Untried Melbourne forward Luker Kentfield is giving himself an excellent platform for 2026.
The 194cm spearhead has led the Casey forward line in the second half of the season, kicking 21.9 across eight games since Round 14.
It helped Casey go on a five-match winning streak to finish the home and away season in fifth spot on the VFL table, before his two goals contributed to a big Casey elimination final win.
“He's taken off since we got him back forward,” Casey coach Taylor Whitford said.
“He's been super close to AFL selection, he's been in and around the squads for the last couple of weeks, so hopefully he gets through this year, has an awesome finals series and then for him it will be about launching in pre-season next year.”
After an excellent pre-season, Kentfield missed the first few weeks of the year with pneumonia.
When the Subiaco product returned to the field in Round 4 of the VFL season, the health of Melbourne's AFL-listed key forwards meant there was limited opportunity for him to play in attack at the state league.
The 2024 Mid-Season draftee was therefore given the task of playing in the backline to help round out his game, spending six games there before being swung back to his preferred position.
“It was a bit of an assignment about getting him to play on players and see what he could take from them and add to your own repertoire, and he showed enough behind the ball as well, it wasn't like he was a duck out of water,” Whitford said.
“It showed he could be a key defender, but it was more about him learning the craft and what it takes, how different forwards play.
“All of those things have helped him develop.”
His late season form earned the 20-year-old a contract for 2026 and got him on the cusp of a debut with caretaker coach Troy Chaplin saying he wasn't far away from selection in the last month of the season.
“We've been really pleased with his competitiveness, his marking, his finishing in front of goal,” Chaplin said in mid-August.
Jake Melksham has been used as a makeshift key forward for Melbourne throughout 2025, while hybrid Bayley Fritsch and dangerous small Kozzie Pickett were Melbourne's other major goal kickers this season.
Harrison Petty has been used as a tall target inside 50 and kicked 20 goals from 19 games in 2025 but the Dees would benefit from greater aerial potency in attack under a new coach in 2026.
Melbourne has confirmed that Casey will have access to the club's AFL-listed talent for the VFL finals series, with Kentfield set to be crucial to the Dees' VFL success.
Casey will face Frankston at Kinetic Stadium in a VFL semi final on Saturday.
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