SANFL’s under-16 class of 2025: The top 30 revealed
SA has no shortage of young footy talent and these are the under-16s set to become stars of the future. See who made the list.
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A son of a gun, a player compared to star AFL ruckman Brodie Grundy, an attacking key defender who plays like Geelong star Tom Stewart and a “freak of an athlete’’.
They are among South Australia’s top 30 under-16 SANFL players who have the football world at their feet.
Just days after the Croweaters finished the AFL under-16 national boys championships with a 1-2 win-loss record, The Advertiser spoke exclusively to the coaches from the eight stand-alone SANFL clubs to get their insight into the next crop of talented kids coming through the system.
Among this season’s nationals stars were giant Central District ruckman Hugo Semmler, who won SA’s MVP award, and state captain Harvey Chapman, a high-flying Sturt defender who has been compared to Stewart.
Then there is the exciting Percy Burgoyne – son of AFL great Shaun Burgoyne – who is eligible for both Port Adelaide and Hawthorn as a father-son prospect, while the coach of spectacular South Adelaide utility Zemes Pilot says he has “Marcus Bontempelli-type traits’’.
Here are the SANFL’s top 30 under-16 players, all chosen in the state squad, listed in alphabetical order.
COOPER ALLEN
(Norwood/Sacred Heart College)
Midfielder, 16, 185cm
“Cooper plays mainly as a defensive midfielder for us. For someone who isn’t super tall, his weapon is his marking ability. He plays very tall and can take a very good mark. We’ve been playing him on the wing a bit lately, in support of the state team, and he is a good hunter of the ball.’’ – Norwood under-16 coach Peter Turner.
LAURENCE ANDRIANI
(West Adelaide/Nazareth Catholic College)
Midfielder, 15, 170cm
“Laurence is an elite runner who has great agility. He’s a smart footballer in terms of being really clean with his fundamentals, such as ground ball. He’s very durable, a good clearance player and an outstanding tackler, which is evidenced by his high tackle numbers. There is a bit of (Geelong great) Joel Selwood about him in that he is an in-and-under player who is just at his opponents the whole time. He probably wears the opposition down because he just gets to every contest with his tremendous heart and workrate.’’ – West under-16 coach Jeff Sochacki.
CHARLIE BEST
(Norwood/Rostrevor College)
Midfielder, 16, 180cm
“At Norwood, we generally play Charlie as an inside midfielder. His biggest attribute is his ball-winning ability. He’s a bit of a contested beast and gets the ball out for us. His workrate and fitness is exceptional. He’s just a mad footy individual, who thrives on the game.’’ – Norwood under-16 coach Peter Turner.
RILEY BOTH
(Central District/Kapunda High School)
Halfback/back pocket, 16, 177cm
“Riley’s a quiet lad but he’s a good leader. He leads by example. He has really strong foot skills, good speed, takes the game on and, as a defender he actually defends well, which some kids don’t do that well.’’ – Central under-16 coach Todd Miles.
PERCY BURGOYNE
(West Adelaide/Henley High School)
Forward/wingman, 16, 184cm
“Percy is the son of the great Shaun Burgoyne (former Port Adelaide and Hawthorn star) and is probably our biggest developer this year. He has grown considerably, is very athletic and has great agility. He’s a very deceptive player in that his chasing opponents will think they have him covered with a tackle but his great speed will get him out of it. He’s versatile, takes a great mark and is a great finisher, especially on the run. Obviously he comes from great pedigree and he has an older brother (Ky) playing in our under-18s. He’s a very exciting player.’’ – West under-16 coach Jeff Sochacki.
HARVEY CHAPMAN
(Sturt/Prince Alfred College)
Key defender, 15, 194cm
“Harvey’s an attacking key defender who plays a bit like Geelong’s Tom Stewart. He reads the play really well, spreads quickly as he looks to attack instantly from defence and he has an elite left-foot kick. Harvey also has great character.’’ – Sturt under-16 coach Greg Crowden.
TIM CAIN
(Glenelg/Sacred Heart College)
Halfback/midfielder, 16, 18cm
“Tim is a really vibrant person who has really good leg speed. He hunts the ball and chases and works really hard. He broke his wrist in a school game, which resulted in him missing out on some state games. He has some wheels, some real speed, can play multiple positions and uses the ball okay. He likes to play midfield for us but I reckon he’s a running half-back at the next level.’’ – Glenelg under-16 coach Darren Trevena.
GILBERT COX
(Sturt/Westminster School)
Wingman/half-back, 15, 187cm
“Gilbert came to us from the Northern Territory last season as an under-15 player, so he hasn’t been in our program for too long. He’s also been injured a fair bit this year, which has held him back. But he’s a rangy, left-footed wingman/half-back who has plenty of talent. Gilbert is learning a lot with us and is very much a work in progress.’’ – Sturt under-16 coach Greg Crowden.
