Top 2027 AFL Draft prospect Cooper French has suffered a ruptured ACL and MCL.
Zero Hanger can reveal that the GWS Giants Academy prospect sustained the injury a fortnight ago playing senior footy in Canberra.
French was one of the Allies' best at the Under-18s National Championships and has also played strong VFL footy off half forward for the Giants, which had him on Tasmania's radar for pre-selection prior to the setback.
The competitive and athletic midfielder is viewed as a top 10 prospect for next year's crop and is set for surgery next week.
The injury will almost certainly rule him out of all of his top-aged year, but the upshot for the Giants is that a bid will come later for French than it otherwise would have.
competes with Jobe Janeway of South Australia during the Marsh AFL National Championships U18 Boys match between South Australia and Allies at Alberton Oval on June 21, 2026 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Mark Brake/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
The club will almost certainly be forced to match a bid in the top 10 for Ethan Matthews this year after a dominant stint in the Talent League and a start to the Under-18s National Championships before he suffered a foot injury.
French graduates from school this year and is likely to move to New South Wales to spend time around the Giants AFL program as he rehabilitates his injury.
The injury also rules French out of the Under-17s Futures game played on the MCG on AFL Grand Final Day, with Oakleigh key defenders Zane Adams and Oliver Bond added to the squad. Adams is a Hawthorn Next Generation Academy talent.
Jett Flower, the grandson of Melbourne great Robbie Flower, who had been in some doubt for the match as he recovers from a syndesmosis injury, is expected to be fit for the clash.
