WHILE the 2026 AFLW Draft crop is shaping up to be one of the deepest in recent years, there is no shortage of premium talent at the pointy end. In the return of our Race to #1 series but this time for the women’s draft, we highlight the leading contenders vying for the top honour.

>> Ones to watch: Top 26 AFLW Draft prospects in 2026

First up in this year’s series is Victorian goalkicking sensation Bailee Martin. The Oakleigh Chargers key forward has compiled one of the most prolific bottom-age campaigns in Coates Talent League Girls history, slamming home 42 goals in just 10 games during 2025 – including record-equalling hauls of nine and seven. A member of the AFLW National Academy, Martin is the complete forward package and looms as the top pick come draft night.

Oakleigh Chargers, Vic Metro GirlsTall Forward

Bailee Martin

Height: 176cm

Weight: -

DOB: 03-09-2008

BY THE NUMBERS:

2025 AFLW U18 National Championships (3 games)
10.7 disposals | 3.7 marks | 1.0 tackles | 1.0 inside 50s | 2.7 goals (8 total)

2025 AFLW U18 Championships – Game 4 vs Vic Country
15 disposals (12 kicks, 3 handballs) | 7 marks (4 contested) | 2 tackles | 7 goals

2025 Coates Talent League Girls (10 games)
13.8 disposals | 4.9 marks | 2.2 tackles | 1.4 inside 50s | 4.3 goals

2025 Coates Talent League Girls
43 goals | 9-goal record-equalling haul (Round 1) | 7-goal hauls (multiple)

2025 Marsh AFL National Futures Girls (1 game)
3 goals for Team Vescio

ACCOLADES:

2026 AFLW National Academy member
2025 AFLW U18 All-Australian
2025 National Futures Girls representative
2025 Coates Talent League Girls leading goalkicker
2025 CTLG Round 1 Player of the Week (9 goals – equal all-time record)
2025 Vic Metro U18 representative
2024 AFLW U16 Development Championships representative

STRENGTHS

+ Elite aerial ability
+ Goal sense and accuracy
+ Athleticism and mobility
+ Contested marking
+ Reading the ball in flight
+ Lead-up patterns

Martin is the most dominant goalkicking prospect this draft class has to offer, combining elite aerial ability with an uncanny sense of timing and positioning inside forward 50. She reads the ball in flight better than just about anyone in the crop, and is typically the first to move and strongest in the marking contest.

Standing at 176cm, Martin has the athleticism to play as a genuine key forward, while possessing the mobility to roam across the forward line when required. Her lead-up patterns are sharp and well-timed, creating separation from defenders with ease. Once the ball is in her hands, she is a clinical finisher who can convert from set shots and on the move.

Her 2025 Coates Talent League Girls season was nothing short of extraordinary. A nine-goal haul in Round 1 against Northern Knights – equalling the all-time individual record – set the tone for a campaign where she topped the league’s goalkicking charts with 43 majors from just 10 appearances. She was so dominant that it took until the preliminary final for an opponent to keep her to fewer than three goals.

Martin also brings a willingness to compete in the contest. She is not purely a high-marking forward; she can win the ball at ground level and apply forward pressure with tackles and one-percenters. Her versatility within the forward line – whether as the deepest target or floating across half-forward – makes her incredibly difficult to match up on.

QUESTION MARK(S)

While Martin’s bottom-age output was phenomenal, the obvious query is whether she can replicate and build on it as a top-ager when defences will be far more attuned to her presence. Every team will have a plan for her in 2026, and the challenge will be maintaining her dominance when the target on her back grows exponentially.

Accuracy is another area for development. Despite her prolific output, Martin’s set shot conversion and shot selection can be refined to take her game to an even higher level. There were multiple games where she actually left quite a few goals out there with behinds or even complete misses, which considering the amount of goals she kicked, is something to behold. Tightening that margin between a stellar game and a record-breaking one is the next step.

Additionally, as a predominantly forward-focused player, questions around her capacity to impact the game during periods where supply dries up will be raised. The best forwards at AFLW level find ways to influence the contest even without regular touches. Developing that next layer of defensive forward craft and contested ground-level game will be critical to silencing any remaining doubters.

OUR SCOUTS SAID…

“Martin is a dynamic and powerful tall forward who has explosive strength, strong hands and a fantastic leap. All in all, if she gets lace-out passes, or to her advantage, it is nearly impossible to stop her. When representing her school Caulfield Grammar last year in the Herald Sun Shield final, Martin played through the middle and often had two players hanging off her just to try and quell her influence.”

– Peter Williams, 2025 AFLW U18s – Vic Metro vs. Vic Country Player Focus

“What a massive game is was from the talented bottom-ager who was simply unstoppable at full-forward. Her all-round athletic profile is a nightmare for defenders, as the potential top pick for the 2026 AFLW Draft cycled through three defenders on the day. If she doesn’t beat you in the air, she’ll beat you on the ground, and had two in the first, one in the second, one in the third and three in the final term including two in the last few minutes. Just too quick, too smart, too strong.”

– Peter Williams, 2025 AFLW U18s – Vic Metro vs. Vic Country Scouting Notes

“The dominant goalkicker went about her business as per usual, slotting the first goal of the game and finishing with three majors. In a match that was symbolic of her year, Martin left a couple of chances out there and could have finished with five or six, but was still the most dangerous forward on the ground. Her bodywork and footy IQ were off the charts, knowing when to push up the ground, and when to drop back and lose her opponents.”

– Peter Williams, National Future Girls Scouting Notes

“Elite athleticism, aerial ability and goal sense, she is the complete forward and just needs to work on her accuracy to go to another level again. Has competition for the top spot in 2026 though.”

– Peter Williams, 26 in 2026 AFLW Draft prospects to watch

WHERE SHE SITS

Martin enters 2026 as the front-runner for Pick 1. Her 2025 season was nothing short of sensational, and the combination of elite athleticism, aerial ability and goal sense makes her arguably the most complete forward prospect this draft class has seen. Rookie Me Central has her earning the front-running spot based on a prolific bottom-age campaign that saw her dominate at every level she played.

However, she does not have the race to herself. South Australian teammates Emma Charlton and Taya Maxwell are both genuine contenders for the top selection, and there are other exciting names across the country who could stake their claim with a big top-age campaign. As it stands, Martin is comfortably the leading forward prospect and among the top two or three in the entire crop.

Expect her to be the hunted rather than the hunter in 2026. The test will be how she responds when every opponent game plans specifically for her – and if her bottom-age brilliance proves to be just the beginning.