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.
35-31
35 - Xavier Ladbrook (Gippsland Power) (-6)
The raw key-position prospect was largely needed in attack at the Under-18s Championships due to Vic Country's dearth of key forwards, but it is undeniable that his best footy is played in defence. Has great athleticism when he launches for the footy and deceptive strength despite his lean build, as he showed in the AFL Academy game earlier this year, named best afield in the second match. Also uses the ball neatly for a player of his size.
34 - Jordan Knapp (Eastern Ranges) (NEW)
Was the highest polling player in the Larke Medal for the undefeated Vic Metro in a carnival which synopsised him as a player: minimum of fuss, compliant with role and remarkably consistent. Generally clean and assured with his disposal and has a skillset employable across a variety of positions, there continues to be questions around his damage factor with ball in hand, but rarely turns it over and covers the ground well.
33 - Albert MacGowan (Sandringham Dragons) (-5)
Has the innate Scott Pendlebury-like ability to slow down in traffic, allow opponents to pass and then navigate his way through with ease. A natural ball-winner, he played primarily on the wing at the National Championships and generated plenty of attack as one of his team's standout contributors. His ball use and vision, particularly going forward, also set him apart.
32 - Harvey Spawton-Guy (West Perth) (NEW)
Made his league debut for West Perth last weekend, kicking two goals and looking confident against the senior bodies. It followed a reasonably consistent National Championships where he got up the ground to provide an option and timed his leads well inside 50. Competes hard and is difficult to stop in the air, which he also showed in trial games ahead of the carnival, and also has the flexibility to be swung into defence and prove a difficult one-on-one matchup.
31 - Cody Templeton (Gippsland Power) (-8)
A tough carnival to rate for Templeton given Vic Country's inconsistency. In very limited opportunities in the midfield, he proved he could be a difference-maker, but spent more time up forward, where he had moments of impact, particularly early in games. Has lots of ways to impact beyond just his touches as a crash-and-bash, team-first type operator who has a high IQ. He's a dynamic hybrid matchup inside 50, but questions persist about his ability to remain relevant when the ball isn't in his area. The interest has waned in Templeton in recent times in an era where clubs draft athletes, but he has the innate footy nous to make some clubs look silly for passing him up.
