW Draft Combine: Full list
A TOTAL of 91 AFLW Draft hopefuls will be put through their paces next month as part of the revamped AFL Women’s National and State Draft Combines. In an announcement made by the AFL today following the conclusion of the national championships, 47 players were invited to attend the 2024 AFLW National Draft Combine, with […]
Club-tied talent keen to impress at Draft Combine
JUST under 20 per cent of invitees to the 2024 AFL National and State Draft Combines are already tied to clubs, either via father-son eligibility or as Academy members – Northern and Next Generation (NGA). It means there may be a little extra emphasis on results for some eager to impress those in attendance. >> […]
Extended AFL State Draft Combine list released
THE AFL has announced a list of 62 players to attend this year’s State Draft Combine, set to be held across Victoria, South and Western Australia in October. It comes after 25 players were selected for the shortlist last week alongside a bumper collection of National Combine invites. >> SCROLL to see the combine lists […]
2024 AFL National Draft Combine list revealed
THE AFL has today released a list of 65 players invited to this year’s National Draft Combine, set to take place in Melbourne from Friday October 4 to Sunday October 6. Rookie Me will again conduct the fitness testing, which includes the vertical and running vertical jumps, 20-metre sprint, agility test, and the 2km time […]
