The conclusion of the 2026 AFL National Championships has crystallised which players are at the top end of this year's draft crop and given cause for excitement about the depth of players on offer.
Several players have ensconced themselves in top 10 discussion off the back of an eye-catching carnival, with four club-tied prospects in that mix. But there is plenty of compelling talent in the next tier for the rest of the competition to choose from.
Three key defenders in the top 15 is a noteworthy feature with no more than one typically taken in the first round across the past decade.
There is also a mix of enticing inside and outside midfielders, half-backs and small forwards, with athleticism, as has become the way, a common denominator among the very best.
Claremont defender Tom Brown, South Australian pair Gabriel Patterson and Jacob McNicol, Sandringham Dragons interceptor Ollie Bartal, Essendon-linked Blake Justice, West Coast father-son prospect Harper Banfield and Eastern Ranges utility Sam Devers are among the names on the periphery of the top 40.
40-36
40 - Keenan Boi (Gippsland Power) (NEW)
Powers through contests with velocity, keeps his feet and is clean with the footy. When the Hawthorn Next Generation Academy prospect gets the footy, things tend to happen. Was arguably best afield for Vic Country in two of the three games he played, tearing the first game apart, and was one of the rare winners in a massive defeat against Vic Metro. A dynamic small who zigs and zags, runs hard up the ground and defends with purpose, he has great upside.
39 - Lochie Burrows (Sandringham Dragons) (NEW)
One of many Vic Metro players who enhanced their prospects at the Under-18s Championships. A best-afield effort in a trial game for Vic Metro was his first time playing any meaningful footy in defence, and he carried that momentum forward into the carnival. Although he did not have a clear standout game, there were plenty of moments which excited recruiters, with his acceleration, confidence, line-breaking and creative ball-use breaking the game open. A barometer for school side Wesley College and impressive contributor at Talent League level as a midfielder-forward for Sandringham.
38 - Memphis Webb (North Adelaide) (NEW)
A powerful contest player, Webb was probably the most consistent midfielder for South Australia at the Under-18s Championships. Has significantly enhanced his stocks as a player who is clean under pressure and makes good decisions. Was unheralded entering 2026 due to an ACL rupture but has put himself firmly in the spotlight following a carnival where he seemed to always stand up when his team needed a lift.
37 - Hugh McCallum (Tasmania) (-7)
Sidelined with an ACL rupture since May, he remains firmly in the sights of AFL clubs around this area of the draft after a blazing start to the Talent League season for Tasmania. The clear standout prospect from the Apple Isle a year before their entrance to the AFL, he is a smart winger who runs all day and has high discipline and IQ.
36 - Sam Tassone (North Adelaide) (NEW)
A game-breaking half-back, the North Adelaide prospect had an enormous last game of the carnival where he showed his ability to break the game open with his drive and ball-use. After a big start to the season, it had been a solid, rather than spectacular, National Championships to that point, but he proved he could match it with the big boys and tackles with intent too. He's back playing with school side Prince Alfred College at the moment and will get a handful of Talent League games to finish the year.
