THE END of the road has come for draftees.
At the close of a long and demanding draft campaign for prospects around the country, this is our September Phantom Form Guide.
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There is still time to sway recruiters at next month's Telstra AFL Draft Combine and with interviews ahead of the November draft, but the work on the field is now complete.
For that reason we have extended out our rankings to include the top 30 prospects in the pool. Remember this doesn't take into account where bids on father-son or Academy prospects will come – this is our take on the best players.
It will be updated twice more in the next two months before names are called late in November.
Cochrane's injury-enforced absence this year hasn't dimmed the view of his talent. The exciting utility only played four games this season after returning to the field following his patella knee surgery, but in those appearances for Port Adelaide's SANFL team he showed good temperament in defence. In one game he had 30 disposals and another he collected 23, with his excellent ball use out of the back half impressing. Cochrane, the son of former Power and North player Stuart, can play just about anywhere and is tied to Port Adelaide as a Next Generation Academy prospect with his Indigenous background.
The Carlton father-son prospect finished his stint with the Blues' VFL side when it was knocked out of the finals in the wildcard round, with Walker gathering 24 disposals, seven score involvements and five clearances in that game. Walker is a competitive, contested midfielder able to always get his hands on the ball as well as capitalise with a powerful step and explosive move. His season spent training at the Blues and being in their system has seen him add size to his frame and he's up to 187cm now, which gives him another advantage. He was selected to play in Echuca's senior Grand Final on Sunday.
Butler had six weeks off after breaking his collarbone while playing for Vic Metro, then returned to captain his school team Brighton Grammar in its Grand Final win. He then had another month out before coming back for the Sandringham Dragons' preliminary final last Sunday, where Butler had 14 disposals playing largely in attack. The half-forward is as exciting as any prospect in the draft pool and, as a regular goalkicker, Butler makes things happen and is capable of the miraculous.
Leave it to Drever. It's been the motto for most of the season with the Rebels and he has made it work, with the inside-outside midfielder able to perform consistently across his draft campaign. Drever has most bases covered: he wins his own ball, he has a turn of speed, he shifts forward to kick goals, he's a leader, he has lifted to the different levels this season and he will step into an AFL program comfortably. A contender for the first live choice.
Mellody's end to the season playing at senior level with Claremont has seen his stocks rocket. After finishing Western Australia's carnival in the midfield, he has carried on in the same fashion, including a brilliant 34-disposal and one-goal effort against West Coast's WAFL side in his second game at the level. He backed it up with more excellent games and will play in Claremont's Grand Final this weekend. The Larke Medallist is a midfielder with class who could also start his career off half-back.
He hasn't been a high possession player this season but Teixeira is all impact. After being managed for several weeks following the end of his school season, the forward/midfielder came back for the Dragons on Sunday and had some exciting moments, kicking two goals, including one that came after taking a left-handed bounce and bursting into the forward 50. Teixeira's best games this year were at the highest levels he played and he has shown he takes the game on and is a dangerous burst player in the Sam Lalor model.
The leading ruckman in the pool by some way, Van Hattum's size and leap suits the modern game. So to do his foot skills for a player his size and his capacity to find the ball around the ground – in the Knights' two finals he collected 18 disposals and a goal against the Eastern Ranges and 21 disposals the next week against Sandringham. Some injury interruptions in the first half of the season disrupted Van Hattum's flow but he is a quality ruck prospect.
Matthews was put in cotton wool midway through the under-18 carnival when he had a stress reaction in his foot. He missed the rest of the Allies' championships and hasn't played since, but the left-footed midfielder had already done enough to cement his place in the early parts of the draft. That included his standout game for the Allies, when he picked up 35 disposals, 11 clearances, six tackles and almost 700 metres gained against Vic Country. GWS has first call on Matthews as a member of its Academy.
Harris has risen to be perhaps the best key defender in the draft crop, and his form in the back stages of this year playing at League level with Woodville-West Torrens solidified that. Harris can stop opponents as well as intercept and he defends hard and with aggression. Some clubs have him right around the top 10 mark of the draft class and he was named the All-Australian full-back after a strong under-18 carnival with South Australia.
