On the first day of every month, Zero Hanger's AFL Draft associate, Craft of the Draft, will drop a power rankings with an expanding list for each edition.
The August edition is 30 names, with National Championships form playing a significant role in the rankings, while some prospects have impressed at state league level in recent times.
For the first time all year, there has been a change at the top, with Willem Duursma's MVP-winning carnival catapulting him to pole position, at the expense of Cooper Duff-Tytler, who has still been very good.
There are a total of 11 AFL club-tied prospects, highlighting that the first round of the AFL Draft could push well beyond 30 selections by the time Free Agency compensation and potential priority picks are factored in.
It is also worth noting that Zeke Uwland and Jevan Phillipou, who have been injured for large parts of 2025, fall down the rankings slightly given a lack of exposed form, which is a criteria for this piece.
On the precipice:
Collingwood father-son prospect Tom McGuane has been a staple of these rankings but was squeezed out after a solid, but unspectacular, National Championships. However, he remains right around the mark at this stage of the draft.
Murray Bushrangers tall forward Liam Hetherton is also desperately unlucky not to feature, with injury preventing him from taking part at the National Championships, but he remains a key forward with plenty to offer.
Taj Murray's first game for the Allies proved his high ceiling as a tall utility, and there's every chance he could feature in the first round.
Harry Kyle is a Sydney Swans Academy prospect coming with a bolt, while Oakleigh third tall defender Max Kondogiannis was another to significantly enhance his standing as one of the best-performed players for Vic Metro.
Hugo Mikunda excited plenty with some of his performances for Vic Country, and those around him say there's plenty more to show with his rare blend of endurance and speed, and he's done it off a very limited pre-season, while St Kilda-tied defender Kye Fincher plays the halfback role beautifully and is around the mark.
A bonus one...
31 - Fred Rodriguez
South Fremantle, midfielder
The Western Australian skipper has come back a little in recent times, but still did enough at the National Championships to take out the MVP. He's a bigger body in the engine room, which he uses to win hard balls and lay tackles, and has an athletic profile to give him good balance as an inside midfielder. Gets to lots of contests and wins clearances, with his average of 18 disposals per game for the Black Swans belying his true impact.
20-16
20 - Max King
Sydney Swans Academy, forward
Everyone knows King's upside, but it hasn't quite all come together consistently for the Sydney Swans Academy prospect this season. He's had his moments, such as kicking important goals for both the Swans VFL and Allies, and has shown his power and marking skills, remaining someone who is viewed as being in the first half of the first round. Should continue to get VFL exposure, and generates plenty of scoring opportunities, so will be one worth monitoring.
19 - Jevan Phillipou
Woodville-West Torrens, midfielder
The forgotten name of this year's draft in some ways, given a broken arm has ruled him out of much of 2025 including the National Championships. He's seen as a certain first-rounder at minimum despite the limited exposure this season. The younger brother of St Kilda's Mattaes, Jevan is a brilliant athlete, with his speed, in particular, a wanted asset, which accompanies his x-factor and ball-winning capacity.
18 - Matt Leray
Central Districts, winger
One half of South Australia's All-Australian winning 'fro-bro'-wing combination, Leray brings great size, ball-use and discipline with his running patterns and runs all day. Has been given the opportunity to play in the midfield at times recently for Sturt, proving his ability to use his frame to win contested footy and apply pressure, and he's even gone forward and shown pleasing attributes there.
17 - Sam Grlj
Oakleigh Chargers, midfielder
It was a solid but unspectacular National Championships from the Vic Metro co-captain, and his traits are still undeniable. He's clean, quick and dangerous in space, with a great willingness to advance the game forward at every opportunity. Has played at the lower standard of AGSV football in between his National Championships games, whether that impacted his form is unknown, but he'll get a great opportunity to push his name back up the order.
16 - Harley Barker
Sturt, winger
The South Australian winger's brilliant Championships were highlighted with All-Australian honours in the title-winning side, but he has heartbreakingly suffered an ACL rupture, which has ended his campaign. Regardless, he's done more than enough to prove a worthy selection at the pointy end. Has a blend of dangerous ball-use, blistering speed, and marking, which makes him perfect for the role. Perhaps the biggest question is how highly a club will take a winger, regardless of the prodigious talent, given it's not a position that clubs tend to use an early selection on.
