A PAIR of promising bottom-agers were among the weekend’s state league debutants, headlined by star 2026 prospect Dougie Cochrane. Elsewhere, West Coast blooded another club-tied talent in the WAFL, and a Victorian dasher impressed in his maiden VFL appearance for Richmond.

SANFL

League & Reserves Round 16

Central District bottom-ager Dougie Cochrane was the talk of the town after producing a four-goal first half in his SANFL League debut. The freakish 196cm talent helped Centrals conjure a 55-point win over North Adelaide on Saturday, firming his status as a bonafide pick one contender for next year.

Cochrane is the son of Bulldogs premiership player Stuart, who managed a combined 104 AFL games for North Melbourne and Port Adelaide. While not father-son eligible for either club, Cochrane junior is vying to join elder brother Tom at the elite level – potentially via Port’s Indigenous Academy.

Teammate and state Under 18 captain Dyson Sharp was also back near his best in the victory, gathering 22 disposals and 12 marks fresh off his Larke Medal winning campaign. The Roosters were dealt a blow in that match, after Sam Cumming went down early in the piece with a shoulder injury.

The only other two state representatives to turn out in the top flight were Eagles pair Jack Cook and Jevan Phillipou. Cook, who was overlooked for a National Draft Combine invite, held his own with 10 disposals, while Phillipou had it eight times in a 67-point loss to Glenelg on Sunday.

In the Reserves grade, North Adelaide midfielder Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier made a statement on debut. Having played into form on the back of an injury interrupted start to the season, he notched up 24 disposals and nine marks as the Roosters crowed to the tune of 11 points over Central District.

Norwood also continued to blood young talent, with four Under 18s turning out in the twos. Jim Kelly (14 disposals, one goal) and All-Australian ruck Sam Ainsworth (10 disposals, one goal) hit the scoreboard along with Will Prescott (three goals), while Micah Kretschmer laid five tackles to go with his 14 touches.

VFL

Round 19

The bottom-age debuts continued in the VFL, with Cooper Hodge earning a berth for Brisbane. The son of Hawthorn legend Luke is also part of the Lions Academy, with a fight for his services set to ensue next year. He booted a goal from his 10 disposals, while also getting stuck in to lay six tackles.

Hodge’s exploits came in a 26-point win over Coburg. Top-age Lions Daniel Annable (26 disposals, seven clearances) and Tyan Prindable (17 disposals, five clearances) were busy around the ball, while bottom-ager Caylen Murray returned with 13 touches, five marks, and six intercept possessions.

Meanwhile, Swans Academy member Aidan McCartney booted a goal in his first appearance for Sydney. Aidan is the son of Jason, who is currently Head of Football at Greater Western Sydney (GWS), and played 107 games at North Melbourne – tying his son to two clubs ahead of the the 2026 draft.

McCartney junior will have to make the decision of which club alignment he pursues before then. A similar situation arose in 2018 when Nick Blakey was eligible to join either North Melbourne or Brisbane as a father-son, but was also part of the Swans Academy and chose to remain in red and white.

HUGE CONGRATS to Sam Grlj, who makes his Richmond VFL debut today! ? pic.twitter.com/p41ao6rLjQ

— Richmond VFL ? (@RichmondVFL) August 2, 2025

While he contributed to a 35-point win over Essendon, Vic Metro speedster Sam Grlj stood tall in Richmond’s 17-point loss to Gold Coast. The debuting top-ager started brightly with eight touches in the opening quarter, going on to finish with 18 disposals, six marks, and seven rebound 50s.

Grlj’s raw pace and tenacity are factors which had him poised for a bolt into the top 10 on draft boards earlier this year. His efforts in a poor first half for the Tigers, no less against senior opposition, would have done his first round hopes no harm. For the Suns, a handful of Academy hopefuls also turned out.

Pick one contender Zeke Uwland built on his return game last week with 17 disposals and a goal, while midfielder Beau Addinsall got back into the swing of things after a hamstring strain to gather 14 touches. Cooper Collins had it 15 times down back to push his case to be added to the state draft combine list.

National Draft Combine invitee Koby Coulson was a little quieter with eight disposals, making his seventh appearance at the level. Meanwhile, over-ager Nelson Beikoff-Smart continues to be an established part of the side, managing 11 disposals in what his his 14th VFL outing this season.

GWS added another club-tied debut to the mix with Allies representative Brody Kane stepping up to state league level. He posted five disposals alongside over-age Giants Academy prospect Riley Hamilton (13 disposals, five intercept possessions), who has been trialled behind the ball of late.

The Giants went down by 41 points to Footscray, while Tyson Gresham‘s Carlton suffered a similar fate against Frankston. Gresham, who is part of the Blues’ Next Generation Academy, debuted with five disposals and four tackles. He’s the brother of current Essendon forward, Jade.

Collingwood fans would have been eager to see how father-son candidate Thomas McGuane backed up his VFL debut. He built to eight disposals this time out in an 11-point win over Williamstown, with the usual midfielder spending more time in different roles outside of the Coates Talent League.

A pair of notable performances came out of Sandringham’s 23-point win over North Melbourne. Over-agers Jez Rigoni (11 disposals, five marks, four goals) and Charlie Rozenes (12 disposals, two goals) played their parts in the victory, which was littered with recent Sandringham Dragons graduates.

Congratulations to Tylah Williams who made his WAFL Eagles Debut today opening his game with a goal!https://t.co/fjtDJfuvWC pic.twitter.com/vkEAcf5osc

— West Coast Eagles (@WestCoastEagles) August 2, 2025

WAFL

League & Reserves Round 17

After West Coast father-son hopeful Charlie Banfield did so last week, Next Generation Academy member Tylah Williams made his WAFL League debut with the Eagles on Saturday. The lively small forward bagged his maiden goal from 12 touches as his side was thumped by East Perth.

West Perth blooded another youngster this week in Colts captain Lochlain Carpenter, with the tall defender clunking a couple of marks in his maiden senior outing. Leading West Australian prospect Jacob Farrow also featured in the Falcons’ 15-point win over Perth, collecting 17 disposals.

Meanwhile, Subiaco’s Hudson Walker continued at the level with six tackles in a dour 18-point loss to Swan Districts, while Peel Thunder’s Will York had 10 touches, seven tackles and two behinds as his side went down by 38 points to Claremont. Dockers champion Nat Fyfe made his return in that game.

The Thunder also handed a promotion to defender Matthew Becker, who made his debut in the Reserves grade. Having been one of Western Australia’s main distributors throughout the Under 18 National Championships, he posted nine disposals and five tackles in a 40-point loss to the Tigers.