A pair of club-tied prospects put in starring performances to headline this week's AFL Draft watch, while an AFL Academy member is close to a return to the field.
Plus, some Mid-Season Draft news ahead of the intake later this month.
Western Bulldogs NGA turns it on
If you've seen a better individual performance in the Talent League, I'd love to hear about it.
Western Jets small forward Khaled El Souki kicked 6.1 and had four direct goal assists in a 28-possesison game against Calder Cannons at a windswept DSV Stadium, Williamstown, on Sunday.
Three of those goals came from outside 50 and one after he fell over in a contest, but still had the space and toe to find his feet to bang it through – each of those four could have passed as his goal of the season and will likely feature on his AFL Draft night reel.
Add on top some poise and vision to hit up targets when he was running inside 50, manic pressure when he didn't have the footy and contest work in the midfield – it was a jaw-dropping performance.
Put simply, he was playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers.
It comes a week after captaining the Bachar Houli Academy in its inaugural Talent League game.
El Souki, who has drawn comparisons to Melbourne star Kysaiah Pickett, has spent time at Whitten Oval training with the Dogs, but his compelling form and attributes are solidifying his status as a top-20 prospect.
Given the new draft rules, and the Dogs pursuit of Zak Butters it would take significant work in the trade period for the club to ensure it has the points to match an El Souki bid.
Regardless where he ends up – he is set to be an entertainer for a long time to come.
Carlton father-son prospect shines on debut
Carlton-tied prospect Cody Walker had 24 disposals splitting his time between the midfield and forward line on VFL debut.
He looked clean, classy and polished and didn't take a backwards step against the bigger bodies, having looked confident in the AFL Academy series against VFL sides last month and with senior local footy experience for Echuca.
Walker has spent significant time training with the Blues this year and is expected to play several more VFL games in between the Under-18s National Championships.
AFL Academy member targets return
AFL Academy defender Darcy Szerszyn is targeting a late May return from his shoulder injury.
The Dandenong Stingrays talent had pre-season shoulder surgery after a bottom-aged campaign where his form for the Stingrays and Vic Country put him in first round contention.
If his timeline holds, the athletic interceptor would get one or two Talent League games before the start of the Under-18s National Championships.
Szerszyn spent a week in January training with Melbourne.
Mid-Season prospect grounded
North Melbourne VFL's Xavier Bamert missed the Kangaroos' match on the weekend with a finger injury.
It's understood the setback is on the minor end and he is a chance to feature this week, which would give him three further matches to push his case before the Mid-Season Draft.
He has courted interest after showing his strength and power for the Roos in the early part of the season, after training with the AFL squad over summer.
Bamert captained Sandringham Dragons last year and was narrowly overlooked in the November intake.
Mature-ager back on the radar
Frankston defender Jackson Voss is again in the mix to land an AFL berth at the Mid-Season Draft.
The nephew of Carlton coach Michael, Voss has been in draft discussions for the past 12 months, with West Coast understood to have shown strong interest last season before ultimately looking elsewhere.
Melbourne is believed to be the club which has shown the strongest interest in Voss, who had 27 disposals in a strong showing for Frankston on Friday night.
A medium defender, Voss is known for his competitiveness and penetrating left-footed kicking.
His teammate Harrison Coe, a ruck, is another Dolphin with interest from Melbourne after showing his strong contested marking to start the season.
Meanwhile, St Kilda VFL's Oskar Ainsworth, expected to attract interest, made his VFL debut and showed good intent despite a modest stats-line having been sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Jaxon Artemis, Nick Starapoli, Noah McMenamin, Ned Renfree, Sam Toner, Ollie Griffin, Max Mapley, Jed Hagan, Tom Barnett, Josh Tovey and Marcus Herbert are among others in the mid.
This year's Mid-Season Draft, to be held on 26 May, is expected to lean significantly towards mature agers rather than over-aged Talent League prospects.
South Australian continues strong form
South Adelaide midfielder-forward Kodah Edwards had 25 disposals, five clearances and a goal on the weekend to reinforce his top 10 credentials.
Edwards has emerged as a top-10 prospect in the early part of the season, impressing with his energy and liveliness as a hybrid forward who can add burst at stoppage, and he played with his trademark traits on Saturday.
His ability to get on the move at stoppage and clean hands made him a dynamic presence for the Panthers in their big win.
