The younger brother of a Melbourne forward was the standout of an Under-18s state trial game last weekend.
Benji Van Rooyen, the brother of Demon Jacob, had 22 disposals, 21 hitouts and four clearances in the match.
“His general ruck work around the ground he's taken to another level. He's quite a leaping ruck so that suits him to run and jump at the contest which works really well,” Claremont Colts coach Mark Cossom told Zero Hanger.
The 203cm Benji has 10cm on Jacob, five years his senior, and is well regarded within the Western Australian ranks.
He carried the ruck load for the Black Swans as a bottom-ager last year, and is expected to do likewise this year.
He also featured in a pair of AFL Academy games in April.
“Benji's always been a mobile ruck around the ground but he's put a lot of work in pre-season on his forward craft particularly his leading and overhead ability which has really come on,” Cossom added.
A teammate of van Rooyen at Claremont is Harper Banfield, the younger brother of St Kilda's Charlie, who was on the verge of an early-season debut before an untimely shoulder injury.
Harper got stints in the midfield last year but has made the position his own and thrived with increased responsibility in 2026.
“Going into this year, he did a heap of work on his gut running. His repeat efforts are elite,” Cossom said.
“His two kilometre times and his ability to get up and down the ground as a midfielder has been impressive.
“The midfield is his natural game – he loves the contest, he's competitive and his vision to see the advantageous option is amazing.”
That pair are among nine Claremont players in Western Australia's squad for the Under-18s National Championships including AFL Academy member Heath Mellody, West Coast-tied Robby Farmer and in-form pair George Gale and Elijah Dennis.
Mellody missed the first AFL Academy game with injury but did not miss a beat in the second outing, with his trademark kicking coming to the fore and is viewed as a prototype half-back at the next level.
“He's continued to work on that explosive pace to break through congestion and be able to use his weapons,” Cossom said.
“His ability on both sides of his body to hit targets to advantage is really impressive and he's doing work on his contested ball as well.
“We're trying to build out his game that way which has been great.
“He's one of those players who has the ability to run and carry the ball and deliver it. He has that in spades.”
Gale is attracting some draft interest after a standout start to 2026 with his running power a clear strength, becoming a reliable winger for his side.
“He's always had a great tank and been able to really run hard but he's put a lot of work over summer into his explosiveness and ability to get metres on his opponent early…his running patterns have been really good and he can get up and back all game long,” Cossom said.
“He's been one of our standouts. He can find his own ball when he needs to but can also deliver it really well. He can open the ground up and get us going forward.”
The 179cm Farmer has become more of a presence up the field having always possessed forward flair.
“He's improved his running capacity and tank. He's dangerous inside 50 – when the ball hits the ground close to goal, he gets to work because he has the ability to lose his opponent - but that's been a big improvement for him and it's shone out when he's played for us,” Cossom said.
The 193cm Dennis has contributed significantly to Claremont's undefeated start to the season through four games, proving difficult to get past as a shrewd aerialist.
“He's the one I've seen the biggest improvement in over pre-season,” Cossom said.
“He' always been a good reader of the ball and marker but over pre-season, he's worked on his one-on-one defensive acts and now he can beat a forward one-on-one as well as knowing when to come off his man and intercept mark.
“He's probably been our most consistent player: ultra reliable and strong overhead, especially when he gets that separation and he takes the right option on turnover.”
Claremont also has competitive defender Tom Brown in the WA squad, who played an effective shutdown role on first round prospect Koby Lecras earlier in the season.
Star bottom-aged defender Jacob Kee and agile half-back Elijah Williams round out the players in the squad.
