A club's best recruit doesn't always come from the draft or the trade table. More often than not, the best recruits come from the rehab group - a player returning to the main group after a long injury layoff.
We analyse some of the competition's best players set to return from injury in 2026.
7Logan McDonald
It was a frustrating 2025 for McDonald, who failed to feature at AFL level due to an ankle injury. After being taken at Pick 4 in the 2020 AFL Draft, he has played 70 games and kicked 93 goals.
Across 2023 and 2024, the young key forward began to show Sydney fans why the club selected him with their first pick. With strong hands and good forward craft, McDonald became an important part of Sydney's front half, kicking 69 goals from 46 games in those two years. And it looked like he was ready to explode, as we've since seen from fellow 2020 draftee Riley Thilthorpe.
But it hasn't gone to plan for McDonald, who will be eager to put a frustrating injury run behind him with a big pre-season moving into 2026.
It will be an interesting watch as to how Charlie Curnow's arrival impacts McDonald. Curnow will no doubt attract plenty of attention from opposition defences, and this may be exactly what McDonald needs to spark his career.
