The final weeks and months leading up to the 2025 AFL Draft have seen a handful of late risers firmly enter the mix as likely selections for the November 19-20 intake.
While little to no football has been played for most prospects in the past two months, the final touches on the year's power rankings are being put in place.
Craft of the Draft's final top 50 for 2025 was revealed this week, and included three names in the rankings for the first time this year.
Swan Districts duo Leon Kickett and Tylah Williams have come from being unranked to spots 42 and 36 overall respectively, with the latter tied to West Coast as a product of the Eagles' Next Generation Academy.
The small forward played in all four of Western Australia's U18s National Championships matches this year, booting three goals as a lively front-half presence.
While the Black Swans struggled to have the carnival they had hoped for, Williams was one prospect who finished the championships with plenty of plaudits.
"It wouldn't overly surprise me to see a first-round bid on him. I wouldn't eliminate that completely from the conversation," Craft of the Draft's Jonty Ralphsmith said on this week's episode, detailing the top 50 rankings for November.
"Second night is definitely more likely. His combine was certainly sensational, and that helped his stocks. That was a big thing for him, and his second half in particular was really, really impressive.
"In a quite inconsistent campaign for Western Australia, I think there was quite a satisfaction with what he was able to achieve from a continuity point of view. At times he was starved of the supply he would've liked."
Williams looks set to headline a crop of West Coast-tied teenagers for 2025, with fellow NGA names in Koby Evans and Wes Walley, as well as father-son selection Charlie Banfield, also in the mix.
Banfield was another promising performer for Western Australia this year, while injury hampered the seasons for Walley and Evans.
"The (Vic) Metro game, he stood up to be a standout for them," Craft of the Draft's Mitch Keating said of Williams.
"West Coast fans would've been rapt with what they saw at most of the carnival, with him and Charlie Banfield being among their best.
"Then he capped off the year with a great showing at the National Combine. So that was a big tick for him."
Kickett, an over-age prospect who caught the eye with his zip, high leap and pressure for Swan Districts, is another late-season riser who has garnered strong interest from AFL clubs.
"It's the X-factor that he's got. He doesn't need a whole lot of the footy to have an impact," Ralphsmith said.
"He's someone who, as a small forward, they've come into vogue at the moment, haven't they?
"Around goals, he's someone who is really hard to stop. But it's not just goals and pressure, it's a combination of both. He's got a really good leap and they at ground level he can be at the foot of packs. He's got that real balance."
Victorian Sam Allen was the third prospect to move into the top 50, doing so despite spending most of the year on the sidelines with an ACL injury.
Touted as an "athletic freak", a selection for the Oakleigh Chargers midfielder is expected despite his long layoff.
"He's an athletic freak," Ralphsmith said.
"He played on the wing for Oakleigh last year, with Pat Retschko on the other wing.
"He was quite highly rated and unfortunately did his ACL this year. So we only got to see him for about a month.
"It's not only the endurance (that he boasts), it's also the speed, agility and he's got a really good vertical leap.
"If there's a reason he's not a little bit higher, it's probably the fact that we haven't got the exposed form of what he's able to do as an inside midfield, which is a real shame because that's what Oakleigh wanted to showcase this year.
"Regardless, with the athletic numbers he's been putting up, it's hard to see him getting overlook, despite the injury that has held him back."
Other big risers in this month's rankings included Latrelle Pickett (17th overall, +9 spots), Zac McCarthy (27, +8), Marcus Krasnadamskis (32, +17) and Mac Kondogiannis (34, +8).
You can watch the full episode of November's Top 50 Prospect Power Rankings below, or head to Zero Hanger's YouTube channel.
