THE BUSINESS end of the season has arrived.

The past month of the draft year has seen several prospects come out of the Marsh AFL National Under-18 Boys Championships to play at state league level, so how has that shaped the rankings?

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Find our August Phantom Form Guide – where we have ranked the top 25 draft prospects for this year.

This is the second edition for 2026, and comes as a number of players come to the end of their draft campaigns with finals not far away across competitions around the country. It will be updated every month ahead of November's Telstra AFL Draft. 

Remember, this is not a mock draft, it is a ranking of the best players and does not take into account where bids may come on father-son or Academy players. 

After a long wait and recovery from his patella surgery, Cochrane returned to play his first game of the season in late July. The first game was as a forward in Port Adelaide's struggling SANFL side, but he was shifted back for the next and had 30 disposals with 10 intercept possessions, six tackles and six marks, as well as taking kick outs and being Port's leading ball-winner in the back half. Cochrane is a special talent – he is 195cm but can play as a midfielder, tall forward or tall defender and his kicking is top notch for his size. The Port Adelaide Next Generation Academy prospect has still got plenty of upside as well and he is the favourite to be the No.1 pick. 

The Carlton father-son prospect has spent all year training at the Blues, learning their way and rubbing shoulders along their gun midfielders. That has worn off on his footy, too, with Walker being very comfortable at VFL level in his games this season. Two weeks ago against Footscray's VFL team he collected a team-high 29 disposals as well as five tackles and eight marks, and kicked a crafty snap goal after some clever work inside 50. Walker is a contested ball midfielder who finds plenty of it and has an explosive step. 

One of the most watchable players in this year's draft class. Butler is a small forward who can push up the ground and make things happen. Unfortunately, a broken collarbone cut short his championships with Vic Metro, but he was still named an All-Australian for his efforts before then. 'The Arkitect' can make a goal out of nothing and is hard to beat one-on-one, and he plays with an in-your-face style similar to Toby Greene. Butler returned from his injury to play in Brighton Grammar's Grand Final win over the weekend, kicking a match-sealing goal late in the game with a typically classy snap. 

Teixeira has played at school level with St Kevin's College since finishing his Vic Metro run of form. That included a seven-goal game when he was stationed deep in attack, as well as a starring role in their final game of the season when he broke out of the centre with a long goal. Teixeira is a fun player to watch in this year's crop with a point of difference – he's strong, powerful and can play as a half-forward as well as a midfield option. There's a touch of Sam Lalor there. The best games of his season were with Vic Metro at the championships, where he was named an All-Australian and a key part of their title win.  

The best ruckman in the draft showed those qualities in a recent game with the Northern Knights, where his marking and influence aerially stood out. He backed that up with 24 disposals and a goal over the weekend in a strong display against the Eastern Ranges. Van Hattum is an excellent kick of the ball and can move around the ground and make an impact and is clearly the leading ruck talent available. At his size – 205cm – he will be big enough to ruck at the next level and be a weapon for the club that picks him given his vertical jump and skills. 

Drever had a day out for the Greater Western Victoria Rebels two weeks ago with 39 disposals, nine tackles, seven clearances and six inside 50s. The inside-outside midfielder has had an excellent season that has just seen him run and gun throughout at whatever level he's played. At 188cm he uses his height to make an impact and he can extract the ball as well as carry it and deliver by foot. His long-range goals this season where he has gotten on the end of handball chains and executed the kick have been highlights. 

Mellody couldn't have done much more through Western Australia's carnival – the captain of his state was also named All-Australian captain and the Larke Medal winner as the best player of the under-18 championships. It was a deserved honour, with the classy and poised Mellody a standout across half-back and then the midfield following his move in there against Vic Country. Since the carnival Mellody had a little injury niggle that he managed before he won selection for his senior debut for Claremont last weekend, collecting 17 disposals. 

The Greater Western Sydney Academy prospect had a sharp rise earlier this season right into top-10 calculations. The left-footed midfielder had one of the best games of any player in the championships when he gathered 35 disposals, had 11 clearances, six tackles and almost 700 metres gained in the first round against Vic Country. His carnival was cut short by a stress reactions in his foot and he hasn't played since then. The Giants have first call on Matthews, who is the first top-end draftee to come through the western Sydney region. 

Snell made his debut at VFL level two weeks ago for Collingwood's VFL side, taking on the Bombers. It was a good experience for the tall defender, whose intercept marking put him on the map as a potential top-10 selection earlier in the Talent League season. Snell carries some similarities to Geelong's Connor O'Sullivan when he was at the same age and stage of his development. Snell is a cousin of the Duursma family. 

Malady has real jets – he might be the quickest player in the draft when he spots a moment to turn on the afterburners and get going. The second or third tall forward has a huge leap and he can produce some real highlights. He projects as a forward but some clubs see him playing in an Ollie Dempsey type of wing role down the track given his athleticism and movement. He kicked four goals in his school side Caulfield Grammar's Grand Final on the weekend and was electric in attack. 

