IT WOULD not be out of the ordinary to suggest that, if eligible, Cody Walker would be playing in Carlton’s AFL side right now. That’s not a cheap shot at the struggling Blues either, he’s just that good.

The highly touted father-son prospect turned out for his VFL debut over the weekend, impressing with his patented power and work rate in a narrow victory at IKON Park. He spent plenty of time forward but thrived with more on-ball exposure in the second half, displaying clear game-winning attributes.

We put Walker’s performance under the Player Focus microscope.

>> SCROLL to see Walker’s highlights

Bendigo Pioneers, Vic CountryMidfielder

Cody Walker

Height: 184cm

Weight: -

DOB: 26-01-2008

PLAYER FOCUS

2026 VFL: Round 6
Carlton 14.14 (98) def. St. Kilda 13.15 (93)

#76 Cody Walker (Carlton VFL)
Stats: 27 disposals (12 contested possessions, 63% disposal efficiency), 4 marks, 2 tackles, 5 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 4 score involvements, 2 behinds

FIRST QUARTER:

It was a relatively steady start from Walker in his maiden VFL outing, juxtaposed by Carlton’s flurry of seven opening-quarter goals. He started on the pine and rotated into the forwardline after six minutes, looking to make an immediate impact.

Walker showcased his stoppage craft inside 50, staying on his toes and hunting the loose ball intently. With ball in hand, he refused to be tackled. Outside of the contest, he covered plenty of ground to provide support for teammates and racked up three handball receives before looking to drive forward.

In typical style, the youngster wheeled around onto his favoured right side and moved the ball on quickly, although overcooked a couple of his kicks heading inside 50. One of his best moments was a gutsy intercept mark running back with the flight in the corridor.

SECOND QUARTER:

St Kilda hit back in term two with four unanswered goals to cut the half time margin to two points, but that didn’t stop Walker from showing more glimpses of his quality. Most notably, he straightened up to deliver a couple of terrific field kicks to connect the line heading forward.

Walker’s read of the play saw him react and stream past a teammate on turnover, receiving on the overlap before sliding a pinpoint kick to Talor Byrne just inside 50. He backed that up with another foray through the corridor, this time lowering his eyes to hit up a leading teammate.

There were also signs of Walker’s readymade status, as he was willing to scrap on the inside and drive through contact when scooping up ground balls. He swooped on the loose pill and was prepared to ride a tackle before flicking the ball out, even doing so to release a teammate at the centre bounce.

THIRD QUARTER:

Walker was genuinely the player to turn momentum back in Carlton’s favour during term three, thriving with greater centre bounce exposure. St Kilda hit the lead after three minutes and extended it to 11 points soon after, which is when Walker was sent into the middle to stop the rot.

Impacting off the bat, he gathered cleanly off the tap and spun out of a tackle before dishing off to a teammate, proving equal parts tough, flashy and efficient. His ability to bring the ball from in to out continued to shine, as he was the most active and mobile clearance winner afield.

Walker’s power and explosive speed drew attention, although he caught James Barrat napping in one bit of play. With the ball bouncing towards the boundary, Walker paddled it out of Barrat’s grasp before gathering, turning and hitting a short kick inside 50. It was pure class.

The youngster’s balance of intensity and poise was again showed as he manufactured a one-two chain heading inside 50 before steadying to slide an inboard kick to George Hewett. After his own late shot on goal sailed wide, the Blues entered three-quarter time 12 points to the good.

FOURTH QUARTER:

Walker’s game-winning ability shone through right until the end, where he produced consecutive score involvements to help see Carlton home. He continued to pump the ball deep inside 50 and was there to lock it in, showing a clean pair of hands to intercept overhead and mop up off the deck.

It was clear his teammates were looking for him to nab a goal and one instance saw Walker spill a chance on the lead, only to recover, step an opponent and dish out to assist Logan Prout for what ended up being the deciding goal.

Walker’s pressure also led to a crucial score, harassing the Saints defenders deep inside 50 to force a dump kick which Carlton intercepted and turned into a goal. He ran hard all day to provide an overlap option and showed great pace off the mark to compliment his aerobic strength.

CLOSING THOUGHTS…

Walker could hardly have been more impressive on debut, holding up to the rigours of state league football having completed a senior preseason at the Blues. He’s as readymade as any player in this year’s crop, and may well be the best, as shown by his running power and physical willingness.

The 18-year-old is a beast at the contest and covers plenty of ground on the outside, while also getting into positions to score. He did so on the weekend and not only registered two behinds, but more importantly sparked chains which presented opportunities to others. He’s high-volume, and high-impact.

Perhaps the most pleasing facet of his game was his field kicking, which has been a major question mark over his profile. Walker showed great poise and lowered his eyes effectively to hit short passes on the move, even doing so after a couple of early sighters. Shockingly, he is still improving.