AFL: In this week's episode of 'Tackle the Headline' the team take a look at the biggest names about to enter free agency, and what it all means.
The two remaining undefeated teams in the AFL this season could also be the biggest draft winners in November. All the standout players from the AFL Academy’s first game, plus Collingwood’s conundrum gets trickier.
ahead of the 2025 AFL national draft, with the first round to be held on Wednesday November 19, followed by the remaining rounds on Thursday November 20. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play.should be massive draft winners later this year, with an array of academy-linked young stars looming as early picks. Many of those prospects were on display on Sunday during the AFL Academy’s first of two hit-outs against state league opposition, with the Australian Under 18s going down in a spirited 13-point loss to Richmond’s VFL side, 9.12 to 12.7 .not only captained the side, but was adjudged his side’s best player, booting two goals from 22 disposals, nine contested possessions, five marks, four clearances and four inside 50s.Annable matched up against the Tigers’ bigger bodies with aplomb and played with great presence around the ball. His long, penetrating kicking forward of centre was a feature, with his vision and ability to execute a class above. Just as importantly, he was clean below his knees and strong in the contest. It was just the latest eye-catching performance from Annable – a 183cm on-baller who’s quickly surging into top-five pick territory. The prospect of him joining the reigning premiers next year – and linking up with Will and Levi Ashcroft, as well as academy graduate Sam Marshall, in the midfield for years to come – would be tough for opposition scouts and fans to stomach.has also impressed AFL clubs across recent months. A 202cm left-footed ruck, Waller didn’t face Richmond’s VFL side but has caught the eye with his size and elite athletic ability. And then there’s the Suns academy prospects, who as a collective could be just as good as the club’s 2023 haul of Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Jake Rogers and Will Graham.was a standout performer for the AFL Academy against the Tigers, finishing with a team-high 28 disposals, nine contested possessions, five clearances and five inside 50s. He also had 12 handball receives, consistently positioning himself in the right spots at stoppages to get Australia moving forward. Scouts admire how reliable and consistent he is on the field., who dazzled playing as a high half-back and showed off a bag of tricks to finish with 15 disposals. While Patterson had a few clangers off the boot, he showed off his running capability, composure in congestion and jaw-dropping ability, often fooling his opponents with his nimble sidestep. Importantly, he had some strong defensive moments late in the game, working hard to spoil a ball away from a Tigers player then producing a strong run-down tackle that led to a Tigers turnover and a scoring opportunity for the AFL Academy. Patterson also had a late run on the ball, while he’s shown an ability to kick goals when thrown forward in past matches. With the combination of speed, agility and power, he’s going to be a lot of fun to watch — and looms as a possible top-10 pick. also played for the AFL Academy, playing deep forward for most of the game before being swung into defence for the final quarter. Not only is he tied to the Suns through their academy, he’s also father-son eligible to Melbourne as the son of All-Australian Demons ruck Jeff White, with a call on his future to be made later this year., who could be the best player in the entire 2025 draft class but didn’t play on Sunday as he continues to manage a back injury.A brilliant, left-footed winger with great game sense who’s been likened to dual All-Australian Errol Gulden, Uwland already has plenty of runs on the board, as he was the only bottom-age player selected in last year’s Under 18 All-Australian team. He’s the younger brother of emerging Gold Coast defender Bodhi Uwland.“They’ve almost done too good a job … and I don’t know how they can be stopped,” one recruiter said of the Queensland AFL clubs’ academies toThe Suns, as it stands, hold three first-rounders – their own , Port Adelaide’s and Collingwood’s – after 2024 trades helped them acquire John Noble from the Magpies and send Jack Lukosius and Rory Atkins to the Power.It’s left them in a strong starting position to help navigate bids on their academy stars in this year’s draft class, especially after the AFL’s Draft Value Index changes that reduced the points attached to later picks., the Suns’ on-field dominance and now-strong talent breeding ground is “what the AFL wanted to happen”.. “Get them going, get those players coming through the ranks and get the team successful. “There’s going to be a growing conspiracy of people going ‘oh the AFL are making the Suns be good, it’s forcing it to happen’ – yeah, they are! Because they want them to be a successful club after being a failure for 14 years, so they need to start playing finals and need to be good.” As for the Lions, they hold four third-round picks — via West Coast, Essendon, Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast — as well as their natural first-rounder, which could help them when it comes to bidding on Annable and other academy prospects like Waller.A week after booting 5.1 for the Dragons against Eastern Ranges, Ludowyke was the Aussies’ leading goalkicker against the Tigers VFL side, booting 3.1 from 12 disposals and four marks. Two of those marks were contested – one at either end of the field – as he showed off his strong hands.was one of the busiest players on the ground and could’ve had a massive day if he’d kicked straight in front of goal, booting 0.4 from 26 disposals, 16 contested possessions, five marks and three clearances. A 191cm midfielder from the Eastern Ranges, Greeves spent time across all three parts of the ground, including stints as both a high half-forward and half-back. When he was on the