AFL Draft: Under-16 national championships scouting notes, stats and ranking points

Several prospects tied to clubs are making waves at the under-16 championships — including two prospects with Essendon links. See all the scouting notes, SuperCoach points and stats.

Cats NGA prospect Tom Steinfort has impressed for Vic Country. Picture: Craig Dooley/AFL Photos

The under-16 championships are in full swing up on the Gold Coast and recruiters were treated to two thrillers on Tuesday.

South Australia came from 28-points down to knock off Vic Country, while Western Australia threatened to come back themselves but Vic Metro managed to hold on to win by three points.

SCROLL DOWN FOR ALL THE STATS AND SCOUTING NOTES

Several club-tied talents impressed on Tuesday, including highly-touted Essendon father-son Koby Bewick (son of Darren, Geelong Next Generation Academy prospect Tom Steinfort (son of ex-Cat and Pie Carl) and exciting Port Adelaide NGA forward Zemes Pilot.

See all the scouting notes, SuperCoach points and stats below.

VIC COUNTRY v SOUTH AUSTRALIA

VIC COUNTRY

Tom Steinfort (Geelong NGA)

Defender, 194cm, Geelong Falcons/South Melbourne Districts

19 disposals, 8 marks, 4 rebound 50s, 1.1

Steinfort, the son of former Geelong and Collingwood player Carl, nearly led Vic Country to victory with exceptional reading of the play in defence and shift forward in the final term. The Geelong Next Generation Academy tall missed a snap on goal but he had the ball in his hands soon after, kicking truly from 40 metres and giving the crowd a double cobra after putting Vic Country back in front with four minutes to play. As a key defender, Steinfort took a handful of intercept marks as he showed off his vice-like hands overhead. Some of his kicking was off but he certainly made up for it with his crucial late goal.

Max Thompson

Forward/midfielder, Bendigo Pioneers/Nyah Nyah West

15 disposals, 6 marks, 4 inside 50s, 2.1

Thompson finished with a bag of five against Vic Metro a month ago, and he looked on track to match that haul. The exciting forward/midfielder bobbed up for two goals and a behind in the opening quarter, all coming from uncontested marks in a sign of his workrate. He spent more time up the ground after quarter time where he hit up three teammates with sizzling passes inside 50, including Steinfort’s go-ahead goal. A player you want the ball in the hands of.

Max Thompson has shone at the champs for Vic Country. Picture: Craig Dooley/AFL Photos

Kyan Walters

Defender, 185cm, Geelong Falcons/Newtown & Chilwell

20 disposals, 18 kicks, 5 rebound 50s

Walters’ numbers were inflated by South Australia’s inaccuracy but it is clear to see why he took many of the kick-ins. The smooth-moving defender used his precise left-boot to great effect throughout the contest. He also took plenty of bounces – even before he took a kick-in and on two occasions after he just walked out of the goalsquare.

Corey Ah-Mu

Forward, 196cm, Dandenong Stingrays/Berwick

11 disposals, 3 marks, 1.1

Having played junior basketball for Samoa, Ah-Mu’s athleticism certainly catches the eye. Ah-Mu produced one of the goals of the game when his side needed it most in the last term, running onto a smothered ball and booting it through from 40 metres to put Vic Country within a goal. In the first quarter he broke away from a tackler and hit up Thompson with a kick across his body. Ah-Mu also showed his overhead marking with a couple of strong grabs. He is also the brother of 2025 draft prospect Tairon Ah-Mu.

Archie Whitlock

Forward, 179cm, Murray Bushrangers/Shepparton

12 disposals, 6 tackles, 4 marks

The brother of first-year twins Matt and Jack Whitlock was much better than the numbers suggest. Whitlock’s elusiveness and tackling pressure impressed and he helped keep his side in the game with a crucial play late. Whitlock sprinted back into the defensive 50 to take an intercept mark in front of a South Australian player.

Charlie Fischer

Forward, 178cm, Gippsland Power/Phillip Island

9 disposals, 2 goals

Fischer showed he has tricks in the air and at ground level. The lively small forward flew to take a specky on the back of an unlucky SA defender in the second term and in the third quarter he picked an opponent’s pocket and burst away to help set up a goal. He looked dangerous whenever the ball was in his area and finished with two goals.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Kai Ivins

Forward/midfielder, 180cm, Norwood/Payneham Norwood

26 disposals, 10 inside 50s, 6 marks, 3.1

Ivins’ first goal was a sign of things to come, streaming through and selling candy before slotting it from 40 metres. He had a second major soon after from a set shot and added a third with another classy finish on the run in the third term. After that point Ivins spent more time in the midfield and was pivotal in South Australia’s comeback, taking strong marks, winning clearances and delivering inside 50 – finishing with 10 entries for the match. It’s hard to see how SA would have stole victory without him.

