AFL draft news: Suns, Lions, Swans Academy talents star as country bolters continue their rise
The rise of a hulking midfielder continued as a No. 1 pick fancy made up for a rusty start with some key moments late. See all the scouting notes and ranking points from Vic Country v Allies here.
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As the AFL’s competitive balance review wages on, the talent out of the northern academies continue to prosper.
Most of the Allies’ standout performers in their enthralling two-point loss to Vic Country were tied to northern clubs in both the 2024 and 2025 draft.
SCROLL DOWN FOR SCOUITNG NOTES AND SUPERCOACH POINTS
Gold Coast academy gun Leonardo Lombard’s stocks continue to rise as he capped a stellar national championships campaign with another dominant display.
Meanwhile, Brisbane doesn’t just have Levi Ashcroft available to them as a father-son, they also have prolific midfielder Sam Marshall, who found plenty of the footy at Brisbane’s training base, Brighton Homes Arena.
The Suns may have the best talent of the lot in next year’s draft in Zeke Uwland, the brother of recent Rising Star nominee Bodhi, who again showed he is a top-end talent.
Lions linked midfielder Daniel Annable and Swans tied ball-getter Lachie Carmichael have also put their names forward as early selections in the 2025 draft after promising national carnivals.
For Vic Country it was Harvey Langford who elevated his standing further, while injury-riddled GWV Rebels duo Sam Lalor and Jonty Faull took their chance in front of a host of AFL recruiters.
AFL draft 2024 indicative order: Every club’s picks revealed
SUPERCOACH POINTS
VIC COUNTRY
H.Langford 143
L.Jaques 121
S.Lalor 119
X.Ivisic 112
T.Travaglia 102
M.Whitlock 93
H.Charleson 90
J.Berry 83
J.Faull 83
F.O’Sullivan 80
J.Whitlock 77
O.Hannaford 72
C.Hynes 72
R.Onley 72
J.Alger 67
R.Unwin 61
J.Barrat 58
O.Warburton 53
R.Andrew 47
J.Ough 45
J.Doherty 34
F.Burmeister 24
A.Tauru 24
ALLIES
L.Lombard 118
Z.Uwland 115
J.Shanahan 104
S.Marsh 103
L.Smith 95
B.Kennedy 90
D.Annable 88
J.Cochran 81
T.Gallop 80
J.Delana 78
L.Carmichael 75
J.Murphy 73
L.Hogan 66
T.Gillett 57
O.Depaoli-Kubank 55
C.Bell 46
Z.Millane 45
F.McFadyen 44
R.Gilder 38
B.Richardson 37
R.Mentha 36
W.Davey-Motlop 32
N.Sulzberger 8
SCOUTING NOTES
ALLIES
#8 Leonardo Lombard (Suns Academy)
28 disposals, five clearances, four tackles, one goal
Lombard started and finished the game with a bang. The blistering and prolific midfielder won the first three centre clearances of the match and kicked the last goal in the dying seconds to cap a big last quarter. His workrate and hunt for the footy was relentless. In one play Lombard won a clearance in the defensive 50, sprinted to the opposite flank to receive a handball and got the ball back on the wing seconds later. One of his standout moments came in the first half when he broke through one tackle then delivered a Harley Reid-like fend off on another Vic Country defender. His kicking was errant at times, but you can forgive the odd mistake when he is winning most of his possessions in tight and at high speed. Could he attract a top-five bid? On talent he is definitely around the mark.
#32 Jobe Shanahan (Bendigo Pioneers)
17 disposals, nine marks, three goals
Was arguably the best man on the ground in the first three-quarters in an imposing performance for the key forward. Shanahan vice-like hands overhead were a feature throughout the day, taking at least four contested marks as he provided a constant target for the Allies up forward and around the ground. After one of those big grabs he turned around and launched a goal from the 50m arc on a tight angle. He finished with three goals and set another over the top to Josh Murphy. Clearly Shanahan’s standout display of the championships and one that showed his exciting potential as a mobile marking forward.