After a consistent championships with Western Australia, Steed has returned to be a reliable member of the Swan Districts League team. He hasn't looked out of place all year among senior bodies and it will help Steed next year when he steps into an AFL side. The hard working, tough midfielder is a little like Gold Coast's Touk Miller – a smaller type but with a big work ethic and competitive edge. He was named in the under-18 All-Australian team.

A riser. Harris has recently made his SANFL league debut with Woodville-West Torrens and found the level. He emerged as a potential first-round pick earlier in the SANFL under-18 season due to his big marking games, where Harris was able to haul in intercept grabs and mark everything in the back half. He was named full-back of the All-Australian team and has plenty of clubs who rate him highly in this range. 

It's hard not to like how Gayfer goes about his footy, which is why he's pushed up the board. He competes and competes and competes as a key forward and throws himself into every contest. Gayfer will try for every mark, he tackles at ground level, he creates for others and he has been a regular goalkicker at all levels this season. Some recruiters also think he could be an excellent tall defender in the future too. The nephew of Collingwood's Mick Gayfer, the Northern Knight could jump up higher with a strong finish to the Talent League season. 

Murray certainly showed his potential through the carnival with the Allies, where he was their best player across the championships. He had 31 disposals and kicked two goals in their loss to South Australia and also finished with 26 disposals in an important display in their win over Western Australia. Murray is lightly framed but plays with composure and kicks the ball nicely as a midfielder or defender. 

Phillips got his first taste of VFL over the weekend playing for Casey Demons, kicking a goal from 11 disposals. The Dandenong Stingrays midfield prospect has plenty going for him – he's quick, mobile, athletic, can take a mark, he kicks well on both feet and can slide forward to hit the scoreboard as well. You could comfortably see him settling into a wing position at AFL level next year. 

A hard-working midfielder with a competitive streak that comes through. He's tough and throws his body into contests without too much worry about how he comes out the other side. He is the captain of the Geelong Falcons and was co-captain of Vic Country, with Williams' physicality a key component to his game as a smaller midfielder. 

Vic Metro's MVP at the carnival stamped his claims as one of the leading tall defenders in the group. He hasn't missed much of a beat all the way through this season and is a tall back clubs will think could play as soon as next year. He intercepts, he controls things from the back half, he crashes packs, hits bodies and shuts down dangerous opponents. 

The first thing you notice watching Burrows is he's tough. He's legitimately not afraid of putting his body on the line and opponents know it when he's there, too, as he bangs into those around him. For the best part of the year he has been as a strong-bodied, glint-in-the-eye contested midfielder. But he played as a half-back out of the blue for Vic Metro in a trial game and was best afield and he showed good promise there as well. There's a fair bit to like about his approach, and he can mark well above his head and tackle strongly as well (he laid 10 tackles against Gippsland a couple of weeks ago). 

Krasna has been sidelined with a hamstring injury in recent weeks but clubs have still viewed him as a big riser in the second half of the season after a promising carnival with Vic Metro. Krasna, who is Indigenous, has run and dash and uses the ball nicely, and will be the one who got away for Carlton, which didn't list him in its Next Generation Academy and thus won't have any priority access to him. 

The post-championships run of games for Edwards has seen the South Adelaide prospect graduate to the senior side in recent weeks. He has played as a half-forward with some midfield minutes, and had 16 disposals and three clearances on debut against Glenelg. Edwards is a footy-smart player who reads the game well and has excellent forward-half nous around goal. 

A small forward with genuine zip and clean ground level skills. Dimer is a goer – he hunts the ball, has class with his hands and kicking, can take on a tackle as well as lay one, and has genuine speed. He was excellent for Vic Metro at the carnival and has been in the Dragons' line-up as a bottom-ager and through this year in among school football commitments. 

Has been sidelined since he tore his ACL and MCL at training in March. He had played in Geelong's season-opener and kicked two goals and was seen as a potential first-round selection heading into the season. Harder to place given he has missed the rest of the year but showed last year he is a proven goalkicker, having kicked 31 as a bottom ager. A member of the Marsh AFL National Academy as well. 

The Western Bulldogs Next Generation Academy prospect made his VFL debut with Footscray two weeks ago and kicked three goals against North Melbourne's VFL side. It was another promising display in a year of kicking goals for El Souki, who has shown for the season he just knows where the goals are. The small forward can read the ball off a pack and crumbs well, but he also likes to tackle and add defensive pressure too. A natural forward who the Dogs have first rights to under the multicultural NGA rules. 

Eime made his debut for Adelaide's SANFL team a couple of weeks back, gathering 13 disposals in his first appearance at the level. The Crows have tried to get access to Eime, who is of Indigenous descent, under NGA rules but were blocked by the AFL. Eime was excellent for South Australia at the championships as a running half-back and he has some Max Michalanney traits at the same age and development. 

'The Nuke' battled with some injuries mid-year, including missing a game for Vic Country with back spasms, but returned to school level with Caulfield Grammar and performed well. Though he can play up the field in the middle at under-18 level, he projects as a small forward at the next level.