Hugo Semmler

Ruck, 199cm, Central District/Gawler

38 hitouts, 17 disposals, 6 marks, 5 clearances

Up against a 208cm opponent in Cohen Dent, Semmler was the best player on the ground to halftime. Semmler did it in the air, getting crunched in a pack mark in the first term and taking several imposing intercept grabs, and at ground level, where he became another midfielder at stoppages. His tapwork at centre bounces was also impressive as he found his teammates on the move.

Hugo Semmler. Daniel Carson (AFL Photos).

Zemes Pilot (Port Adelaide NGA)

Forward, 190cm, South Adelaide/Port Noarlunga

17 disposals, 4 inside 50, 2.2

It’s hard not to take notice of Pilot every time he is near the footy. The Port Adelaide NGA talent is a tall and a small rolled into one, as he showed in the opening term when he leapt high for a spoil over the back, ran down a Vic Country player to win a holding the ball free kick, and then spotted up Ivins inside 50 to set up a goal. A couple of clever handballs under pressure to teammates assisted another two goals in the third term. Pilot got the scoreboard reward himself in the final quarter, booting two majors to give SA the lead – one where he burst onto a loose ball close to goal and another where he cleverly stayed stayed down in a marking contest before he thread the needle from a tight angle.

Laurence Andriani

Midfielder, 170cm, West Adelaide/SMOSH West Lakes

32 disposals, 9 clearances, 7 marks

Andriani led the way for disposals and clearances as the midfielder shone with his intent at the contest and burst of speed. The small on-baller set up a couple of goals with clever passes and laid some key tackles. His last quarter was important with the game on the line and he won the next centre clearance after Vic Country hit the front.

Taj Garrett

Midfielder, 182cm, Sturt/Imperial

28 disposals, six clearances, 1.3

Garrett lifted in the second half, stepping up to the plate to put his side in front in the dying minutes. After kicking three behinds earlier in the contest, Garrett coolly slotted the set shot from 40 metres out to give his side the lead with two minutes to go. He gave his side meterage with 21 of his 28 disposals being kicks and won six clearances – second only to Andriani.

SUPERCOACH POINTS

VIC C

K. Walters 133

O. Boddenberg 112

T. Steinfort 107

M. Thompson 104

T. Buchanan 98

M. Pendergast 87

E. Wood 83

H. Welsh 80

A. Whitlock 72

C. Fischer 71

C. Montebello 71

A. Blood 67

P. McKenna 67

C. Ah-Mu 65

L. Salopek 58

J. Gourley 57

L. Petrie 48

L. Pring 42

N. Mensch 36

L. Stephenson 31

R. Lual 24

C. Dent 21

SA

L. Andriani 187

K. Ivins 153

H. Semmler 144

T. Garrett 141

Z. Pilot 124

Z. Rooney 101

M. Pendergast 87

H. Tamblyn 75

H. Chapman 73

T. Sampson 71

A. Faulkner 70

O. Easton 67

J. Jarrad 63

P. Burgoyne 55

T. Gribben 55

C. Allen 52

D. Hatedakis 49

L. Petrie 48

L. Pring 42

O. Glover 40

C. Gallasch 39

C. Best 37

B. Nicholls 36

R. Both 32

A. Crispe 26

B. Whimpress 4

VIC METRO v WESTERN AUSTRALIA

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Axel Walsh

Ruck, 200cm, East Perth/ East Perth/Mt Lawley Inglewood

25 hitouts, 20 disposals, 5 clearances, 5 marks

A serious contender to be the No.1 pick in 2027, Walsh did everything he could to will his side over the line, often tapping it to himself at centre bounces and stoppages to win the clearance. The freakishly athletic 200cm ruckman had eight hitouts to advantage and his follow up work was phenomenal, finishing with 15 contested possessions. Walsh fought hard with repeat efforts at one stoppage in the dying minutes but was caught holding the ball, one of his rare blemishes of the day. He also regularly dropped back in defence where he took three intercept marks, one on occasion bursting away after a grab on the last line and hitting up a target.

