WHILE in some years the leading AFL Draft prospect is clear as day, much like in 2024 there is no real consensus regarding who the nation’s number one talent is for 2025. In the return of our Race to #1 series, we highlight at a half-dozen prospects who are in the frame for said honours.

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Our next instalment is all about Calder Cannons tall, Cooper Duff-Tytler. The roaming ruckman represents a win for football having juggled state and national basketball commitments in the past. With a full focus on footy, his athleticism and upside at nearly 200cm have chins wagging.

>> Ones to watch: Top 25 AFL Draft prospects in 2025

Calder Cannons, Vic MetroRuck Forward

Cooper Duff-Tytler

Height: 199cm

Weight: -

DOB: 22-08-2007

BY THE NUMBERS:

2024 Coates Talent League (6 games)
17.2 disposals | 3.3 marks | 14.5 hitouts | 2.5 inside 50s | 0.7 goals (4 total)

ACCOLADES:

– 2025 AFL Academy member
– 2025 Vic Metro U18 squad
– 2024 National Futures match
– 2024 Vic Metro U17 representative
– 2024 Coates Talent League debut
– 2023 Vic Metro U16 representative

STRENGTHS

+ Athleticism
+ Clean hands
+ Follow-up work
+ Mobility
+ Upside

Watch Duff-Tytler once and it’s immediately evident why he is considered such a high-upside prospect. Measuring up at 199cm, it is often remarked that he moves more like a small, boasting incredible agility and the ability to cover plenty of ground. He does things not many talls can dream of athletically.

There are patches during games where he may be a touch quiet, but only needs a few possessions to showcase his talent. Whether side-stepping through traffic, chaining handballs on the run, or following up after the initial stoppage, Duff-Tytler very much fits the mould of a fourth midfielder through the ruck.

Part of what makes Duff-Tytler so exciting is his dexterity. He naturally draws comparisons to Luke Jackson for their shared basketball background, but it goes deeper. They both mark the ball well overhead with sizeable reach, can take metres, and are wonderfully clean below their knees.

It is rare to see a key position player so comfortable in possession, particularly running with the ball. There is still room for improvement in the way of decision making and skill execution, but Duff-Tytler is generally quite fundamentally sound and backs himself with ball in hand.

QUESTION MARK(S)

There is still a high degree of untapped potential with Duff-Tytler, especially given his level of exposure in the footballing pathway compared to those who haven’t juggled multiple sports. Rawness shows in some of his end product, though his rate of development will be all the more steep as a result.

As he continues to enhance his craft, adding size and greater physicality will also help to consistently impact games, or dominate as he has already done. There are arguably more imposing talls who fare better in contested situations, but Duff-Tytler competes and his gifts are far more highly sought after.

Pending his measurements and results at preseason testing, primarily rucking at under 200cm may force Duff-Tytler to gain more exposure as a key forward. There, if he can make his presence felt aerially and regularly hit the scoreboard, he will be hard to deny as a genuine top five prospect.

OUR SCOUTS SAID…

“Duff-Tytler not only controlled the stoppages, but his follow-up work to get involved around the ground was also very good. The Calder tall used the ball well for a big and had 10 handball receives, showing he is not afraid to run past and get the ball before driving it forward. One of the more high-upside talls, Duff-Tytler showed his potential through the ruck with a game-high 10 hitouts despite limited minutes due to the rotations through the role.” – Peter Williams, 2024 National Futures match

“Duff-Tytler stood up to the challenge against Louis Emmett and Boston Dowling. He was arguably the best of the bunch in the ruck contests, winning the hitout count and often putting the ball to the advantage of his teammates. Duff-Tytler was also handy around the ground, showing a strong willingness to follow up at ground level and using the ball cleanly when he won it, looking particularly expansive when using it by hand.” – Declan Reeve, 2024 CTL Wildcard Round

“Duff-Tytler was easily the best player afield it felt as if the Cannons had another midfielder out there, with his movement highlighting his agility for his height… The bottom-ager’s second efforts were great and his resilience was highlighted when he dropped a mark, however managed to go again with a second effort and converted a set shot goal along the boundary in the third quarter – the best of his three goals for the day.” – Adrian Dixon, 2024 CTL Round 18

“Making his second appearance for the Cannons’ Under 18 side, Duff-Tytler was very strong in the ruck in the wet conditions and gave his midfielders first use of the ball. He moved exceptionally well around the ground for a player of his size and showed terrific acceleration when needed. While he turned it over at times, his kicking has power and he was good below the knees.” – Adrian Dixon, 2024 CTL Round 13

“It was a tough day to play forward for Vic Metro, though Duff-Tytler grabbed his moments during the final quarter with two of his side’s five goals. The highly touted tall showcased his mobility by staying with the play and recovering ground balls to manufacture his scoring opportunities. He also impacted aerially with a couple of strong marks to help lock the ball into Vic Metro’s attacking 50.” – Michael Alvaro, 2024 Vic Metro Futures

“A player who could end up being one of the finds of the carnival, Duff-Tytler is not yet assigned to a CTL region but has serious potential as a mobile ruck. The 198cm prospect impressed with his athleticism and fundamentals. His moved fluently and he showed good ruck craft when directing his taps, but perhaps more impressively got involved on the follow-up and hardly looked out of place with ball in hand.” – Michael Alvaro, 2023 U16 National Championships

WHERE HE SITS

There is no denying that if Duff-Tytler puts together a strong top-age season, he has all the tools to be considered a pick one candidate. Others in the top 10 range are club-tied and he’s one of the few talls set to be considered there, so may possess the right points of difference to go top of the crop. Duff-Tytler’s movement is key to his game and he has plenty of room to grow, which is exciting given some of his big performances in the back-end of 2024. Training with Essendon via the National Academy during preseason will only further put him in good stead to fulfil his potential with noted learnings.

Previous editions:
Willem Duursma (Gippsland Power/Vic Country)
Zeke Uwland (Suns Academy/Queensland)
Dyson Sharp (Central District/South Australia)
Louis Emmett (Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro)

Up next: Max King