The composition of the 2026 AFL National Draft is starting to take shape following the conclusion of the Under-18s National Championships.
Alongside known commodities such as Cody Walker and Arki Butler, a host of other players have put their hands up as genuine top 30 prospects with strong performances at the carnival.
After each round of the carnival, Zero Hanger's Craft of the Draft has ranked the top 10 players who have most enhanced their stocks, with this editorial representing the final edition of the list.
Each of these players started the carnival needing to prove their credentials, and has ended it with a strong body of work playing the highest standard of junior footy on offer.
For clarity: this is a list of the players whose stocks increased most at the championships, not the best performing players. As such, strong contributors such as Gus Teixeira and Ethan Drever, who entered the carnival already in top 10 contention, were overlooked in favour of players who have established themselves as bona fide prospects from further back in the pecking order.
North Adelaide pair Memphis Webb and Sam Tassone are on the edge of the list, as is Western Jets defender Billy Wigmore and Northern Knights winger Toby Krasna and Western Australia's Tom Brown.
Krasna, in particular, has jumped significantly as a hard-running, skilful player.
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9 - Sam Gayfer (Vic Metro/Northern Knights)
Had two quarters across the carnival where he scored three goals and owned the game. Can puff his chest out, crash packs and command the footy with his imposing presence. Only star 2027 prospect Jake Miller took more contested marks in the carnival than Gayfer's seven. He's competitive, kicks through the footy and projects as a player who can be the focal point of a team's attack. Slightly undersized but plays above his listed height.
