Taking a glance into the 2026 AFL season, we try to predict who will take their game to new levels.
Will it be a rising star of the competition? Or a forgotten face? How about a player who was traded?
In no particular order, here are seven players who have the opportunity to take the next big step over the coming 12 months.
1Harvey Langford
The Mount Martha native produced an outstanding debut season for the struggling Melbourne Demons, ultimately finishing fourth in a stacked Rising Star race. His considerable size meant the prolific ball-winning that characterised his draft year transferred to the top level almost instantly, and his penchant for hitting the scoreboard was evident, too. A 26-disposal, three-goal outing against eventual preliminary finalists Hawthorn provided Dees faithful with a promising glimpse of just how much of a jet the 19-year-old can be.
With mass changes afoot at the Dees, underlined by a change of head coach and a player exodus that saw premiership and best and fairest winning stars Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca find new homes, more genuine midfield minutes will be up for grabs. Langford is poised to be a beneficiary of this upheaval, and everything put on tape by the precocious Dandenong Stingrays product suggests he is ready to capitalise on this increased responsibility.