#16 Sam Marshall (Lions Academy/Sandringham Dragons)
27 disposals, seven marks
Won stacks of the ball on the inside and the outside and lifted when the game was on the line in the final quarter. Marshall didn’t have the eye-catching plays of Lombard but he hardly wasted a possession, worked hard on the outside and showed good poise under pressure. The Lions Academy talent has had a super consistent carnival, winning at least 24 disposals in every game, and a first-round bid looms large for Brisbane.
#2 Zeke Uwland (Suns Academy)
22 disposals, 20 kicks, six marks
One of the leading pick one contenders of the 2025 draft, Uwland had a big last quarter off halfback where his distribution by foot and rebound was superb. The smooth-moving Suns Academy product helped set up a goal with a long kick that put his teammates in acres of space and took an intercept mark to kickstart another attacking foray. After a stunning goal from long range in his VFL debut for Gold Coast, he showed once again he has a monster left foot, with a torp in the dying seconds bouncing beyond the centre circle. Will be right in the mix for All-Australian selection as a bottom-ager.
#37 Josh Murphy (Murray Bushrangers)
11 disposals, five marks, two goals
Murphy kicked one of the goals of the day to open the scoring, bursting through with speed and dodging tacklers before a kick which bounced through from close to 50. The lively 190cm forward had a couple wasted a couple of gettable opportunities after that, one of those from a strong mark, but he was given a gift by Shanahan to get his second on the board. Doesn’t need a lot of the ball to make an impact and that was the same today, taking his champs tally to seven goals in four games.
#43 Ty Gallop (Lions Academy)
Nine disposals, five marks, three goals
Brought back into the Allies side, the 194cm key forward was one of the surprise packets on the day. Gallop made an immediate impact with an eye-catching snap in traffic to put through the Allies’ second goal of the match. A strong mark and big roost from the paint gave him his second goal, with a 50 metre penalty gifting him another in the second half. After managing just the two touches in his first championships game against South Australia, his outing on Sunday showcased what he can do in the air and at ground level.
Daniel Annable (Lions Academy)
17 disposals, five marks
Another standout bottom-ager from the northern academies, Annable kicked a nice goal late in the piece from 30 metres on the run. The Lions Academy prospect managed to consistently get his hands on the ball against a more developed Vic Country midfield group. He was one of his side’s best in their first game against South Australia and has put together a very promising bottom-age national carnival.
#10 Lachlan Carmichael (Swans Academy)
20 disposals, seven marks
Not turning 17 until late August, Carmichael gave an exciting glimpse into the future with an emphatic start. Carmichael had eight disposals in the 15 minutes of the match and looked to be spending more time in the midfield than in the Allies’ previous games where he had been stationed in defence. The Swans Academy prospect is one to watch for next year’s draft.
VIC COUNTRY
Harvey Langford (Dandenong Stingrays)
30 disposals, nine clearances, four tackles
The national championships bolter should be rising further after another commanding performance in the midfield. Langford led the way in the clinches with six first-half clearances and 14 disposals, the highlight being a strong overhead mark in front before a deft pass inside 50 to Cooper Hynes, who unfortunately dropped the mark. Finished as the leading disposal winner on the ground, with his imposing190cm frame, penetrating left boot and inside ball-winning again standing out in a big way.
Finn O’Sullivan (Oakleigh Chargers)
16 disposals, three tackles, three marks
There was plenty of anticipation surrounding O’Sullivan’s return from a finger injury and it didn’t live up to hype until a blistering finish with the game in the balance. The number one pick contender took a massive pack mark, finding Jack Whitlock in a flash who levelled the scores. Then moments later he sizzled another inside 50 pass to Jasper Alger. Before that O’Sullivan produced some eye-catching moves in traffic but his disposal often let him down, turning it over numerous times by hand and foot. Having played only a handful of games at all levels this season, he can certainly be forgiven for being a little rusty. While this return game shouldn’t affect his standing, all eyes will be on his performance against Vic Metro next week.
