The countdown is on ahead of next week’s Telstra AFL Draft.
In preparation, here is AFL Media’s final Phantom Form Guide of 2025, the fifth update of the year as they rank the leading 30 prospects in this year’s draft crop.
Remember, this is not a phantom draft and does not take into account where bids will be placed on father-son or Academy players.
The standout player of this year’s crop elevated himself in the big games this year. Duursma was his team’s go-to man on most occasions, including through Vic Country’s carnival, when he was named an All-Australian and dominated in the last game of the championships. Duursma’s versatility is his power: he can be played all over the ground and do the job, and he does it with skill, class and a take-it-on approach. The youngest of the four Duursma siblings has been growing his game since debuting for Gippsland’s under-18 side in 2023 and will be able to start his career all over the field.
Suns fans would have seen Uwland, who is linked to the club via their academy, training with Christian Petracca recently after the Melbourne star’s trade to Gold Coast went through. Uwland is a midfielder in the Errol Gulden mould with his run, daring kicking and sharp decision-making. He entered the year as a No.1 pick chance but missed the first half of the season with back stress fractures, but he returned deep in the season and will hit the ground running over summer. The younger brother of Suns half-back Bodhi, Uwland is dedicated, driven and seen as a future skipper.
It is hard to find a tall prospect move and play like Duff-Tytler, who takes the traits he used as a dominant junior basketballer into his football. Duff-Tytler proved that at the Telstra AFL Draft Combine when he finished the 2km time trial in 6:21 minutes and the 20-metre sprint in 2.92 seconds, both placing him in the top 10. But the Calder Cannons prospect models his game on Luke Jackson and Tom De Koning and will also be able to start his career as a part-time forward, having shown at VFL level late in the year with Essendon he could feature there. Duff-Tytler is a pro who is ready for the next step of his career.
The most exciting player in the draft crop to just sit back and watch. Patterson plays like NRL superstar Reece Walsh, taking the game on with the ball tucked under his arm and going for it. He has the quick feet and the dynamite jets to match, making ‘The Rocket’ Patterson a highlights reel. The Suns Academy talent also matches that with a good game understanding and he produced at the national carnival when it mattered, being named an All-Australian. Either off half-back or through the wing, Patterson is a damaging player.
Annable is the player you’d want on your team – he turns up and gets to work each week, his hands are clean at ground level, he fights for the ball, he puts his head and body in tough situations and he keeps on doing it. There was a reason he was able to so easily translate his under-18 form into the VFL this year and it’s because what he does well doesn’t change at different levels. You can see the Lions Academy prospect being a future leader, and he’s a popular, determined talent.
The bolter story of the season and one of the bolter stories of the decade. Robey has come from the clouds to be one of the best players in the pool, dominating in the second half of the season as a powerful midfielder who can also play as a goalkicking option. The big-bodied Eastern Ranges prospect grew 17cm in two years and used his size this season to create, play, run and overlap for the Ranges when in the midfield and then as a third marking tall target in attack. He finished with four goals in the Ranges’ Grand Final win and has met with every club in the back half of this season.
With some swagger, a smirk and a glint in the eye, Taylor plays the game on the edge. He flies for his marks at half-back, he loves to intercept the play and then when he has the ball in his hands he goes for his kicks. Taylor had a magnificent end to his season, being judged best on ground in Eastern’s under-18 Grand Final win over Sandringham with 25 disposals and 15 marks. Think a Nick Vlastuin type with some Josh Weddle elements as an attacking tall defender who can play on a range of forwards.
We dub Dean ‘The Teacher’, because he marks everything. The best key defender in the pool looks like being the earliest key back picked at a draft since 2020, and potentially the earliest father-son in Carlton’s history. The son of former Blue Peter Dean, the Murray Bushrangers defender returned from injury last season to star this year and dominate in the back half. He was superb for Vic Country and is a player who is hard to find in drafts with his defensive mindset, marking ability and competitive instincts.
As solid and ready to go as any player in the draft with his experience at senior level with Central District over two seasons. Sharp is a hard-edged midfielder with a competitive spirit who fights for the ball and gets his hands dirty, but he was a force throughout South Australia’s under-18 carnival and was named the Larke medallist for his consistent championships. Importantly, he can go forward and be impactful around goal, and he was a regular scoreboard threat for SA, and his leadership values are highly regarded among clubs.