ANDREW CRISPE
(West Adelaide/Adelaide High School)
Halfback/midfielder, 16, 184cm
“He’s one of our co-captains in our under-16s program and can run well off a half-back flank, while also being a good on-baller. He’s a smart footballer, a very nice size and vocally directs traffic for us. He can see the game a little bit quicker than most players and is great by foot. Andrew is a real leader among our group. He’s calm and directs others.’’ – West under-16 coach Jeff Sochacki.
OLLIE EASTON
(Norwood/Rostrevor College)
Key utility, 15, 191cm
“Ollie is a utility in that he can play various roles, including forward, back or in the midfield, as either a ruck or a midfielder. He can basically play anywhere. We’ve been mainly playing him up forward this year but he’s played down back with the state team, so he’s very versatile. He’s rarely beaten one-on-one in the air and he’s a really strong mark, which is his main weapon. Ollie also has a high workrate.’’ – Norwood under-16 coach Peter Turner.
JACK EVITTS
(Glenelg/Seaview High School)
Small forward/wing, 15, 175cm
“Jack is more of an outside player, who can kick with both his left and right foot. He has good evasiveness and agility, which enables him to get out of trouble. Jack has good leg speed but just needs to develop his inside game a bit more and become a bit stronger in one-on-one contests.’’ – Glenelg under-16 coach Darren Trevena.
ARCHIE FAULKNER
(Central District/Kadina Memorial School)
Wingman/midfielder, 16, 186cm
“Archie’s quite tall for a winger/midfielder and is very classy when he gets the ball. He’s a smooth mover, who generally makes really good decisions with the ball in hand.’’ – Central under-16 coach Todd Miles.
CARTER GALLASCH
(Sturt/Mercedes College)
Small forward, 16, 176cm
“Carter is excellent in the air and at ground level and has a sixth sense of where the goals are. He’s quick, has a good leap and a natural ability to be in the right place at the right time. I’d describe him as an elite, aerial small forward who reminds me a bit of Brisbane’s Kai Lohmann, with his ability to take a hanger at times.’’ – Sturt under-16 coach Greg Crowden.
TAJ GARRETT
(Sturt/Unity College)
Wingman/midfielder, 16, 182cm
“Taj is an elite runner, having run an AFL-standard 5 min, 55 sec 2km time trial. He runs so hard that he can be involved in the same passage of play from one end of the ground to the other. He is a high workrate, impact player who can play on the wing or in the midfield.’’ – Sturt under-16 coach Greg Crowden.
OLIVER GLOVER
(Sturt/Heathfield High School)
Midfielder, 16, 186cm
“Ollie is new to our program this year and is a big-bodied, inside midfielder who has lots of power. When he actually learns how to utilise that power he’s going to be a very good player. He’s still developing at this stage but he’s so strong, good overhead and has a penetrating kick. He’s got all the attributes but doesn’t quite know how to put them all together yet. Having come from the HFL (Hills Football League), he’s got away with doing everything fairly easily but he’s developing nicely into a SANFL player.’’ – Sturt under-16 coach Greg Crowden.
THOMAS GRIBBEN
(Norwood/Norwood International High School)
Key defender, 16, 190cm
“Thomas is our captain and is a very mature young man. He’s really dedicated to his craft and his footy, he loves it. He plays as a key defender for us and the state side and will generally take the opposition’s tallest forward. Thomas has a great ability to be able to read the opposition’s forward entries and take intercept marks, which can then set us up from behind the ball.’’ – Norwood under-16 coach Peter Turner.
DEAN HATEDAKIS
(West Adelaide/Henley High School)
Halfback, 16, 178cm
“Dean’s a great user of the footy and reads the play really well. If we ever opt to play a free off half-back, we utilise him because he is elite by foot. He has tremendous agility in traffic and boasts a strong core. Dean plays a little bit like Adelaide’s Brodie Smith in that he has a great leg and can quickly get the ball to foot. He has tremendous acceleration.’’ – West under-16 coach Jeff Sochacki.
JOSH HENRY
(North Adelaide/Blackfriars Priory School)
Key utility, 16, 185cm
“Josh unfortunately had glandular fever over summer and it lingered for about three months, which cost him a pre-season and has affected his year after he had a really strong season as a bottom-ager. He’s a key utility, forward type who has a great turn of foot. When he runs and goes there’s not too many people in the SANFL juniors who can catch him. But he has been down on confidence a bit this year because of his illness and lack of a pre-season. However he does have the ability to turn games quickly, kicking five goals three times as a bottom-ager, including four in one quarter, which was exceptional. He’s a long, left-foot kick who is a line-breaker.’’ – North under-16 coach Jake Lynch.
KAI IVINS
(Norwood/Prince Alfred College)
Midfielder, 15, 180cm
“Kai is one of the big leaders of our club. He’s very mature for his age. He plays as an inside mid for us and his key skill is his ability to drive out of contests. He’s very hard to stop and has a beautiful, penetrating, right-foot kick. His kicking is elite.’’ – Norwood under-16 coach Peter Turner.
