THE BUDDING AFL Draft crop will be put through its paces at this year’s National and State Draft Combines, set to take place in October. With the lists of invitees released yesterday, we now have an even further understanding of which prospects are under the microscopes of recruiters.

While there is still time for bolters to make their run, if preseason testing is anything to go by, there promises to be a bunch of high-level results from this cohort. We crunched the numbers on how the class of 2026 stacks up in terms of positions, age profile, club-tied talent, and state representation.

>> FULL LISTS: 2026 AFL & AFLW Draft Combine invites

NATIONAL DRAFT COMBINE

When: September 30 – October 3
Where: MCG (club interviews), State Netball and Hockey Centre, Parkville (physical testing)

POSITIONS:

Tall Defenders – 7
Small/Medium Defenders – 8
Midfielders – 15
Tall Forwards – 7
Small/Medium Forwards – 11
Hybrid/Utility – 8
Rucks – 4

STATE REPRESENTATION:

South Australia – 13
Vic Country – 16
Vic Metro – 22
Western Australia – 7
Northern Territory – 1
NSW/ACT – 2
Queensland – 1
Tasmania – 1

AGE PROFILE:

Top-age (2008-born) – 62
Over-age (2007-born) – 1
Mature-age – 0

CLUB-TIED TALENT:

Father-Son – 1
Next Generation Academy – 4
Northern Academy – 3

INJURED:

A number of selected prospects will not get to show their wares due to long-term knee injuries. Among them is Geelong Falcons key forward Jack Pickett, who hardly saw any gametime this year after an ACL tear. South Australian midfielder-forward Angus White also went down early in the year, while lone Tasmanian Hugh McCallum and talented West Australian Koby LeCras are also in the same boat and missed out on the National Championships. Arki Butler will hope to get back in time after a collarbone injury ended his representative duties early, while Kai Parker just suffered a shoulder injury over the weekend, so is TBC at this stage.

WHAT IT ALL MEANS:

With around 60-70 selections typically made each year, it is positive for the neutral fan to see a far less compromised crop. While the two leading prospects are club-tied, only eight National Combine invitees fall into that category, making up nearly 13 per cent of the group. That number sat around 30 per cent last year. The strength of the pool is highlighted by only one player being invited from outside the 2008-born crop, which is quite typical of most years, but the depth will be shown in the growing state combine list. Recruiters often say that when Vic Metro is strong, so is the draft, and they lead the way with 22 invitees from their title-winning squad. Contribution from the Allied states is less prevalent than recent years. Positionally, there is a good mix for everyone in this year’s draft. Tall defenders, forwards and rucks feature at the top-end along with a slew of midfielders and small-medium types at either end of the ground.

ONES TO WATCH:

All eyes will be on Swans Academy product Mason McGroder, an national junior long-jumper who blitzed preseason testing. Watch for him to feature heavily at the top-end of the vertical jump events, along with the 20m sprint. Only Northern Knights pair Harry Van Hattum and Sam Gayfer could claim to match him in the running jumps during preseason, with the trio rising to 103cm. The likes of Ethan Drever, Memphis Webb and Harry Franz all fared well in the standing leap. In the running events, Caylen Murray will be a good watch having gone untested in preseason. Andrio Sousa is among the 20m sprint standouts, while teammate Gus Kennedy and Eastern’s Zac Antonellos can both chalk up sub-eight second agility test times. WA captain Leo Steed should test well all-round, boasting a strong endurance tank to go with his wicked turn of speed.

STATE DRAFT COMBINE(S)

Victoria: October 3
South Australia: October 10
Western Australia: October 11

POSITIONS:

Tall Defenders – 5
Small/Medium Defenders – 6
Midfielders – 10
Tall Forwards – 6
Small/Medium Forwards – 5
Hybrid/Utility – 5
Rucks – 2

STATE REPRESENTATION:

South Australia – 8
Vic Country – 7
Vic Metro – 8
Western Australia – 9
Northern Territory – 0
NSW/ACT – 3
Queensland – 4
Tasmania – 0

AGE PROFILE:

Top-age (2008-born) – 34
Over-age (2007-born) – 2
Mature-age – 3

CLUB-TIED TALENT:

Father-Son – 2
Next Generation Academy – 6
Northern Academy – 6

WHAT IT ALL MEANS:

The full picture on this year’s state draft combines is not yet complete, with a bunch more invites expected to be handed out before the event. From what we can see thus far, the top-age crop remains deep but there will be opportunities for some mature-age talent to shine, as is the case most years. There is a far greater concentration of club-tied players in this lot, with the 14 total father-son, NGA, and Northern Academy prospects making up around 35 per cent of invitees. That is somewhat a product of clubs being less inclined to track unavailable talent, along with a slightly weaker Allies crop which produced a handful of National Combine invitees. Once again, along with a strong crop of midfielders there is something for everyone position-wise with no real shortage of utility types either.

ONES TO WATCH:

Much like in the National Combine, a Swans Academy member looks likely to light up the state event. Jake Medved was highlighted for his athletic strengths coming into the year and has emerged has a draft chance since, impressing with his high-end speed. Expect him to fare well in the 20m sprint, alongside the likes of Chas Woodward and Garrison Kenh. Meanwhile, we could be on for a record-breaking meet in WA when Finlay Yeo completes the agility test. His 7.642-second effort in preseason is the best ever recorded by Rookie Me. Cain Florance and Marcus Prasad are others who should be quick through the agility gates, along with Blake Justice. Florance and Justice are also chances to put up strong jumps. The likes of Jack Nelson and Kale Matthews-Hampton also thrived in the running vertical leap during preseason. Flynn Woolhouse won’t be far off the mark, either.