AFL Academy member suffers setback

AFL Academy member Darcy Szerszyn is set to miss the early rounds of the Talent League season with injury.

The Dandenong Stingrays defender had an off-season operation on his right shoulder. 

Szerszyn trained with Melbourne in January as part of the AFL Academy program prior to the procedure and assimilated well into drills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The injury puts him in some doubt for the two AFL Academy games against VFL opposition, to take place in the second and third weekends of April.

Athletic and capable of playing above his listed 188cm height, Szerszyn represented Vic Country three times as a bottom-ager in 2025 and established himself as a key cog for the Stingrays.

Craft of the Draft in November rated Szerszyn as one of the 12 most promising junior prospects for the 2026 AFL National Draft.

The Seaford local was also part of the Vic Country summer hub, alongside Stingrays teammates Marcus Prasad, Gus Kennedy and bottom-ager Louis Salopek.

Szerszyn's injury follows Sydney and North Melbourne-tied prospect Aidan McCartney undergoing hip surgery which is set to rule him out of most of 2025.

The Talent League fixture is set to be released on Tuesday, with the first round to be played on the weekend of March 21-22.