JOSH JARRAD
(Glenelg/Henley High School)
Key forward, 16, 189cm
“Josh is a marking forward – that’s his main attribute. He presents really well, can take a good mark and kick goals. He has good hands and uses his body reasonably well in contests. He has plenty of raw potential but needs to continue to improve his workrate.’’ – Glenelg under-16 coach Darren Trevena.
LUCAS MARSHALL
(South Adelaide/Cardijn Marcellin Tech College)
Key utility, 16, 186cm
“Lucas has played most of the season down back for us but he’s a key utility who can also play up forward or in the ruck. He’s the younger brother of our senior player (former Port Adelaide AFL-listed) Kyle Marshall and has good size and strength. For a taller player, he can really run and carry the ball – like his brother – and he’s a beautiful kick, both long and short.’’ – South under-16 coach Bryn Loots.
BILLY NICHOLLS
(Central District/Faith Lutheran College)
Half-forward, 16, 190cm
“He has a really good workrate, which enables him to continually get up and down the ground. He also finishes well in front of goals. I think Billy’s best attributes are his workrate and his strong marking ability.’’ – Central under-16 coach Todd Miles.
ZEMES PILOT
(South Adelaide/Seaford Secondary College)
Key utility, 16, 190cm
“Zemes is a very exciting player. He has (Western Bulldogs) Marcus Bontempelli-type traits and can play just about anywhere for us. He’s spent most of the season forward for us but he has also played a bit of midfield and ruck and has been pretty good in all of his roles. We’re also keen to try him down back at some stage. He has speed, size, athleticism, composure and he can kick the ball beautifully. He’s a genuine freak of an athlete.’’ – South under-16 coach Bryn Loots.
ZANE ROONEY
(Glenelg/Henley High School)
Utility, 15, 183cm
“Zane is a bottom-ager (under-16s player) but he has some real upside. He can play in the midfield, back half or up forward and has a really good chance to go further (AFL). He has a good workrate, is hard at it, uses the ball well and is strong in the contest. He’s going to be a big-bodied midfielder and could even be a captain (under-16s) next year. ’’ – Glenelg under-16 coach Darren Trevena.
TATE SAMPSON
(Woodville-West Torrens/Henley High School)
Ruckman/forward, 15, 195cm
“Tate is a terrific athlete who has great jumping ability. He can also follow up well at ground level. He covers the ground really well and has plenty of raw potential, a very bright future. Tate also has good forward ability. He reads the play well, gets in dangerous forward positions, has great hands in aerial contests and nearly always hits the scoreboard when he goes forward.’’ – Woodville-West Torrens under-16 coach Simon Maddern.
HUGO SEMMLER
(Central District/Xavier College Gawler Belt)
Ruckman, 15, 199cm
“Hugo’s an absolute workhorse for us. He’s a big lad who is skilled and works extremely hard for his team. He pretty much does all the right things. He’s strong around the contest and is also a very good leader. There’s a bit of Brodie Grundy (Sydney star ruckman) about him in regards to the way he goes about his footy, being a big workhorse, a good ruckman and being good on the ground.’’ – Central under-16 coach Todd Miles.
ARCHIE SIMPSON
(North Adelaide/Rostrevor College)
Forward/midfielder, 16, 181cm
“Archie is a strongly-built, power athlete who has a really good turn of foot. He has the ability to drive away from stoppages and get separation from his opponents. He can turn games in the blink of an eye with his power and ability to break lines with his run and carry. His season hasn’t been as good as last year as a bottom-ager, but he’s a very good footballer.’’ – North under-16 coach Jake Lynch.
HARRY TAMBLYN
(North Adelaide/Pedare Christian College)
Midfielder, 15, 178cm
“Harry’s an inside mid who accumulates possessions. He’s tough, fit and his workrate is elite. His GPS numbers are through the roof. He’s a really smart and courageous player.’’ – North under-16 coach Jake Lynch.
JACOB WESTLEY
(Sturt/Trinity College North)
Halfback/midfielder, 15, 175cm
“He’s a bottom-age (under-16) player who is an absolute elite player. His decision making in our team is second to none, even as a bottom-age player. He can find players instinctively with his ball skills and he also has some great leadership qualities that enhance his role. He plays half-back in our team at the moment but next year he’ll be a midfielder.’’ – Sturt under-16 coach Greg Crowden.
BRAYDEN WHIMPRESS
(Central District/Kapunda High School)
Key forward/ruckman, 16, 193cm
“Brayden is very good in a marking contest, taking the ball at the highest point, and he’s a good shot for goal as well. He also has good endurance. If I was going to compare him to anyone, it would be (former St Kilda star) Nick Riewoldt because of his aerobic ability, which enables him to get high up the ground and then duck back again.’’ – Central under-16 coach Todd Miles.
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