Eastern Ranges forward Zac Antonellos has emerged as a player clubs are considering as a high-upside selection later in the 2026 AFL National Draft.
Antonellos, who battled repeat hamstring injuries this year after a syndesmosis injury punctuated his bottom-aged campaign, has spoken to 11 clubs and projects as a creative half-forward capable of launching scoring chains.
A member of the Vic Metro train-on squad, Antonellos played his team's last game of the Under-18s National Championships and showed promise in a high-impact 14-disposal game as a potent forward half threat. He also averaged 16 disposals and four tackles through 10 games for Eastern Ranges in the Talent League this year.
"It was disappointing at the start of the year to go down with injury but last year's injury held me in good stead to approach this year's injury in the right way and at the end of the year I was enjoying the continuity and being back out on the field," Antonellos told Zero Hanger.
"A high half forward role best suits my game but I've played everywhere so I think one of my best traits is my versatility and being able to fill multiple positions on the ground.
"I'm a very driven and hard working person and I've built resilience from my injuries so any challenge which is thrown my way, I feel like I would be able to handle it
His promising 2026 followed a 2025 season where he made his debut in the last round of the home and away season and immediately played with spark, maintaining his place in Eastern Ranges' premiership side and establishing himself as a prospect worth tracking - having represented Vic Metro at Under-16s level.
Antonellos conceded the secondary hamstring injury, which prevented him from achieving his goals in 2026 and finding continuity with his footy was difficult to grapple with but believes it has mentally armed him for the challenges which lay ahead if he is given a chance on an AFL list.
"It was pretty tough. That injury was one of my darker times," Antonellos admitted.
"My physio built me from ground zero all the way back up to make sure there were no other issues and that held me in good stead for when I returned.
"Out of the three injuries I had, the last one was hardest to accept because I had so many goals for my top-aged year so for them to be stripped away for a period was tough.
"Switching my mindset to realising it was out of my control and attacking my rehabilitation meticulously was really important.
"It taught me not to take footy for granted - having it taken away from you, it makes you realise you need to cherish every moment and have fun.
"It can get serious at the top level but going out there with your mates is something you need to cherish.
"Footy has been my passion my whole life and being able to go out there and all my worries going away and being able to do something I love is the biggest thing I missed."
Antonellos has met with 11 clubs, with Geelong closely linked with the Ranges forward who models his game on Brisbane's Zac Bailey and Fremantle's Murphy Reid.
Having previously played as a winger and defender, time on the sidelines this year has allowed him to enrich his understanding of the high half forward connector role which he acknowledges is his most likely starting point if he gets an opportunity at the next level.
"Being able to see the forward role from a different perspective was really important throughout 2026," Antonellos said.
"My positioning and knowing when to go and where to go has been a big learning because as a high half forward you need to know how to impact and not get caught in between."