ball, Greeves was a standout at the coalface, showing off clean hands in congestion. shone as a winger — the position AFL clubs believe he’s best suited too — as he benefited from keeping his width. Murray Bushrangers’ all had some eye-catching moments during the game. Duursma played almost exclusively as a defender for the entire game after starting the year as a midfielder-forward for Gippsland Power. Cooper Duff-Tytler of the AFL National Academy is congratulated by teammates after kicking a goal. Picture: Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/via Getty Images– the younger brother of 2023 Crows top-10 draftee Daniel Curtin – started the game as a key defender, despite not spending much time in that role across recent months. He was swung forward for the second half of the game, but didn’t register a score.looks like it’s going to have to get busy and smart at the trade table in order to secure all of the prominently linked players to the club later this year – or face missing out on a few. The Magpies, as it stands, don’t have a first-round pick to go with their natural second and third-rounders after acquiring Dan Houston in the 2024 trade period.Tom McGuane– the son of Ryan Lonie, who played in both of Collingwood’s Grand Final losses to Brisbane in the early 2000s.McCarthy – a 199cm forward-ruck – is regarded as the best of the quartet, according to scouts spoken to for this column. After missing the Oakleigh Chargers’ Round 1 game due to injury, he’s kicked 2.2 and averaged 20 disposals and five marks from his first two Coates Talent League matches, with scouts bullish he has enormous potential to jump up draft boards this season.After booting 2.1 from 23 disposals and nine marks playing as an attacking wing against the Northern Knights, Saxena kicked 5.2 from 17 touches and six marks against Sandringham on the weekend. While he’s always been a natural forward with innate goal sense, Saxena’s ability to win more of the footy up the ground in recent matches has caught the eye of scouts., adding Saxena’s rapid rise had thrown “another spanner in the works” for Collingwood.There remains, of course, ample hype around McGuane – a 178cm prospect who’s renowned for his clean sidestep, decision-making capability and ability to find the ball. He’s had 28 and, most recently, 38 disposals and 10 clearances for the Western Jets in his first two Talent League games. Lonie, who’s grown in confidence in recent months, has averaged 14 disposals and three inside 50s from his first three games for the Dandenong Stingrays. Considering Collingwood’s slim draft hand for now, it could leave the club with some conundrums later in the year. And it adds to the intrigue around the future of free agent Brayden Maynard, who – if he left – could net the Magpies a decent competition selection considering the lucrative offers from rivals he’s receiving, most notably from North Melbourne.kicked another 3.5 from 17 touches against the Knights on the weekend to take his season tally to a competition-high 10.8, whilehad 30 disposals, nine tackles, seven marks and five inside 50s in a third straight strong game. Sweid’s ability to run through the midfield has him slightly ahead of El Achkar in the pecking order of most recruiters spoken to byMitchell Hansenhas now kicked one goal in each of his first three games. On the weekend against Oakleigh, he also had 24 disposals, nine marks and seven inside 50s. He has lots of fans among the AFL recruiting landscape — as does Chargers midfielderled his side to a 20-point win over Bendigo, booting a game-high 3.2 from 13 touches and six tackles. He’s now kicked 6.3 for the season. had a big game against Peel Thunder, booting 2.2 from 35 disposals and five tackles. Whan, who finished third in the Bulldogs’ colts best and fairest in 2024 as a bottom-ager, is tied to Fremantle via the club’s Next Generation Academy.had one of his most prolific games yet, racking up 36 disposals against Perth. He had a strong bottom-age campaign for the Falcons last season, averaging nearly 20 disposals and one goal per game.kicked 1.1 from 19 touches and nine marks against East Perth. One scout claimed Williams was the Eagles NGA prospect “going under the radar” at the moment.
West Perth Max Laughton Mitchell Hansen Sam Swadling Gippsland Power 183Cm Suns Academy Eye-Catching Performance Bottom-Age Player Ben Waterworth On-Field Dominance Goalkicking Ladder Defensive Moments North Melbourne Kangaroos Top Prospects Academy Member Trade Table Dragons On-Baller Tom Matthews Opposition Scouts Academy Defender Cooper Duff-Tytler Eastern Ranges Jai Saxena Collingwood Oakleigh Chargers Virginia Horse Unpacks Western Australia Peel Thunder Draft Winners Jeff White Port Adelaide Standout Performer South Australia Game Sense Massive Draft Winners Competition Selection Innate Goal Sense Geelong Falcons Australian Football League Academy Dylan Patterson Rapid Rise Brayden Maynard Isaac Waller Damien Hardwick Top-Five Pick Territory Josh Lindsay Ollie Greeves Oscar Lonie Standout Players Starting Position Recruiting Landscape Swans Academy Thomas Mcguane Western Bulldogs Draft Class Australia Queensland Clean Sidestep Talent League Talent News Daniel Annable Brisbane North America Lions Academy Draft Hand Adam Sweid Remaining Undefeated Teams Trade Period Zac Mccarthy National Academy Academy Loss Gold Coast Father-Son Eligible Academy Stars Daniel Pockett Toby Whan Kalani White Brisbane Academy Northern America Leading Goalkicker Daniel Curtin Richmond Scoring Opportunity Academy-Linked Young Stars United States Of America John Noble Oceania State League Opposition Matthew Leray Natural First-Rounder America Western Jets Brisbane Lions Decision-Making Capability Northern Knights Key Defender Next Generation Academy Getty Images Inc. Calder Cannons Australia And New Zealand Contested Possessions Jake Rogers John Longmire National Draft Father-Son Prospects Sam Marshall Rory Atkins South Fremantle Academy Prospects Club Recruiter Pecking Order
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