Axel Walsh has dominated at the champs. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos

James Artemis

Midfielder, 176cm, East Fremantle/Hammond Park

18 disposals, 6 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 5 tackles, 2 goal

Artemis is high impact with his power and speed, as he showed with his two spectacular goals. In the first term the speedster sprinted all the way from the halfback flank to receive it in the middle of the ground and launched long from 50m. Then to edge his side closer in the last term, Artemis stripped a Vic Metro player, gathered in congestion and snapped it through on the bounce from 45 metres. A great kick in the second term bounced perfectly to Jayke Taylor over the back who goaled, and he sold candy and dashed away from the man on the mark the very next play.

Angus Abbonizio

Midfielder, 183cm, Subiaco/Wembley Downs

26 disposals, 21 kicks, 10 marks, 4 inside

Abbonizio racked up plenty of the ball on the outside and converted a long range set shot from the paint to quickstart his side’s second-half comeback. His workrate and overhead marking was prominent throughout as he went on to have 10 uncontested marks, and he looked to get the ball moving by foot.

Jayke Taylor

Forward, 187cm, East Fremantle/Willeton

12 disposals, 5 marks, 3.1

Taylor was the standout forward on the ground, consistently presenting around the ground and kicking three majors. His best came in the second quarter when he ran onto a bouncing ball out the back and weaved it through from 20 metres on a tough angle. The medium forward’s workrate was particularly impressive, taking five marks on the lead for the match.

Campbell Creyk

Midfielder/forward, 181cm, West Perth/North Beach

22 disposals, 8 marks, 5 inside 50s

Creyk was dynamic in the forward half, finishing with nine score involvements and four score assists. In the last quarter Creyk intercepted a handball and burst away to help set up another goal with the game on the line. He also showed his speed on the defensive end with a desperate rundown tackle on the wing in the third term.

VIC METRO

Moustafa Darwish (Essendon NGA)

Defender, 179cm, Calder Cannons/Alberfeldie

16 disposals, 8 intercepts, 6 marks

A member of Essendon’s Next Generation Academy, Darwish was the top-ranked Vic Metro player on the ground in their win. The rebounding halfback read the play to perfection, taking three intercept marks – two of those contested - and was able to turn defence into attack with his pinpoint footskills. Darwish came off his man in the last quarter to take an intercept mark and quickly played on and kicked long to find Jake Miller inside 50 who slotted he goal.

Angus Brown

Midfielder/forward, 173cm, Sandringham Dragons/Caulfield

21 disposals, 4 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 1.1

Brown dominated the first half with 16 disposals, which he finished with a goal that highlighted his exciting attributes. The crafty mid-forward weaved past two tacklers in heavy congestion inside 50 after sharking a tap and when the ball was kicked back inside 50, he hit the ball at speed and checksided it through in traffic. Has an uncanny knack of finding space with his dancing feet.

Harper McCullough

Midfielder, 176cm, Oakleigh Chargers/Beaconsfield

19 disposals, 8 clearances, 8 tackles

McCullough was tough as nails at the source, where he laid tackles and won clearances with his clean hands and lateral movement. On one occasion he ripped the ball out of congestion and burst clear with speed, and he also shrugged off two tacklers to get a handball out in another eye-catching play.

Griffin Barker

Midfielder, 185cm, Western Jets/Yarraville Seddon Eagles

19 disposals, 1 goal

Barker started his day with a long-range set shot from 50 metres in the opening term and from there he showcased his agility and toughness continually. A big fend-off on a WA tackler sent them flying and on another he looked gone for all money, but managed to handball off to a teammate in space to set up a scoring opportunity.

Baxter Sruk

Midfielder, 182cm, Eastern Ranges/Rowville

22 disposals, 5 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 1.1

There were plenty of fine finishes, but Sruk’s in the last quarter was probably the pick of the lot, selling candy and launching long on his raking left boot from 50 metres in the final term. Sruk also took the sealing intercept mark in the dying seconds and cleverly chipped backwards to take time off the clock. The tall midfielder was clean at ground level as he won his fair share of contested ball and set up a goal for Kravic with an impressive long handball.

Jake Miller

Forward, 195cm, Western Jets/Yarraville Seddon Eagles

5 disposals, 3 marks, 3.1

Miller booted four goals in his Coates League debut last month, and he finished with a game-high three goals against Western Australia. The 195cm prospect was able to separation inside 50 on several occasions and two of his goals came from set shots.

