AGSV football 2025: Top prospects and surprise packets lighting up the competition
The favourite for the No. 1 pick in this year’s AFL draft headlines the promising talent in the Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria competition. Find out the top prospects, surprise packets and more.
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The APS school footy competition gets most of the limelight, but there are a host of promising talents in the Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria (AGSV).
There is one exciting prospect who stands head and shoulders above the rest in more ways than one, potential No.1 pick Cooper Duff Tytler from Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School.
The AGSV has been running since 1920 and Yarra Valley Grammar took out the boys first XVIII premiership last season.
See all the top prospects, surprise packets and more below.
NOTE: Mentone Grammar did not wish to nominate players
ASSUMPTION COLLEGE
LAST TITLE: 2022
FAMOUS AFL ALUMNI: Francis Bourke, Neale Daniher, Shane Crawford, Billy Brownless, David King, Ben Dixon, Dion Prestia.
TOP PROSPECTS
Looking ahead to the 2026 draft, there are a number of promising talents developing in Assumption’s year 11 crop. Calder Cannons duo Tex Longmire and Blake Justice are two to keep an eye on. Longmire is a forward/midfielder with good size and clean hands, he has great goal sense and uses the ball well, while Justice is a utility but has been plying his trade up forward of late. He is crafty around goal and reads the ball well in the air.
FAMILIAR NAMES
Longmire is the nephew of former Sydney Swans coach and 200-game Kangaroo John Longmire.
SURPRISE PACKETS
Rory Kennedy is a strong runner with good skills and ball winning ability, can play as a midfielder or off half back and is tied with the Murray Bushrangers.
HOW THEY HAVE FARED
After five matches Assumption has recorded one win, while also coming within a point of Penleigh and Essendon Grammar in an agonising defeat.
CAMBERWELL GRAMMAR
LAST TITLE: 1933
FAMOUS AFL ALUMNI: Paul Hudson, Dan Houston, Josh Daicos, Sam Gibson
TOP PROSPECTS
Sam Grlj has surged up draft boards this season with his line-breaking ability turning heads. The lightning quick midfielder/halfback has dominated at school level for the past two seasons and will feature prominently for Vic Metro at the national championships. He looms as a first-round pick and could be taken very early with exciting traits. Oakleigh Chargers U16 prospect Daniel Bullock trialled with Vic Metro and started the season with three two-goal hauls for Camberwell. The creative goalkicker comes from a basketball background and has shifted his focus to footy. Year 9 duo Angus Dunstan and Freddie Hardman were both selected in the School Sports Victoria 15 and under side and have been playing in Camberwell’s first XVIII.
FATHER-SONS AND NGA PROSPECTS
Former Hawthorn player Rayden Tallis is coach of the school, and his son, Joshua, has shown some good signs as a Year 11. He is not part of a Coates Talent League program but the key defender has great athleticism and is a strong 400 metre runner. Rayden’s youngest son Sam, in Year 8, is part of Hawthorn’s programs and is one to watch in the future.
FAMILIAR NAMES
Along with Tallis, 179-game Hawthorn goalkicker Nick Holland and 22-game Fremantle defender Marcus Drum have joined Camberwell’s coaching ranks for this season.
SURPRISE PACKETS
Vice-captain of the school, Adam Li is a talented cricketer who has been a prolific ball-winner for Camberwell. Li’s intercept marking, skills and work ethic has stood out. Chandler Siegle is another elite basketballer who has represented Victoria at state under-16 level. He came close to making the under-16 Oakleigh Chargers side and has caught the eye for Camberwell with his aerial ability and ball-winning, kicking two goals in round one.
HOW THEY HAVE FARED
Camberwell is two wins outside the top four, so the school needs to knock off Trinity, Mentone and Assumption – who all sit below Camberwell – to have any chance of making the finals. Grlj should be available for two of those three games, so they have the opportunity to finish the season strong.
IVANHOE GRAMMAR
LAST TITLE:
FAMOUS AFL ALUMNI: Mark Richardson, Aaron Lord, Dylan Buckley, Kyle Langford, Nik Cox.
TOP PROSPECTS
Exciting 204cm ruck-forward Harry Van Hattum has wowed recruiters for Ivanhoe. The bottom-age talent’s eye-catching AGSV form alone earned him a call up to the Vic Metro squad as a train-on player – one of four bottom-agers in the entire squad. He missed the opening rounds for the Northern Knights with a broken hand. Talented youngster Jesse Ingleton is a member of the U15 School Sports Victoria squad and has broke into Ivanhoe Grammar’s side this season.
FAMILIAR NAMES
Ingleton is the son of Ivanhoe coach and 25-game St Kilda player Ben Ingleton.
SURPRISE PACKETS
Bottom-aged defender Darcy Dunn is a player to watch out for after captivating onlookers at AGSV level with his intercept marking, elusiveness and ball-use. Like Dunn, Stefan Nedelkovski isn’t on a Coates Talent League list, but he is one of the leading goalkickers in the competition with 11 in four matches. This included a stunning six-goal haul against Camberwell. Ivanhoe captain Isaac Dugdale has been a strong performer for his school. The Vic Metro under-16 representative has also featured in two games for the Knights this season. Athletic key defender Brian Dintinosanti didn’t make Northern Knights’ final squad this season as a bottom-ager, but made a strong start to his AGSV campaign, while midfielder Boyd Carpenter has been winning plenty of footy on the inside.
