Following the conclusion of the 2025 AFL Draft intakes last week, talent pathway focus shifts to the 2026 crop of players.The AFL Academy squad has already been announced, and there's plenty of talent in the 2026 intake.
Craft of the Draft has named the 10 best players to watch next season, as well as a series of others on the precipice.
Worth a mention: Athletic defender Darcy Szerszyn and his Dandenong Stingrays teammate Gus Kennedy are both highly regarded after impressive 2025 campaigns. Key defender Tate Hodgson was included in the AFL Academy squad despite not playing a game this year due to stress fractures, highlighting where he sits, while midfielder Cody Templeton and Essendon NGA prospect Blake Justice are other Victorians worth tracking. Defender Kale Matthews-Hampton and midfielder Archie Van Dyk are among the best South Australians, while key-position player Benji van Rooyen and livewire Koby Lecras are among the best openly available Western Australians. Of the club-tied talent, West Coast NGA prospect Garrison Kenh put himself on the map in the U17s Futures Game as a dynamic half-back, Fremantle NGA Lucas Robinson is highly regarded as an inside midfielder, while Brisbane-tied Caylen Murray and Gold Coast Academy rebounder Archie Hill are others who are touted.
Early word on the 2026 draft class: Headlines will be rampant again about the compromised nature of the draft if the two headline names for 2026 continue on their current trajectory, which has them on course to be top five selections. Both players are the face of draft class, but the best openly available talent remains quite open. There are several talls at the pointy end which will be intriguing to track given key-position talent has slipped down the order in recent years due to the lower strike rate. Word in the industry is that the 2026 class is stronger than the 2025 crop, but given we are 12 months out, so much can change. All four northern clubs have one player in the AFL Academy, with Carlton, Port Adelaide, North Melbourne, West Coast, Fremantle and Essendon other clubs which have a well-regarded club-tied talent
1Cody Walker (Bendigo Pioneers)
The Carlton father-son prospect has already committed to the navy blue and is expected to be a top five talent in next year's pool.
A competitive and highly skilled midfielder who can go forward and hit the scoreboard, Walker was part of Vic Country's squad in 2025, playing all four matches and averaging 18 disposals in Bendigo Pioneers' engine room in the Coates Talent League.
The Echuca local topped off his season with a best afield performance in the Futures Game on AFL Grand Final day.
