Close to 170 AFL players will enter the 2026 season eligible for the Rising Star Award, with a mix of recent draftees and young guns entering another campaign viewed as the top contenders for the title.
Headlined by No.1 pick Willem Duursma, West Coast has the most players eligible for the award with 14, with Collingwood, Essendon, Sydney and GWS the next best at 11 each.
Duursma will be one of the favoured contenders for the award from the 2025 draft class, with ready-made Essendon midfielder Dyson Sharp, Gold Coast pair Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson, and top Richmond draftees Sam Cumming and Sam Grlj also among the best-placed rookies.
That contingent will have heavy competition from players who have already been in the system, with a number of young guns from the 2024 AFL Draft still eligible.
Sidelined Carlton midfielder Jagga Smith might be the favourite for the award come the start of the season should he get through the pre-season unscathed, while St Kilda defender Alix Tauru is another to watch following an impressive 10 games last year - with the athletic backman just making the eligibility cut-off.
Richmond duo Taj Hotton and Josh Smillie could also be in the mix after injury-hit debut seasons, with West Coast's Jobe Shanahan and Adelaide's Sid Draper others worth keeping in mind.
Geelong's George Stevens, uncapped Collingwood defender-midfielder Harry DeMattia and North Melbourne's Wil Dawson are third-year players still eligible who could have an impact in 2026.
Eligibility: Players are required to be under 21 years of age as of January 1, 2026 and must have played no more than 10 career games already to be eligible for the Rising Star Award.
Players eligible for the 2026 Rising Star Award
Adelaide (6)
Archie Ludowyke
Mitch Marsh
Tyler Welsh
Charlie Edwards
Oscar Ryan
Sid Draper
Brisbane (8)
Koby Evans
Cody Curtin
Dan Annable
Ty Gallop
Zane Zakostelsky
Luke Lloyd
Reece Torrent
Will McLachlan
Carlton (9)
Talor Byrne
Harry Dean
Jack Ison
Lucas Camporeale
Ben Camporeale
Harry Charleson
Harry O'Farrell
Jagga Smith
Billy Wilson
Collingwood (11)
Zac McCarthy
Jai Saxena
Tyan Prindable
Sam Swadling
Will Hayes
Joel Cochran
Charlie West
Noah Howes
Harry DeMattia
Iliro Smit
Tew Jiath
Essendon (11)
Max Kondogiannis
Sullivan Robey
Jacob Farrow
Dyson Sharp
Hussien El Achkar
Zak Johnson
Rhys Unwin
Jayden Nguyen
Archer Day-Wicks
Kayle Gerreyn
Vigo Visentini
Fremantle (9)
Ryda Luke
Adam Sweid
Toby Whan
Leon Kickett
Charlie Nicholls
Aiden Riddle
Ollie Murphy
Tobyn Murray
Cooper Simpson
Geelong (10)
Harley Barker
Nick Driscoll
Hunter Holmes
Jesse Mellor
Lennox Hofmann
Jay Polkinghorne
Keighton Matofai-Forbes
Mitchell Edwards
Joe Pike
George Stevens
Gold Coast (10)
Avery Thomas
Dylan Patterson
Koby Coulson
Zeke Uwland
Jai Murray
Beau Addinsall
Cooper Bell
Lachlan Gulbin
Leo Lombard
Asher Eastham
GWS (11)
Oskar Taylor
Finn Davis
Jack Ough
Logan Smith
Oliver Hannaford
Riley Hamilton
Josaia Delana
Harrison Oliver
Cody Angove
James Leake
Phoenix Gothard
Hawthorn (9)
Aidan Schubert
Cam Nairn
Jack Dalton
Matt LeRay
Ollie Greeves
Noah Mraz
Cody Anderson
Will McCabe
Bodie Ryan
Melbourne (7)
Kalani White
Riley Onley
Thomas Matthews
Xavier Taylor
Ricky Mentha
Latrelle Pickett
Luker Kentfield
North Melbourne (9)
Blake Thredgold
Lachy Dovaston
Hugo Mikunda
Luke Urquhart
River Stevens
Matt Whitlock
Wil Dawson
Cooper Trembath
Taylor Goad
Port Adelaide (8)
Harrison Ramm
Jack Whitlock
Benny Barrett
Tom Cochrane
Josh Lai
Xavier Walsh
Tom Anastasopoulos
Will Lorenz
Richmond (10)
Zane Peucker
Sam Cumming
Sam Grlj
Noah Roberts-Thomson
Jasper Alger
Taj Hotton
Harry Armstrong
Josh Smillie
Patrick Retschko
Liam Fawcett
St Kilda (7)
Kye Fincher
Charlie Banfield
James Barrat
Alix Tauru
Eamonn Armstrong
Alex Dodson
Patrick Said
Sydney (11)
Harry Kyle
Liam Hetherton
Jevan Phillipou
Noah Chamberlain
Max King
Ned Bowman
Jesse Dattoli
Riak Andrew
Will Green
Patrick Snell
Tom Hanily
West Coast (14)
Cooper Duff-Tytler
Fred Rodriguez
Willem Duursma
Josh Lindsay
Tylah Williams
Sam Allen
Lucca Grego
Tom Gross
Jobe Shanahan
Malakai Champion
Hamish Davis
Jacob Newton
Bo Allan
Harvey Johnston
Western Bulldogs (9)
Lachy Carmichael
Louis Emmett
Will Darcy
Luke Kennedy
Lachie Jaques
Zac Walker
Cooper Hynes
Lachlan Smith
Jordan Croft
