Woodville-West Torrens' Mitch Harris looks set to become the first player drafted from the Yorke Peninsula since Port Adelaide selected Lachie Jones six years ago.
Raised on a 1900-acre wheat and lentil farm 10 minutes outside Kadina, the vibrant hub of the region, Harris has boarded at the prestigious Prince Alfred College since Year 10 as he has sought to advance his sporting endeavours.
For context, 190 MCGs would fit inside the Harris family farm.
Mitch's Dad has run the farm for quid all his life, with Mitch doing odd jobs around the property virtually since he can remember and contributing meaningfully since Year 7.
“The freedom that comes with it is so good,” Harris told Zero Hanger.
“Dad's his own boss. You're outdoors doing stuff which is really fun, and I love it.
“I took five weeks off of term four in Year 9 to help with harvest, did seeding as well and helping out with other jobs.”
After a few dry years, Harris' voice inflects as he speaks with optimism about the upcoming forecast as he hopes to return home for some quality time away from the noise of footy and pressures of Year 12 after exams.
“Farming is one of the biggest gambles,” Harris said.
“Dad puts so much money into a crop and for it to be reliant on rain is scary in those dry months, but it's been positive more recently.
“I remember me and (my brother Brodie) going out in the Ute and spending hours filling up the Ute tray with rocks - that was my least favourite job!
“Then there was shearing our 60 sheep, and my Uncle used to have a couple of thousand sheep so I'd help out. During those times, every day you're up when the moisture is right and go late into the night.”
Mitch followed his older brother's footsteps, moving to boarding school in Year 10, balancing football and basketball before choosing to see how far he could take a career with the Sherrin.
Moving to a school two hours from home has empowered him to take care of himself and thrust independence on him, which has made him confident he could embrace an opportunity from an AFL club anywhere in the country.
“Ever since I was a kid, it was my dream to play in the AFL, but it wasn't until last year where I realised that if I knuckled down it was a genuine possibility,” Harris said.
“I have athleticism aerially which I wanted to carry through, so I worked on my footwork and craft in pre-season with the Academy. I love running and jumping for the footy; if I can leave my opponent, I know I can impact in the air.
“I worked on my ball use as well. Last year, I took the easy, safe option down the line last year and this year I wanted to take the corridor kick and open up the rest of the ground, so I have tried to carry the mindset of ‘if I see it, hit it' and if you make a mistake, it doesn't matter.
“It's still something I want to work on going forward, but I feel like in the last couple of weeks I'm finding momentum with it.”
After a concussion grounded Harris in the first game of 2026, he virtually has not put a foot wrong. The athletic defender took 12 intercept marks in his return game, which put him on the map, before a best afield performance in a trial match for South Australia against South Australia's Under-20s reinforced his first-round credentials.
A National Championships which earned him All Australian honours as he proved a brick wall on the last line of defence has further heightened the hype.
Some now view him as the best key defender in a crop which also contains Vic Country key back and top 10 prospect Clancy Snell and Vic Metro MVP Tyson Bradley.
“I try not to read too much into it. On draft night it can go either way. It's cool to see your name there, but I try not to go into it too much,” Harris said.
A key reason for the excitement around Harris is his upside. His excellent athletic profile and toughness give great confidence that he can become a defender an AFL club can build around.
Harris has the proverbial basketball background and believes he was a better basketballer than footballer before moving to Prince Alfred College, after which he prioritised footy, surrendering representative basketball opportunities in 2024 to allow his footy to thrive.
The South Australian models his game on emerging Geelong backman Connor O'Sullivan and there are some similarities with how they play.
So what sort of player does Harris see himself becoming in five years' time?
“I want to be an intercept defender who is super competitive, hard to play on and has an impact aerially,” Harris said.
An opportunity for the Eagles' league-side, where he has been training for several weeks, is the last thing to achieve this year to provide further evidence of what he can do against senior bodies - and is coming this weekend.
However he performs, he is the highest touted open pool key defender drafted since his idol O'Sullivan three years ago.
Right now, he is every chance to go higher than the Pick 11 the Cats used on the 198cm player.
