Up to a dozen West Australian prospects could earn AFL list spots in 2026, according to WA Football talent manager Adam Jones, as clubs assess players ahead of the national and rookie drafts on November 19 and 20.
The State has supplied 10 players to AFL lists in each of the past two years, and Jones believes this year’s group could match or exceed that figure. Prospects from across Western Australia have attracted interest, with seven players attending the national draft combine in Melbourne and a further nine taking part in Sunday’s State combine in Perth.
Claremont pair Heath Mellody and Benji van Rooyen, Swan Districts’ Leo Steed, and fellow national combine attendees George Gale, Koby LeCras, Harvey Spawton-Guy and Cameron Maynard are among those under consideration.
Mellody and Steed are regarded as virtual first-round selections. Gale, LeCras and van Rooyen could also be chosen late on the opening night of the draft or early in the second round.
WA talent pool offers depth beyond leading prospects
Jones is also optimistic about players viewed as being on the fringes of selection, with three to five prospects from the State combine group considered capable of earning an AFL list place.
“Hopefully, the depth might squeeze out to 10-12 kids drafted from WA,” Jones said. “There’s a number of guys that I think are a really good chance to end up on an AFL list.”
He added: “Obviously, we can’t predict what’s going to happen, but we certainly feel three, four or five (players) should end up on a list from this (State combine) group.”
Among the strongest performers in Perth were Fremantle Next Generation Academy graduate Fin Yeo, who recorded a 7.533-second agility test, and West Coast-linked prospect Garrison Kenh, who ran 2.931 seconds in the 20-metre sprint.
Other players at the State combine included East Perth’s Lachlan McGlade and Jake Soutar, Claremont’s Tom Brown and Harper Banfield, South Fremantle’s Hudson Graham and Lucas Robinson, and Perth’s Kane Johnston.
Western Australia produced only one player among the first 36 selections last year, with West Perth’s Jacob Farrow taken by Essendon at pick 10. However, five more Sandgropers were selected across the next seven choices, including Sam Swadling, Koby Evans, Tylah Williams, Charlie Banfield and Cody Curtin.
Jones said the combine results would help the prospects, but warned that athletic testing was only one part of clubs’ assessment process.
“This is only a small part. I feel like the athletic testing on combine days is almost becoming less and less important, with the GPS data clubs get now,” he said. “But certainly, the guys have done some great time which will hold them in good stead.”