There’s the power, the physical grunt, the overhead marking and the tenacity that comes with Cumming that makes him an appealing player for clubs. He tested well at the Draft Combine last month after returning from a shoulder injury, having shown his traits playing for North Adelaide’s senior side, when he kicked three goals from 21 disposals against South Adelaide. Cumming could start as a half-forward but projects as a midfielder with a point of difference.
Few in the draft have the same speed and endurance mix as Grlj, who can put on the jets but also run all day. He showed that at the Draft Combine last month when he finished second in the 2km time trial (5:59 minutes) and ran the 20-metre sprint in 2.92 seconds. Grlj likes to use the weapon in games, too, with the Oakleigh Chargers prospect enjoying taking a glimpse around to check his bearings before going on a run. With his dash and dare, ‘The Sizzler’ brings something different to the mix of midfielders in the first round.
Schubert just keeps on presenting as a leading forward. He attacks the contest, can crash bodies and clunks the ball. He kicked 28 goals for Central District’s under-18 side from 13 games and also had a couple of days out playing for South Australia at the national carnival. His testing proved he can be a roamer as a key forward option, recording a 6:21 minute 2km time trial, placing him in the top 10.
Farrow started the season as a prospect to watch and as the year went on became Western Australia’s leading draft hopeful. His flexibility – from half-back to midfield – and his size – 188cm – have been key parts of that, with the damaging left-footer standing out because of those attributes, He averaged 25 disposals at colts level with West Perth and also stepped up to play with West Perth’s senior team, where he averaged 18 touches.
A lovely left-foot kick off half-back and through the midfield has been part of Lindsay’s appeal to clubs through this year, in a season that started with a run of good form including a best-afield display for the Marsh AFL Academy. He makes good decisions quickly and can see options arise ahead of him. The skipper of Vic Country and Geelong Falcons won All-Australian honours and was named in the Coates Talent League Team of the Year as well.
He’s a bit cheeky, can get in the face of opponents, celebrates his goals fiercely and has the flowing mullet – for all those reasons Dovaston fits the mould as a modern small forward. But he also has plenty of craft and grit to his game, with the Eastern Ranges prospect kicking more than 50 goals across competitions this year and regularly coming through when his team needed him, including in the Grand Final against Sandringham. His quick feet and turn-on-a-dime propensity – he produced the fourth-fasted agility test ever at the Combine – combined with knowing where to be make him a leading small forward in this year’s draft class.
A regular goalkicker who continued to hit the scoreboard right through the year. Marsh booted 30 goals in 15 under-18 games for West Adelaide and kicked 12 more for South Australia at the under-18 carnival. He is efficient with the ball in his hands and can find some space on the lead. Clubs will have slightly differing views on what he projects as at the next level given he isn’t at the tallest end of the forwards, but he can run (he finished top 10 in the 2km time trial at the Draft Combine).
The interest in Taylor has come on fast in the second half of this year as he continued to grow and develop his game as a flourishing, running, attacking half-back with the Eastern Ranges. He was an important member of their stretch to the under-18 Coates Talent League premiership, which saw Taylor upgraded to the national Draft Combine, where he impressed by winning the 20-metre sprint (2.82 seconds) and came second in the agility (7.84 seconds).
The half-forward and midfielder had an interrupted year with injury, with a broken arm ruling him out of the Marsh AFL National Under-18 Boys Championships with South Australia. He returned to play some strong games for Woodville-West Torrens’ under-18 side and also made his senior SANFL debut. Phillipou, the younger brother of St Kilda’s Mattaes, is shorter than his brother but jumps for marks and is skilful with the ball. He is confident, believes in himself and wants to be the best.
Greeves is a bigger-bodied midfielder who can crunch through packs and get the ball in his hands, use it well with his kicking and also push forward to be a threat close to goal. That was the case in the Coates Talent League preliminary final, when he kicked 4.2 from 35 disposals to help Eastern to the Grand Final. He didn’t test at the Draft Combine because of illness but has been expected to do a follow-up 2km time trial for recruiters.