A quiet climber of the draft crop this year. He had an excellent carnival with the Allies as their best player across the four games, having 31 disposals and two goals in their loss to South Australia. Murray is a skilful player who scouts view as a half-back at the next level in starting his career and some recruiters have him around the top-10 and maybe even inside it. A member of Brisbane's Academy and the Lions have first call on him.
A good judge described Malady's talents as a mix between Ollie Dempsey, Will Hayward and Will Hoskin-Elliott and it's a clever call. Malady is one of the eyecatchers in the draft class – he can fly for big marks and take them, he has genuine jets and gets away from opponents and he's a regular goalkicker when stationed in attack. Some scouts see him playing his career further up the ground, where his rangey-ness could be on show more. He starred for Gippsland in its Grand Final win on Saturday, booting five goals and turning the game with a brilliant third quarter where he showed his full bag of tricks.
Plenty of clubs will have the need for Steed. He is just on the move all the time and not afraid to put his head over the ball in a contest. The smaller midfielder has won comparisons to a Touk Miller type of player with a big work ethic. Steed's form at WAFL senior level with Swan Districts was consistent and he finished his season with a 21-disposal performance that included seven tackles.
Snell played an important role in Gippsland's run to the Talent League Grand Final, holding down a key post in defence and proving an excellent intercept backline prospect. Snell, a cousin of the Duursma family, made his debut for Collingwood's VFL side in August, and impressed recruiters in the game. He will take some time to put some size on his frame but reads the ball well in the air and is calm under pressure.
Gayfer is a competitor – he flies for marks, he can get the ball at ground level and he's a tough, physical player in the Patrick Voss mould. He had some big games this year for the Northern Knights as their forward line spearhead, and had a good battle with key defender Tyson Bradley in a Talent League final against the Dragons. Gayfer can do the unpredictable but he's a good watch as he is fearless and always has a dip. Some clubs think long-term he could be a key back as well.
Bradley's stocks have continued to rise throughout the season. He was Vic Metro's MVP in its carnival win, so that was a big tick, and he topped off his year by being named captain of the Talent League team of the year. With every game he plays he looks more and more like a prospect who could step in and play immediately in an AFL backline next year. He had a great battle with Northern Knights prospect Sam Gayfer in the Dragons' recent finals win and also kept Wil Malady quiet in last week's preliminary final as well, so he has shown he can shut out a different range of tall forwards. He values defence.
The versatility Burrows has in his game is what sets him up as a prospect. He returned to half back in the finals with Sandringham but whenever he is around the ball he can make things happen. Burrows has power and burst and is absolutely tough – he never shirks a contest and is strongly built to take the bumps when they come. He played through the midfield at school level and is a possible top-15 contender for the draft in the eyes of clubs given his scope but also growing production.
Krasna finished his season in good form despite the Knights' fall out of the Talent League finals – he had 27 disposals, six inside-50s and six clearances in their first final against the Eastern Ranges and then in the next final he had 21 disposals and seven clearances against Sandringham. A hamstring issue saw him miss some footy after the Vic Metro championships, but plenty of clubs have him in the secondary tier of midfielders available. Krasna, who is of Indigenous descent, is not eligible to Join Carlton's Next Generation Academy as he wasn't registered for their program despite being in the Blues' zone.
An inaccurate afternoon in Dandenong's preliminary final last week – Phillips kicked 0.4 – cost the Stingrays prospect a top day out in their win. Usually he's a nice finisher around goal, which is one of Phillips' qualities as a potential top-20 pick. Phillips is a sure user around the ground, he sprints from contest to contest, and he has been a consistent player at various levels. Looks a likely start for him at AFL level as a wingman and his skillset fits it well.
A little gem. That's a simple way of describing Dimer, whose stocks as a small forward grew and grew as the season wore on. Dimer was an eyecatcher for Vic Metro with his clean hands at ground level and classy skills, and he is the type of goalkicker who can stand at the drop of a pack and read the crumbs as well as hit up a teammate with a clever pass. The other things with Dimer are his elite speed, which gives him an advantage that he uses well, his tackling and he's considered a top character for clubs who have spoken to him.
