Draft Intel: Carlton linked star a mix of Cripps and Walsh, top-five chance a ‘future club captain’
Carlton has two father-son prospects this year, but looks set to hit the jackpot with another gun in 2026. Plus, the top-five pick who has been labelled a ‘future club captain’ and the dual-sport star with a decision to make.
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The under-18 national championships are over, which means the countdown to the 2024 AFL Draft begins.
Here’s the latest news and views from around the country — including a 2026 draft prospect who is already hitting the headlines.
THE BLUES FATHER-SON WHO IS A MIX OF CRIPPS AND WALSH
He used to sit in the grandstands alongside Carlton great Anthony Koutoufides, some of his fondest childhood memories involved kicking a footy around Princes Park and he gets text messages from modern day Blues champions Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh.
Cody Walker is navy blue through and through — and the Carlton father-son prospect is already shaping as one of the hottest players in the 2026 AFL Draft pool.
The son of 202-game former Blues star Andrew — himself a No. 2 draft pick in 2003 — Walker was the talk of AFL recruiters on the Gold Coast last week as he glittered during the under-16 national championships.
Playing for Vic Country, Walker finished as the fourth-highest rated player at the tournament, averaging 28 disposals, 7 clearances, 6.7 score involvements and 140 ranking points.
He won Vic Country’s MVP award and helped propel his side to the title in Pool A.
“It was a bit of a rollercoaster, that tournament, but I’m glad we got the win,” Walker said.
“I had a fair idea of what I wanted to do and I thought I executed that.”
Walker had every reason to be confident going into the championships considering his lead-in.
Having just celebrated his 16th birthday in January, he made his senior football debut for Echuca in the Goulburn Valley Football League last month.
Walker logged 23 disposals and kicked two goals from a wing against Shepparton in that match, under the guidance of Echuca co-coach and father Andrew.
“Dad’s a huge influence,” Walker said.
“He doesn’t need to say much. Once he says something, obviously you’re going to listen to it and then in the game when you try and it works you’re just like, ‘Oh, that’s helped so much’. I can’t thank him enough.”
Also a handy basketballer who has played representative level hoops for the Echuca Pirates, Walker has joined 2024 AFL draft prospects Ben and Lucas Camporeale as part of Carlton’s father-son program over the past 18 months.
The Indigenous talent is also tied to Richmond’s Next Generation Academy and has had significant involvement with the Tigers.
“I’ve loved the Carlton footy club so much and they’ve done so much for me and I’m very thankful for them,” Walker said.
“There’s also Richmond in the corner, who have helped me with a lot of things as well. They do really well with the Aboriginal side of me. I’ve got a few mentors there that just teach me around the mental side and they’ve helped out with my early career playing in some academies. But I’m definitely starting to kick on a lot with Carlton right now.”
A first-year apprentice electrician, Walker idolises Carlton on-ballers Cripps and Walsh and has had the opportunity to meet the pair through his program with the Blues.
Both Cripps and Walsh sent him messages of support before and after the under-16 national championships.
“I’ve based my game off those two fellas – contested ball from Cripps and then running from Walsh,” Walker said.
“They’ve definitely been watching the carnivals and have had a bit of an eye on me. So I’m very thankful for them.”
Walker said that some of the best advice he had received from his father was “try not to get ahead of yourself.”
However, early indications are that he is well on track to achieve a lifelong dream and become the second member of his family to pull on the boots for the Blues.
“Every kid in Australia probably wants to get drafted one day, but to go father-son would definitely be a special thing that I’ve always wanted to accomplish,” Walker said.
“I think I was in the club in the first two weeks of my life. I’ve got extremely good memories of that place.”
SMITH A ‘FUTURE CLUB CAPTAIN’
Top-five draft prospect Jagga Smith has been hailed a potential AFL captain in waiting after leading Vic Metro to victory in the under-18 national championships.
Smith served as skipper for the star-studded side and impressed with his leadership and ball-winning ability.
A consistent performer across Vic Metro’s four matches, the midfielder stood out with his cleanliness, silky skills, elite running patterns, clearance wins and unselfish play going forward.
The Oakleigh Chargers product finished as the top-ranked player of the tournament, averaging 29.3 disposals, 4.8 marks, 6.8 clearances, 6 score involvements and 135 ranking points.
Smith was named as captain of the All-Australian side, forming part of the starting midfield.
“He just led by example and led from the front,” Vic Metro coach Rob Harding said.
“He was so passionate about succeeding with this group. I was really pleased for him that we got there in the end.
“I think we’re seeing his game grow in front of our eyes. He’s always been a high-level talent. He can find the ball. He’s had 50 touches in a Coates League game. He’s a prolific ball winner, but I thought through this tournament, he got more damaging as we went.