Koby Bewick celebrates a goal for Vic Metro. Picture: Craig Dooley/AFL Photos

Koby Bewick (Essendon father-son)

Midfielder, 177cm, Calder Cannons/Strathmore

17 disposals, nine inside 50s

The son of dual premiership Bomber Darren Bewick wasn’t as dominant as his first game of the champs last month, but he provided plenty of drive with nine inside 50s. One of those penetrating long kicks resulted in a goal for Toby Jeffs after he found him in space. He was generally tidy with his disposal and also gave a glimpse into his defensive game with a crunching tackle in the third term which earnt him a free kick.

Toby Jeffs

Forward, 190cm, Northern Knights/Yarrambat

9 disposals, 4 marks, 4 inside 50s, 2.1

Jeffs was able to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates in a variety of different ways. The Knights product converted a set shot in the first quarter and then took a strong overhead mark and hit up Jake Miller on the lead. In the second term a smother a smother on the mark and handball over the top saw Miller walk into an open goal. He turned crumber in the final quarter as he snapped through an important goal for his side under pressure from 20 metres.

SUPERCOACH POINTS - VIC M v WA

VIC METRO

M. Darwish 148

H. McCullough 139

C. Rooks 127

B. Sruk 106

A. Brown 104

T. Jeffs 94

T. Rodan 92

O. Bond 88

K. Bewick 87

A. King 79

G. Barker 77

C. White 69

J. Flower 62

O. Castro 60

J. Miller 58

A. West 50

J. Destefanis 42

A. Bakoulas 38

E. Kravic 38

R. Ham 31

Z. Adams 21

S. Law 9

L. Alexander 3

WA

A. Walsh 171

Abbonizio 143

K. Inferrera 120

J. Taylor 120

C. Creyk 117

F. Tomasini 95

J. Kee 90

F. Gunton 82

W. Blaxell 76

J. Oliver 62

A. Clayton 61

X. Little 56

C. Williams 56

N. Hannaford 54

H. Hearn 54

R. Williamson 54

S. O’Brien 53

C. Douglas 37

O. Richardson 28

T. Warner 23

T. Eichner 9

L. Jones 5

Tasmania v Gold Coast - Future Devils smash Suns

Gold Coast’s academy has been a production line of talent in recent years, but it was Tasmania who annihilated the Suns on their home turf at the under-16 championships on Monday in an exciting sign for the Devils’ first-ever draft crop.

Tasmania blitzed the Suns Academy 80-0 in the opening half and went on to smash the Suns by 164 points at People’s First Stadium on the Gold Coast, with a host of 2027 draft prospects turning heads for Tasmania.

Tasmania’s AFL side is slated to have priority access to all Tasmanian talent if it enters the competition in 2027 and Max Gulliver and Chaice Oliver are just a couple of prospects from the Apple Isle to get excited about.

Marking forward Oliver booted four goals in the opening half and seven for the match, while Max Gulliver had a day out with 27 disposals, 12 inside 50s, 10 clearances and three goals.

The dominant performance is Tasmania’s second win from two games in the division two of the under-16 carnival, also thumping Northern Territory by 70 points last month.

For the Suns, athletic ruckman Travis Larkins was their best with team-highs for clearances and disposals.

TASMANIA

Max Gulliver

Midfielder, 178cm, Glenorchy

A serious talent who is the early frontrunner to be Tasmania’s very first draft pick if it enters the AFL ranks. After three goals and had 30 disposals in Tasmania’s first win, Gulliver repeated the dose against the Suns – and this performance might have been even better. Gulliver’s exhilarating speed and penetrating kick were a feature throughout the contest and when the game was on the line in the first quarter, he amassed nine disposals, six inside 50s and slotted a goal. A terrific finish in the last term underlined his exciting attributes, ripping the ball away from congestion and bursting away, taking a bounce and slotting the goal on the run from the arc like he was shelling peas.

Max Gulliver has had a strong carnival for Tasmania. Picture: Craig Dooley/AFL Photos

Chaice Oliver

Forward, 187cm, South Launceston

Contested mark, goal, repeat. That summed up Oliver’s day as he dominated the air inside 50 with his strong hands and bodywork, taking 10 marks for the match – most of those contested – and booting 7.3. It looked like men against boys when Tasmania bombed long to Oliver, who had four goals to halftime – which could easily have been five if he converted another gettable chance. He went on to kick another three majors in the second half, the main highlight a towering mark over the top in the pocket that wowed the crowd.

