TOP 5s | 2026 Talent League Preseason Testing
ON THE eve of a new Talent League campaign, the preseason testing combine results reveal an even spread of high-level athletes. Among the most impressive results, a pair of Northern Knights soared atop the running vertical jump leaderboard at the event held in Bundoora earlier this month.
>> SCROLL to see the Top 5s for each test
Namely, Vic Metro summer squad members Harry Van Hattum and Sam Gayfer both rose 103cm among a top five which all cleared triple-figures. 205cm ruckman Van Hattum is a National Academy member touted to be in the pick one race, while Gayfer is a 194cm forward whose uncle Michael played 142 games for Collingwood.
Also among the top leapers was Western Jets over-ager Grayson Lafaialii. He ranked equal-second in the standing vert (81cm) and equal-third in the running jump (100cm). He and Northern’s Jamison Leeson were the only two players to achieve top-five results in multiple events. Leeson placed third in both the agility (7.845 seconds) and yo-yo tests (21.8).
Top GWV Rebels talent Ethan Drever and Dandenong Stingrays skipper Gus Kennedy were the two Vic Country summer squad members to feature among the top fives. Drever notched the fourth-best standing vertical jump at 80cm, while powerful midfielder Kennedy stopped the clock fourth-fastest in the agility test for a time of 7.882 seconds.
The best yo-yo test score (22.1) was shared by Western’s Jordan Fenton and Eastern’s Jett Flower. The latter is the grandson of late Melbourne champion, Robert. Meanwhile, it was all-Sandringham atop the 20-metre sprint times. Jack Nicholls (2.814 seconds) and Micah Murphy (2.821) were quickest among over 100 athletes to finish under the three-second mark.
The 2026 Talent League season gets underway on Saturday March 21 with a double-header at Highgate Recreation Reserve. Oakleigh Chargers take on the Northern Knights in the opening fixture, before Calder hosts Western. Over on Bayside, Bendigo and Tasmania do battle on neutral territory, while the Grand Final rematch sees Sandringham battle Eastern.
>> TOP 5s: SA | WA | NSW/ACT | QLD | TAS
TOP 5s: 2026 TALENT LEAGUE PRESEASON TESTING
STANDING VERTICAL JUMP:
1. Harley Hicks (GWV Rebels) – 89cm
Eq. 2. Beau Garrett (Eastern Ranges) – 81cm
Eq. 2. Grayson Lafaialii (Western Jets) – 81cm
Eq. 4. Joshua Djatschenko (Western Jets) – 80cm
Eq. 4. Ethan Drever (GWV Rebels) – 80cm
RUNNING VERTICAL JUMP:
Eq. 1. Sam Gayfer (Northern Knights) – 103cm
Eq. 1. Harry Van Hattum (Northern Knights) – 103cm
Eq. 3. Riley Downer (GWV Rebels) – 100cm
Eq. 3. Grayson Lafaialii (Western Jets) – 100cm
Eq. 3. Ollie Panozzo (Sandringham Dragons) – 100cm
20-METRE SPRINT:
1. Jack Nicholls (Sandringham Dragons) – 2.814 seconds
2. Micah Murphy (Sandringham Dragons) – 2.821 seconds
3. Finn Marsh (Dandenong Stingrays) – 2.833 seconds
4. Zac Dalli (Western Jets) – 2.834 seconds
5. Andrio Sousa (Dandenong Stingrays) – 2.838 seconds
AFL AGILITY TEST:
1. Van Rahilly (Geelong Falcons) – 7.756 seconds
2. Archer Lancaster (Bendigo Pioneers) – 7.814 seconds
3. Jamison Leeson (Northern Knights) – 7.845 seconds
4. Gus Kennedy (Dandenong Stingrays) – 7.882 seconds
5. Zac Antonellos (Eastern Ranges) – 7.884 seconds
YO-YO TEST:
Eq. 1. Jordan Fenton (Western Jets) – 22.1
Eq. 1. Jett Flower (Eastern Ranges) – 22.1
Eq. 3. Angus Brown (Sandringham Dragons) – 21.8
Eq. 3. Dan Ewing (GWV Rebels) – 21.8
Eq. 3. Jamison Leeson (Northern Knights) – 21.8
TOP 5s | 2026 Talent League Preseason Testing
ON THE eve of a new Talent League campaign, the preseason testing combine results reveal an even spread of high-level athletes. Among the most impressive results, a pair of Northern Knights soared atop the running vertical jump leaderboard at the event held in Bundoora earlier this month. >> SCROLL to see the Top 5s for […]
TOP 5s | 2026 Talent League Girls Preseason Testing
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Freemantle leads all-comers in PPR preseason stakes
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TOP 5s | 2026 Tasmania Girls Preseason Testing
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TOP 5s | 2026 South Australia Girls Preseason Testing
SOUTH Australian bottom-age star Maia Freemantle rose to pole position in the physical performance rating (PPR) stakes over the summer with a remarkable 95.3 at her state’s preseason testing event. The Under-18 and Under-16 state programs were put to the test on Sunday at Nazareth College ahead of the new AAMI Talent League kicking off […]
TOP 5s | 2026 NSW-ACT Girls Preseason Testing
BOTH the GWS Giants Academy and Sydney Swans Academy were put through their paces last weekend with the NSW-ACT Girls Preseason Testing event taking place and a number of massive individual performances from AFLW Draft hopefuls headlined the weekend. >> SCROLL for the Top 5 in each test Swans Academy’s testing took place at the […]
TOP 5s | 2026 NSW/ACT Preseason Testing
JUNIOR athletics star Mason McGroder has showed out at the recent Swans Academy preseason combine, achieving three top five finishes. A long jump bronze medalist at the 2024 U20 World Championships, it was no surprise to see the top-ager top the running vertical jump leaderboard. >> SCROLL to see the Top 5s for each test […]