Recruiters saw the best of Barker during the under-18 carnival, when the wingman starred for South Australia to be a key member of his side on the way to its title win. He averaged 16 disposals but also flew for his grabs and kicked some goals. After that he went back to Sturt and unfortunately tore his ACL in his knee and underwent a reconstruction, but he is still viewed as a high-end talent.
The key forward is on his way back from the sidelines after suffering a PCL injury at the end of the championships for Vic Metro. It ruled him out of the rest of the season but before that clubs were able to see his traits as a marking tall forward who can regularly kick hauls of goals. He did that last year as a bottom-ager as well, before missing out on Sandringham’s premiership in 2024 through injury, and the left-footer had made strides in his game before the knee injury.
One of the most eye-catching players in the draft crop, Pickett is a small forward with dancing feet, a super sidestep and genuine goal nous. He kicked 32.18 at reserves level for the Bays this season, including four in the Grand Final, and clubs have been closely tracking him for several years as he gets close to his 20th birthday next month. The cousin of Melbourne star Kysaiah, Pickett also kicked four goals on his senior SANFL debut.
The big game of Hibbins-Hargreaves’ campaign was against Greater Western Victoria Rebels late in the year when he picked up 29 disposals and kicked five goals. The half-forward, who can also play in the midfield, had previously shown he can kick a haul of goals, including four from 18 disposals for Vic Country against Western Australia at the under-18 championships. A collarbone injury disrupted his year, and then illness stopped him from testing at the Draft Combine, but he can produce some exciting moments in the front half with his kicking and marking.
The determined midfielder had a strong season all the way through in 2025, averaging 25 disposals in 13 games for the Cannons and also being named in the under-18 All-Australian team after his championships with Vic Metro, including a four-goal effort against the Allies. Sweid is dogged when the ball is up for grabs, brings great energy and has won some comparisons to a young Dion Prestia in his midfield game.
Nairn’s breakout game came midway through the under-18 championships when he kicked seven goals in a huge day out against Western Australia at Alberton Oval. It wasn’t something out of the blue either, really, given the medium forward kicked 22 goals from 13 games for Central’s under-18 team through the year before finishing his campaign with a stint in the midfield and impressing. Shapes as a medium forward to start his career with the option of shifting higher, and he ran well at the Draft Combine (6:15 minutes).
Ison is a left-footed forward who can also push up the ground and make an impact as a taller midfielder, which he did late in the season with a 30-disposal and 10-clearance game for Oakleigh against Calder. He was sidelined at the Telstra AFL Draft Combine by a leg injury but his impact with the ball has pushed him into top-30 contention, with his razor-like left boot catching the eye in particular.
King’s big moment came in the under-18 championships for the Allies against Western Australia, when he booted 2.3 for the game and took a big grab early and then kicked the winning goal late. His highlights tape is exciting, and the snippets he shows with his athleticism make him someone who will be given time to put it all together. He backed that up at the Combine when he recorded the best standing vertical jump and a top-five placing in the 20-metre sprint (2.93 seconds). A tall forward who has some weapons that clubs will be considering.
Kyle emerged in the middle of the year as a genuine draft prospect with his dashing run and drive from half-back and in the midfield with the Allies and Swans Academy. He has a smoothness to how he plays and he averaged 19 disposals for the Swans through their run of Coates Talent League games. Kyle comes from a rugby background but impressed with his Draft Combine results and his zip and height is point of difference.
Thredgold rose up the ranks in the second half of the season after missing early in the year with a hand injury. The tight-checking key defender enjoys the defensive part of his role, and not just the attacking elements. He closed down some quality opponents in Sturt’s run to the SANFL under-18 premiership and was best afield in the Grand Final when he took 12 marks. Is versatile on who he plays on and competitive all the way through.
After an injury interrupted middle part of the year, Addinsall returned late in the season to perform well at VFL level for the Suns, and also impressed at the Combine, where he was ranked in the top five for the 2km time trial (6:15 minutes) and top 10 for the running vertical jump on his right side (88cm). The hard working and consistent midfielder has shown he can find the ball at all levels.