Benji Russell

Midfielder, 176cm, Lauderdale

Russell’s sublime footskills were on full display against the Suns, pumping the ball inside 50 nine times and generally finding a target. The midfielder dodged and weaved around tacklers with his agility and speed, and he also got involved defensively with a team-high seven tackles.

Lucas Heazlewood

Forward, 176cm, Ulverstone

Heazlewood has plenty of x-factor and speed to burn as a small forward. All three of his goals were highlights, with his second major the best of them, pressuring the Suns into a mistake before gathering, selling candy and kicking it through from close range. Heazlewood regularly put on the afterburners and couldn’t be caught, and he also showed his creative ball sue by setting up another couple of scores.

Henry Chapman

Ruck, 190cm, North Hobart

Chapman’s hit-outs and follow up work were impressive, tallying the fifth-most disposals on the ground from the ruck with 20 to his name. He had 10 hit-outs in the first quarter alone and finished with 23 for the match. He showcased his athleticism with a soccer out of mid-air close to goal and could have had another major late, but missed the set shot.

Sam Husband

Forward/midfielder, 180cm, Launceston

A classy ball user, Husband was able to have an influence in the midfield and up forward where he booted two goals. He always seemed to have time and space, highlighted by his last quarter goal where he weaved past several Suns to slot a goal from 40m out. Husband’s best play of the day was a behind from the arc, winning the centre clearance, bursting away with two bounces and just missing

Jake Beams

Midfielder/forward, 178cm, Glenorchy

Beams finished with four goals for the match but his defensive pressure was just as eye-catching. The Glenorchy product laid seven tackles, with one rundown tackle in the second term bringing up his second goal. Beams has plenty of purchase on his left boot as he showed with his first goal from the paint, and he sold candy to snap through his fourth just before the final siren.

SUNS ACADEMY

Travis Larkins

Ruck, 194cm, Cairns

The athletic ruckman fought tirelessly in the ruck and had some promising moments on a tough day for his side. Larkins followed up nicely to win a team-high six clearances for the match along with an equal team-high 14 disposals and 18 hit-outs.

Cameron Burgess

Defender, 184cm, Broadbeach

The Suns defence was under immense pressure throughout the contest and it might have lost by more if it wasn’t for Burgess. The Broadbeach product had some key defensive efforts and generally used the ball well, finishing with eight rebound 50s from 11 touches.

Paddy Fitzgibbon

Forward, 177cm, Palm Beach Currumbin

Fitzgibbon didn’t get a great deal of opportunities up forward but he certainly didn’t drop his head. The bottom-ager came from nowhere with a fantastic rundown tackle on the wing and got involved up the ground with 12 touches.

Cooper Wanders

178cm, South Cairns

Wanders caught the eye whenever he had the footy. The smooth mover stepped through defenders with ease on a couple of occasions and showed some dash in one run along the wing.

SUPERCOACH POINTS

TASSIE

M. Gulliver 207

H. Chapman 156

S. Husband 145

B. Russell 141

M. Dawkins 129

J. Beams 127

J. Morrison 121

M. Whitney 114

L. Heazlewood 99

T. Bearman 88

M. Fugslang 87

O. Freeland 85

B. Banks Smith 81

O. Bennett 81

W. Redman 77

H. Millwood 75

C. Burgess 74

C. Barwick 54

J. Smith 52

V. Johnson 48

E. Clemons 45

C. Wanders 44

M. Hernyk 38

S. Spearing 30

X. Lalic 29

M. Flanagan 27

J. Frost 25

O. Watters 25

Z. Gale 24

B. Grimster 20

J. Hall 19

H. King 13

SUNS

O. Bennett 81

B. Banks Smith 81

G. Barker 77

C. Burgess 74

C. Glass 70

J. Moore 69

K. Skinner 66

P. Fitzgibbon 62

A. Gray 55

C. Barwick 54

J. Smith 52

A. Atkinson 49

K. Green 49

C. Wanders 44

H. Cloke 32

S. Spearing 30

X. Lalic 29

M. Flanagan 27

J. Frost 25

O. Watters 25

Z. Gale 24

O. King 24

B. Schellebeck 21

B. Grimster 20

J. Hall 19

H. King 13

Originally published as AFL Draft: Under-16 national championships scouting notes, stats and ranking points