Half-forward Jack Dowling has trialled with Vic Metro at U16 level, and Tanner Wilson is another promising Year 10 talent who has debuted for the Northern Knights’ U16 side, but is nursing a hip injury. Fellow Year 10 Xavier Delbridge is a strongly built utility who can play at both ends.
HOW THEY HAVE FARED
Ivanhoe lost its first two games to premiership contenders Marcellin and Yarra Valley – the latter by a point – but have bounced back to win their next four games. The school is striving for a finals berth and they are well-placed to finish top-four, two games clear of Camberwell and Trinity.
MARCELLIN COLLEGE
LAST TITLE: 2017
FAMOUS AFL ALUMNI: Stephen Silvagni, Marcus Bontempelli, Gavin Brown, Luke Shuey, David Zaharakis, Leigh Montagna, Jack Newnes.
TOP PROSPECTS
Marcellin is firing on all cylinders but this is down to an even-spread of contributors rather than top draft prospects. But they do have the top goalkicker in the competition in Sam Vass. The 175cm small forward only made his debut for the Northern Knights in early May but has been dominant for Marcellin, booting 15 goals in his first five games.
FAMILIAR NAMES
Bottom-age Knights player Jack Tranquilli, the son of former Collingwood player Andrew, has started the season strongly for Marcellin.
FATHER-SONS AND NGAs
Year 10 student Jack Calthorpe is the son of former Essendon, Brisbane and North Melbourne midfielder David and has impressed with his speed and class. Bottom-age Knights player Jack Tranquilli, the son of former Collingwood player Andrew, has started the season strongly for Marcellin.
SURPRISE PACKETS
Knights prospects Roman Moxon and Nicholas Canavan have turned heads at AGSV level. Canavan is a marking forward who runs well, is strong in the air and can play second ruck, while Moxon is a halfback with great agility who uses the ball well and can also provide attacking threat. Year 11 duo Nico D’Odorico and Ethan Higgins have hit scoreboard and feature in the best players most weeks, and Year 10 student Lachlan Collard has shown good signs. Patrick Curtin has featured at VAFA C-grade for Marcellin this season.
HOW THEY HAVE FARED
Marcellin sent a warning to the competition when it knocked off Yarra Valley in round two, and the school remains undefeated after its first five rounds. It shows that you don’t need highly-touted draft prospects to perform well. The Marcellin squad has plenty of depth and it wouldn’t surprise to see them win their first AGSV premiership in eight years.
PENLEIGH AND ESSENDON GRAMMAR
LAST TITLE: 2019
FAMOUS AFL ALUMNI: Scott West, Dustin Fletcher, Trent Cotchin, Jake Melksham, Cam Rayner, Harry Jones
TOP PROSPECTS
Cooper Duff-Tytler is the favourite to be the No.1 pick in this year’s draft after a sensational past 18 months. The former Australian basketballer can do it all as a ruckman, acting as another midfielder when the ball hits the ground, leaping into the air for marks and covering the ground with his endurance. Duff-Tytler is PEGS’ co-captain and the 200cm big man booted three goals in his first game for the school this year. Chloe Baker-West graduated from PEGS last year and shapes as an early pick in the 2025 AFLW Draft
FAMILIAR NAMES
Essendon great Dustin Fletcher attended the school once upon atime. Now there are three nephews of Dustin in the PEGS football program. Riley Fletcher (Year 11) and Brock Fletcher (Year 9) and Tom Lincoln (Year 11) are all grandsons of Ken Fletcher, Dustin’s father, who played 264 games for the Bombers. Brock booted three goals in an exciting debut for PEGS in round one as a third tall. Lincoln is on the Calder Cannons list as a bottom-ager but hasn’t played at any level due to injury. Former Gold Coast player Josh Toy is the school’s head of sport. Ex-Carlton and Footscray player Mark Williams is the boys first XVIII coach. He coached Sandringham to three VFL premierships and was also an AFL assistant at Melbourne and Richmond.
SURPRISE PACKETS
Noah McMenamin is the ultimate utility for PEGS, capable of playing any position on the ground. The 192cm Western Jets prospect has a soaring leap and can run all day. He has also caught the eye for the Jets this year. Bottom-age Cannon Jackson Watkins made an appearance for Vic Metro at the U16 champs last year and debuted in the Coates Talent League in round eight. Returning from an ACL injury, Tristan Leeds has played four games for the Calder Cannons and has been used at both ends of the ground at 188cm. Western Jets bottom-ager Zane Gentner is new to the school this year and kicked two goals in PEGS’ win over Peninsula Grammar.
HOW THEY HAVE FARED
PEGS suffered AGSV grand final heartbreak to Yarra Valley last year and are hoping to go one better in 2025. They have won four of their first five games and while they have a tough run home against three other top-four sides, they have the talent to win it all.
