Sandringham Dragons key forward Archie Ludowyke has started his season in red-hot form, backing up a five-goal season opener with a five-goal AFL Academy series.
A member of Vic Metro's U18s squad in 2024, Ludowyke is viewed as one of the leading key forwards in the 2025 draft crop.
Dragons coach Rob Harding praised the mobile 197cm tall's consistency so far in 2025, ahead of the APS season where he will suit up for Brighton Grammar.
โI think it's important in his role for us that he plays the AFL-style key forward as a player who works up and gets back rather than just sit out the back,โ Harding told Zero Hanger's Craft of the Draft.
โWe've had a focus on him getting up the ground which he has done really well.
โSomething else I've loved is his leadership work โ he's not formally in our leadership group but he organises the forwards really well and has a good handle on what we do structurally.โ
The other major storyline out of Sandringham's 3-0 start to the season has been the brilliant form of Rory Wright, who has bolted into first round calculations.
Wright was touted by Harding in pre-season as a player to watch and has delivered, making the most of his midfield opportunity after playing just two games last year given the strength of Sandringham's top-agers.
โHe's so combative and aggressive around the contest which stands up well and he's a beautiful left foot kick,โ Harding said of Wright.
โHe's a quick learner, he understands the game well and reads it well on field.
โEven the growth from the intra-club into the first three rounds shows how high his footy smarts are.โ
Speaking about his potential position at the next level, the Sandy coach said: โI quite like his ball use off half-back, he's shown a bit of that previously and we might explore that through the year.
โI think his size and combativeness scream AFL midfielder but I think he even has the versatility to play outside on the wing.โ
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Wright will split his time through the middle of the year playing for Caulfield Grammar and Vic Metro, with Miles Tyrer and Kye Fincher two others who will be absent from the Dragons lineup due to school football.
Tyrer is a combative ruck who has averaged 17 hitouts in his three games in 2024 and will play for Melbourne Grammar in the APS season.
The 200cm player will be competing with first-round prospects Cooper Duff-Tytler, Zac McCarthy, Ludowyke and Louis Emmett for a spot in Vic Metro's ruck-forward combination.
โWhat he's got is the big body and aggressiveness and the boys love playing with him because he has great tap craft and he's a good presence," Harding said.
โWe know rucks don't hit their peak until 25 so there's a long way to go.
โWe've given him some forward time and seen some really good signs of his marking on the lead but he's a natural ruck and he's developing well.โ
Fincher is a St Kilda NGA prospect who has been one of the competition's most consistent half-backs in the first month of the season.
He'll likely spearhead Brighton Grammar's midfield throughout the APS season and spent a large part of the Dragons' pre-season training in the engine room.
โI think Kye is suited to the ball coming at him,โ Harding said.
โHe's found a good balance of attacking and defending and become much better at defending.
โHe's a good kick and he opens the game up and has a pretty good knack of taking hangers.โ
Harding was also complimentary of the growth of several others, including utility Sacha Levine, hard-running Vic Metro midfielder Xavier Bamert and small forwards Ricky Theodoropoulos and Charlie Rozenes.
Levine has settled into a midfield role in 2025 and has played a pair of trial games for Vic Metro, with Harding likening him to unheralded duo Cooper Lord and Luke Kennedy, both of whom were drafted from outside the Vic Metro squad.
โHe's playing senior footy against men at Ormond which is what Luke Kennedy was doing and I think Sacha has AFL capacity," Harding said.
"He's a super strong contest player and he's taken nearly a minute off his two kilometre in the last couple of years so he's at a good level for a midfield runner and he's able to burst out of contest which he's really worked on.โ
Bamert has averaged 17 disposals and a goal so far this season, with the 185cm midfielder set to play the full season at the Talent League level, having finished his studies at Wesley College in 2024.
โHis game has grown through this first block,โ Harding said.
โHe's growing into the leadership role as captain of the club so I'm super pleased with how Xavier is progressing and he's diligent with the work he's putting in.โ
Theodoropoulos is a Vic Metro U16s representative who's had a dynamic start to the year, while Rozenes is a Mid-Season Draft prospect building continuity and was among the best for the Young Guns on Saturday, after separate hamstring injuries stymied his draft hopes last year.
โRicky's ability to hit the scoreboard, put on defensive pressure and set goals up has been impressive,โ the third-year Coates League coach said.
โHis big thing is to lead the comp in score assists and he's well on his way to that.
โIt's a good time to be a small forward coming through with what Hawthorn have done in the last 12 months โ you want speed and evasiveness which he has and can compete in the air.
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โI'm really pleased with the speed (Charlie) is playing at and his tackle pressure has been elite.
โHe throws himself through contests really and plays that AFL-style high half forward game really well.โ
Meanwhile, smooth-mover Jack Dalton is currently sidelined with a broken arm, but is set to return for the National Championships and back-end of the APS season for Xavier College, with Harding noting his professionalism and leadership from the sidelines.
Sandringham is in action this Sunday from 10:30am (AEST) at RSEA Park against the GWS Academy.
