Richmond father-son prospect Jack Leys has put himself on the AFL Draft radar with a strong start to 2026 for Woodville-West Torrens in the AAMI Talent League.
A 182cm winger, Leys has averaged 24 disposals through six games in 2026, with his form propelling him into South Australia's squad for the Under-18s National Championships, which kick off on June 13.
"He's good one-on-one and is strong on the contest and one of the reasons for that is he drives his legs. He's clean with his ball handling," coach Shane Reardon told Zero Hanger.
His form spike follows time at Richmond in pre-season. The son of Brian Leys, who played 110 games in the yellow and black between 1988 and 1994, Leys has grown up as a midfielder but has been played on a wing this year to showcase his running power and athletic base.
While he has captured the attention of some AFL recruiters with a standout start to the season, there is always a caution about over-indexing the form of South Australians before the Under-18s National Championships given the state's talent pathways competition is viewed as a lower standard than Victoria's.
A 24-disposal, two-goal game last weekend against Glenelg was Leys' strongest performance of the season, proving his ability to be a dangerous forward half threat while his endeavour to get back and assist defensively also caught the eye.
"The wing allows him to use his speed. He's been challenging himself to get more offensive," Reardon added.
"His game is still evolving but I think the wing is his spot because he can cover the ground and get back into the defensive 50.
"The point post to point post running is something he's prepared to do. He holds his width well which was a challenge early because he is used to playing midfield but he has adjusted well and quickly.
"He has found a lot of the footy too, when the wing can be a bit barren."
The Eagles have a further two players in the South Australian squad: Mitch Harris and Blake Karpany.
Harris has quietly started generating AFL Draft interest in recent weeks.
After suffering a concussion in Round 1, he took a staggering 12 intercept marks in his return outing in Round 4, and has been a reliable defender at both AAMI Talent League and school level since.
"He makes good decisions on when to go for his marks and when to spoil," Reardon said.
"Often young defenders just want to mark but he works out when to mark and spoil and he doesn't get outmarked very often.
"His decision-making is strong and he's worked really hard through the (state) academy and with us to be more damaging on his ball use."
Karpany, meanwhile, is from the Yorke Peninsula, commuting more than two hours each way to attend training.
Added to the Eagles' list midway through last year following scintillating form at association level, his potency in five games under Reardon last year was enough to convince South Australian selectors to add him to the State Academy in summer.
Training at that level has expedited the development of the 174cm small forward.
"He's an attacking small forward who knows where the goals are and has worked hard on chasing and pressuring and done a good job," Reardon said.
"He's improving his footy every week."