PENINSULA GRAMMAR
LAST TITLE: 2017
FAMOUS AFL ALUMNI: Stewart Loewe, David Hille, Nathan Jones, Lachie Whitfield, Jacob Weitering
TOP PROSPECTS
Captain of the Dandenong Stingrays under-16s side, Hayden Lane can break lines, win the ball at the source and hit targets with his tidy skills. He represented Vic Country at last month’s under-16 trials and has been used as an inside midfielder for Peninsula Grammar.
FAMILIAR NAMES
Hunter Stephens is the nephew of Western Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson. The bottom-age Dandenong Stingrays prospect can play all over the ground, with his decision making and ball-use standing out.
SURPRISE PACKETS
Versatile tall Luca Tonner can turn a game in a flash in the air or at ground level. The Dandenong Stingrays top-ager reads the play well and gets himself in dangerous positions, and kicked five goals in his first three Coates Talent League games this season. His Stingrays teammate Ocean Shepheard is superb below his knees, is very agile and has a strong defensive presence. In the girls program, Jas Whitten is an inside midfielder with poise and strong leadership qualities.
HOW THEY HAVE FARED
It has been a tough start to the season for Peninsula losing five of their first six matches, but two of those defeats were by less than a kick to Camberwell and Mentone.
TRINITY GRAMMAR
LAST TITLE: 2012
FAMOUS AFL ALUMNI: Luke McDonald, Steve Wallis, Wayne Schwass, Nick Larkey, Luke McDonald, Todd Goldstein
TOP PROSPECTS
Trinity has several promising bottom-agers in its line-up, and defender/midfielder Will Johnson appears to be the best of them. Johnson played two games for the Oakleigh Chargers at the start of the season. The 188cm prospect has combined his footy with elite rowing, claiming a win with Trinity in the under-19 men’s double scull at the Australian Rowing Championships this season.
FAMILIAR NAMES
Collingwood best and fairest and current AFL Academy coach Tarkyn Lockyer is part of Trinity’s coaching panel, along with Carlton premiership player Glenn Manton. Gun cricketer Nikki du Toit is a name to watch for as a member of Cricket Victoria’s emerging players squad. The Trinity school captain has come on nicely as an on-baller.
SURPRISE PACKETS
Indigenous small forward Zayne Weis showed exciting signs in his Western Jets debut with two goals. The bottom-ager is a tackling machine with good skills. Trinity skipper Mackie Martin did a pre-season with the Oakleigh Chargers but was cut at the last round. Martin leads from the front in the Trinity midfield, winning plenty of clearances. Flynn McNamara is a hard-nosed inside midfielder with strong running capacity who played the first two game of the season with the Chargers. Nick Phillips is a bottom-ager at the Chargers, where his VFL listed brother Sam played.
HOW THEY HAVE FARED
Trinity was eyeing another finals berth after bowing out in the semi-finals last year, but the top-four appears a longshot after three consecutive defeats. Trinity now needs to win its last two games against Camberwell and Mentone and rely on other results to make the final.
YARRA VALLEY
LAST TITLE: 2024
Famous AFL alumni: Travis Cloke, Aaron Young.
TOP PROSPECTS
Aaron Sharkie started the season with a bang for the Oakleigh Chargers, earning him a spot in the Vic Metro squad. The skilful halfback-wingman averaged 25 disposals in the first month of the season for the Chargers. Bottom-age midfielder Jordan Knapp captained the Victorian U15 side and Vic Metro’s U16 team at last year’s national championships. Knapp oozes class and has been used on the outside for the Ranges.
FAMILIAR NAMES
Tom Matthews is the son of North Melbourne football operations manager Cam. The key defender didn’t make the Eastern Ranges squad but is a noted leader.
SURPRISE PACKETS
A host of Yarra Valley prospects trialled with Vic Metro. Eastern Ranges medium forward Mitch Hansen was close to a spot in the Vic Metro after filling his boots in Coates Talent League and at school level. The pacey goalkicker kicked a bag of five for the Ranges in round three and produced another five-goal haul against Trinity in his last outing. Oakleigh Chargers line-breaker Archer Ryan does everything at full speed and has shown exciting signs for both the Chargers and Yarra Valley. Jamie Gilchrist has come on nicely after a big pre-season with the Eastern Ranges and trialled with Vic Metro after a strong first month, highlighted by three goals against Sandringham and 13 score involvements and two goals in their win over Western. The dual sport talent represented Victoria in both footy and basketball at under-16 level. Another multiskilled athlete is Oliver McKenzie, a promising cricketer who has caught the eye for the Eastern Ranges and Yarra Valley. Powerful halfback/on-baller Josh Dakic has shone for the Ranges’ under-16 side and will be in Vic Metro under-16 contention. Year 11 student Logan Ross was part of the premiership team last year and was rated highly by 200-game Western Bulldog Lindsay Gilbee, the school’s backline coach last year.
HOW THEY HAVE FARED
The reigning premiers have had just one loss for the season against ladder-leaders Marcellin in round three. Yarra Valley’s line-up is stacked with talent and the school will be right in contention to go back-to-back.
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Originally published as AGSV football 2025: Top prospects and surprise packets lighting up the competition
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