The Western Bulldogs Next Generation Academy prospect played for Footscray's VFL side late in the year and made an impact, kicking three goals on debut against North Melbourne VFL. Kicking goals isn't an issue for him – he has done it all season with the Western Jets and he has real power with his step and in his hips. He knows where to be all the time and his class and finishing skills, as well as the defensive side to his game, stands out. The Dogs have first rights on him through their Academy.
Cooke's excellent year for the Northern Knights was topped off last week when he was named the Morrish Medallist as the best player in the Talent League. After being a regular last year as a bottom-ager, Cooke stepped things up this year averaging 25 disposals, six clearances, five tackles and four inside-50s a game and was a regular goalkicker too. The hard-nosed consistent midfielder also starred for Vic Metro at the championships when he was largely used as a half-forward and he turns up and plays well every week.
A tough smaller midfielder who was co-captain of the Vic Country side. He endured some injury niggles at stages this season but has shown a tendency to tackle, hunt for the ball and do his work in the grunt situations whilst playing for the Falcons and Vic Country at the championships. Has neat disposal and works hard.
Entered the season as one of the best key forwards in the draft class after kicking 31 goals from eight Talent League games with the Geelong Falcons. But after playing in round one, he tore his ACL at Falcons training and suffered a big knee injury. He has kept his hopes up high and is nearly five months on from his surgery. Clubs will go back over his form from last year and see his clever forward craft, his accurate kicking and his competitive work in the air.
With a knack for knowing his way around goals better than some small forwards, Edwards has done plenty of his damage in the forward 50 despite generally being viewed as a midfield prospect. He is good one-on-one and he can beat opponents with his craft there, and the same applies around the ball at stoppages. He averaged 22 disposals and three tackles a game for South Australia during its championships.
MacGowan had his moment in Sandringham's semi-final, when he kicked a goal after the siren to win the game over the Northern Knights. To be fair, MacGowan has deserved some time in the spotlight after a season where he has piled on strong performance after strong performance. The midfielder knocks up getting the ball easily, reads the game well, can run long and strong, and last week he gathered 26 disposals and kicked 1.3 for Sandringham in its preliminary final loss to Gippsland, having had two goals from 24 disposals the week earlier with his after-the-siren heroics.
Adelaide has continued to push its case for access to Eime as a Next Generation Academy prospect, after missing out on him and being turned down by the AFL in its attempts to have access on the attacking half-back. The SANFL club processes didn't inform the Crows of Eime's Indigenous background and thus he missed his registration. The dashing defender debuted for Adelaide's SANFL team late in the season after impressing for South Australia in the championships.
A late-season debut in the League team with Claremont has seen Gale hold onto the position for Sunday's WAFL Grand Final at Optus Stadium. The hard working midfielder had 22 disposals against West Coast's WAFL team in just his second game, as well as a brilliant goal. A taller midfielder, Gale is strong at the clearances and uses his size to advantage.
Patterson found his groove in the second half of the season after a quieter carnival with South Australia. He returned to Glenelg's under-18 season and was a key player in their run to the flag. He had 23 disposals in round 18 against West Adelaide and then was best afield in their semi-final win over Central District with 27 disposals and 2.1. Patterson backed it up with 23 touches and 2.1 in the Grand Final win, with his speed, goal sense, high-flying marks and foot skills all part of his package.
An intercept marking machine who just continues to read the ball well in the air, float across packs and help by either grabbing marks or effecting spoils. That was clear late in the season with an absolutely dominant game for the Jets where Wigmore had 36 disposals, 16 marks, five tackles and six rebound 50s against the Greater Western Victoria Rebels. A player to keep an eye on in this range of the draft.
It has been a good last month to the season for the 'Nuke', who was a big part of Gippsland's ride to the Talent League premiership. He kicked 3.2 from 25 disposals in the Power's win over Murray Bushrangers in the wildcard final, then had 18 touches and 2.3 against Tasmania the following week. Neocleous has been playing deeper in attack where he knows what to do, how to use his body and how to amass shots on goal.