Sam Lalor (GWV Revels)
16 disposals, five marks, four tackles, three goals
Splitting his time between the midfield and up forward, Lalor stepped up to the plate when his side needed it most. The potential top-10 prospect kicked two goals in the second quarter which got Vic Country back into the game, both of those coming from strong marks. He also lifted in the final term when he was thrown on-ball, laying a crunching tackle on the wing and showing repeat efforts at stoppages. He delivered the killer blow to the Allies’ hopes of stealing the game by winning a free kick for a hold and kicking truly from 30m out. Lalor hasn’t played as much midfield throughout the championships due to an interrupted season with injury, but this performance underlined his matchwinning ability.
Xavier Ivisic (Geelong Falcons)
23 disposals, four tackles, three clearances
Ivisic continued his impressive national championships campaign. The Geelong Falcons midfielder found plenty of the Sherrin through the midfield and using it cleanly by hand and foot. His chiselling short kicks often cut the angles and helped his side set up attacking opportunities, while he was also able to find options by hand in congestion. His standing appears to be growing by the game in these national championships.
Lachie Jaques (Geelong Falcons)
22 disposals, nine marks
It is often the offensive plays that steal the show in the under-18 championships but Jaques stood out with his desperate defensive acts. Jaques started off the game with a goal-saving tackle, lunging to stop an Allies forward out the back. He won several key one-on-one contests in the third quarter including two telling intercept marks, one of which he drifted across to take across a pack deep in his defensive 50. The Geelong Falcons defender also got involved in attack, kicking two behinds – one of those from a 50 metre penalty in the dying seconds of the game where he ran down the clock smartly. His ball-use was also impressive besides a costly turnover deep in defence that cost his side a goal in the last quarter.
Jonty Faull (GWV Rebels)
Faull had two majors to halftime and could have had three. The 195cm key forward showed a blatant disregard for his own safety by colliding into the behind post with a gutsy diving chest mark, and then still having the presence of mind to centre it to the open Jasper Alger. Faull’s second goal came from a contested mark close to goal that showed his strong hands overhead. His third major was the best of the lot, snapping it through from 30m while under pressure. Faull has had limited time to prove himself this year but he now has 15 goals in five games for Vic Country and the Rebels.
Cooper Hynes (Dandenong Stingrays)
14 disposals, four marks, one goal
Hynes played all over the ground for Vic Country and had an impact wherever he played. Had a couple of great moments early where he showcased his breakneck speed, one of those a shot at goal that just shaved the post. The Stingrays prospect managed to get on the scoreboard with a set shot goal and also set up a major for Lalor with a low and flat long kick. It wasn’t quite at the heights of his two-goal, 20-disposal outing against Western Australia, but he had more influence than his disposal tally suggests.
Matt Whitlock (Murray Bushrangers)
15 disposals, six marks, two goals
There wasn’t too much splitting the Whitlock twins on Sunday but Matt probably had the better of Jack on this occasion. He showed his footy IQ with his two goals. His first came after plucking an intercept mark from a short kick close to goal in the second quarter. For his second he snuck out the back of a pack cleverly and waltzed into an open goal in the final term. Presented well around the ground and also took a strong overhead mark in a pack on the wing.
Riley Onley (Murray Bushrangers)
20 disposals, seven clearances
It was a shaky start for Onley when he gathered the ball and kicked it the wrong way inside the Allies’ attacking 50, but he quickly made up it. Onley won five clearances in the first half alone and wasn’t afraid to throw his weight around, getting the elusive Lombard holding the ball and busting through a tackle to find O’Sullivan. Was second only to Langford for clearances on the ground and it showed what he can produce as a full-time midfielder.
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