Which Calder Cannons are a chance to join Isaac Kako in being selected in the AFL Draft?

Isaac Kako looks a first-round AFL Draft lock but there are up to six other Calder Cannons with a big chance to hear their names called this week.

The Calder Cannons on the AFL Draft radar.

Isaac Kako looms as Calder Cannons third first-round draft pick in the last five years.

The exciting small forward will get to Essendon having come through the Bombers Next Generation Academy.

However, after that the 2025 AFL Draft looms as a boom or bust year for the Cannons.

The Coates League club, famously known as the “talent factory” by Brian Taylor has as many as six more prospects hoping to hear their name called on Wednesday, Thursday or even Friday.

At the start of the year Harry O’Farrell looked a certainty to live his AFL dream.

However, an ankle injury curtailed his year and a concussion ended it, seeing him drop to late draft hopeful.

A member of the AFL Academy, two-time Vic Metro representative remains one of the best two-way key position talents available.

A standout season saw Cannons captain Damon Hollow claim the Robert Hyde Medal as club best-and-fairest.

He averaged 19 disposals, 4.5 marks, two tackles a game and kicked 14 goals in his 15 appearances for Calder, as well as 12 disposals, five marks and two tackles in three outings for Vic Metro.

Cannons coach Sam Willatt said his versatility made him an ideal draftee.

“We threw Damon around a little bit, started in the midfield and got some opportunities for Vic Metro and had a really solid game against the Allies on the wing,” Willatt said.

“We experimented with him at half-back when we got him back and a little bit at half-forward and he demonstrated his ability to play any position.

“He kicked goals as a forward and was really damaging off half-back.

“If he’s lucky enough to get picked up, a club can mould him into anything.”

With Kako all but certain to be a top-10 pick, Essendon also has first claim to teammate and AFL Academy representative Jayden Nguyen.

The lightning quick half-back or wingman averaged 13 disposals, four marks and two tackles in three games for Vic Metro and 18 touches, three marks and 2.4 tackles in 14 matches for Calder.

“Jayden is a very cool story … he’s NGA to Essendon, his parents were born in Vietnam,” Willatt said.

“He started out missing the Vic Metro summer hub, which we were disappointed about, but then had a really strong start to the season playing a really aggressive half-back role.

“He got a late call-up to the national academy game against Coburg, which was an awesome opportunity.

“Considering he got the call on Thursday night to play Saturday against grown men, he did really well.

“He built from there, got his opportunity at Vic Metro and showed some good signs, demonstrated his speed – that’s his x-factor.

“Towards the end of the year we threw him forward and, for someone who’s never played forward before, it was staggering how well he played the role.”

Nguyen also made his VFL debut for Essendon late in the season and achieved top-five finishes in the 20m sprint (2.897 seconds), agility test (8.126 seconds), standing and running vertical jumps at the state combine.

There are three more young guns hoping to get picked up.

Nash King was highly touted as a 16-year-old and had an impressive bottom-age year but a hamstring injury impacted his draft year.

The untimely setback saw him limited to nine Coates League matches but he still broke through for three Vic Metro appearances, highlighting his potential.

“Unfortunately a recurring hamstring really hampered Nash’s year, he injured it with us and then re-injured in the Vic Metro hub and had niggling issues throughout the year,” Willatt said.

“The amount of hard work he put in to get his body right and the resilience was great to see.

“Towards the back end of the year he started to put it together, which was great to see, but there was a little bit of ‘I wish we could have done this earlier in the year’.

“There’s an AFL player there, I’m sure of it.”

Patrick Said, the classy midfielder, showed enough to earn a state combine invite this season – despite missing Vic Metro selection – after averaging 18 touches, 3.4 tackles and four tackles.

Meanwhile, Cooper Herbert looms as a genuine bolter after playing just eight Coates League matches, spending much of his season with Assumption College and making his senior local footy debut for Laurimar.

“Patrick Said missed Vic Metro this year, any other year he probably makes it but with the squad they had he got pushed out,” Willatt said.

“One of the best things was Saidy just put his head down and got to work.

“He took it and went back to work and put in a six or seven-game patch were he would consistently get 25 to 30 disposals, plus goals.

“He showed his running capacity, foot work and ability to hit the scoreboard was terrific – he’s got all the weapons to play at the next level.

“We didn’t see as much of Cooper as we’d have liked to with school football but from all accounts he had a strong season with Assumption.

“Then he came back into our squad for the last two home-and-away games and the two finals.

“He really showed what he can do, he’s a terrific athlete with his speed and power is a massive standout.

“He’s one who’s a bit of a mystery box for clubs but he just has raw talent and he can flip a game so quickly and do some things not many can do.”