“Whichever club picks him in the draft, they’re going to get a leader. He’s going to walk in, he’s going to learn from the leaders they’ve got, but then he’s going to put his own stamp on it at some point too. He’s got club captain written all over him in the future.”
In an exclusive column in May, Smith had listed leadership as a key focus of his game this year.
“With Oakleigh, there have been lots of boys coming in and out of the team each week, so it’s just about trying to be a good leader for everyone in our program and to remain positive,” Smith said.
DODSON WITH DECISION TO MAKE
South Australian ruckman Alex Dodson has a big decision to make about whether he pursues football after being recognised as one of the top talents in the country.
Dodson was named the starting ruckman in the under-18 All-Australian team this week, having lit it up for his state during the national championships.
An incredibly mobile player who wins more ball than most ruckmen, Dodson featured in only three of South Australia’s four matches but averaged 17.3 disposals, 3 marks, 19.7 hit-outs (6.7 to advantage) and 3.7 clearances.
A dual-sport athlete, Dodson won a gold medal playing basketball for Australia at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany earlier this year.
“He’s an exceptional talent,” South Australian coach Tony Bamford said.
“The thing that Alex does well is post-ruck contests he’s involved in the game. He doesn’t just watch the ball after the ruck contest. He gets involved at ground level. He also marks the ball in general play, which is another good thing for rucks to do. Had we had another couple of games, I would have liked to play him a bit more forward as well. But we just needed him in the ruck. He was so good.”
LANGFORD’S STOCKS RISE
A tough inside midfielder who looks up to Marcus Bontempelli has seen his draft stocks significantly rise on the back of an eye-catching under-18 national championships campaign.
Dandenong Stringrays midfielder Harvey Langford was named a joint winner of the Larke Medal as the best player of the tournament last Sunday, having been a dominant force for Vic Country across four matches.
Langford is a Richmond supporter but trained alongside the likes of Jack Viney and Christian Petracca at Melbourne during pre-season as part of the AFL Academy program.
A big-bodied player, he stands 190cm tall – not far behind the 194cm Bontempelli.
“I like how he’s able to get down forward, impact on the scoreboard and in the air,” Langford said of Bontempelli earlier this year.
Langford kicked only one goal for Vic Country during the championships – which came from a big contested mark in the goalsquare against Vic Metro last Sunday – but impacted the scoreboard in other ways as he averaged 25.5 disposals, 6.3 clearances, 2 score assists and 7.5 score involvements.
“He pretty much played the whole time in the middle,” Vic Country coach Paul Corrigan said of Langford.
“He was exceptional around stoppages and clearances. He also found a lot of ball on the outside, but also proved on the weekend he’s got that aerial prowess to go forward and mark the footy and hit the scoreboard as well. I just thought his whole campaign was super consistent and really impressive for us.”
VICTORIA LEADS THE WAY IN DRAFT POOL
Victoria’s expected dominance at the top end of this year’s draft pool was highlighted with the release of the under-18 boys All-Australian team this week.
Of the 23 players named in the team, 13 played for Vic Metro or Vic Country during the national championships.
A further two players – Jobe Shanahan and Sam Marshall – featured for the Allies during the tournament but have been playing in Victoria in the Coates Talent League this year.
Shanahan is a key forward who hails from Moama just across the New South Wales border but is involved with the Bendigo Pioneers, while Brisbane Lions Academy midfielder Sam Marshall is originally a Queenslander who is boarding at Melbourne Grammar and playing for the Sandringham Dragons.
Another Allies player named in the All-Australian team was Gold Coast Suns Academy member Zeke Uwland, who featured as a bottom-age player and is not eligible to be drafted until 2025.
Western Australia midfielder Bo Allan was the only player from his state to make the team, while South Australia had three representatives in exciting mobile ruckman Alex Dodson, top-10 fancy Sid Draper and Carlton father-son prospect Ben Camporeale.
Vic Metro won the championship from Vic Country.
U18 BOYS ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM
B: Zeke Uwland (Allies), Luke Trainor (Vic M), Harrison Oliver (Vic M)
HB: Tobie Travaglia (Vic C), Clancy Dennis (WA), Lachie Jaques (Vic C)
C: Xavier Lindsay (Vic C), Leo Lombard (Allies), Bo Allan (WA)
HF: Tom Gross (Vic M), Jobe Shanahan (Allies), Murphy Reid (Vic M)
FF: Isaac Kako (Vic M), Harry Armstrong (Vic M), Joe Berry (Vic C)
FOLL: Alex Dodson (SA), Harvey Langford (Vic C), Jagga Smith (Vic M)
INT: Levi Ashcroft (Vic M), Ben Camporeale (SA), Sid Draper (SA), Sam Marshall (Allies), Logan Smith (Allies)
COACH: Rob Harding (Vic M)
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