A FINAL trial match ahead of their first match on Sunday week will take place this weekend, but the Allies have confirmed an initial 27-player squad for the upcoming AFL Under 18 Championships. In previous years the selection process has largely just come from Talent League Boys form without coming together too long before the first match, but in 2026, the Allies are as prepared as they could be to form a cohesive unit for the national carnival.

The change in selection process saw the Allies play a trial match last weekend to help narrow down the squad, with there always being the possibility of adding additional players to the list throughout the tournament which will run for just over a month.

Sydney Swans fans will be licking their lips at the potential future of the club, with a whopping nine representatives from the red and white in the Allies team. Headlining that squad includes dual-eligible father-son Academy athlete Aidan McCartney, a member of the National Academy. He has been named in the squad but is of course is still recovering from hip surgery earlier in the year so is not expected to play, but both Swans and North Melbourne fans – where his dad Jason played 107 games – are still keeping close tabs on the National Academy member.

It leaves Ethan Matthews as the sole National Academy member from New South Wales in the squad, and is one of only three Giants alongside the in-form Cooper French. Winger Guy Jenkin, Swans Academy skipper Lachlan Price and international long-jumper Mason McGroder are among the other red and white players taking part in the stacked team, with the Academy boasting three more players than the next highest side.

That side is the Brisbane Lions Academy, with the most talked about dual Academy prospect being that of Cooper Hodge. The son of former Hawks and Lions legend Luke, Hodge has a decision to pick between remaining in Queensland to fulfil his Academy ties, or heading to Victoria and continuing the Hodge name in brown and gold. He’s not the only Lions player to watch though, with Caylen Murray and smart ball user Matthew Owen some of the others.

The Top End has provided the Allies with four representatives including Hugo Timms who impressed at the Development Championships last year, and Sonny Smiler who was a late call-up to the National Academy earlier this year. A familiar name to Territory fans is Taj Murray who returns to the Allies for an overage national carnival.

Murray and National Academy member Archie Hill are two of three Suns Academy members in the squad with over-ager Jonah Harris who is the brother of AFLW talent Havana. The Suns have the same amount of representatives as Tasmania Devils, with Hugh McCallum unfortunately going down with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) putting a line through the Devils’ top prospect for 2026. Jake Beams has been racking it up in the Talent League however, while Archie Devine and Charlie Bovill have earned their chances in the squad.

2026 ALLIES TEAM LIST: