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Draft watch: Who is the king of Victoria's draft talent?
Connor Scanlon • July 21st, 2025 3:43 pm
The final match of the 2024 U18 National Championships took place on the weekend, featuring a blockbuster clash between Victorian rivals Vic Country and Vic Metro.
Vic Country led from start to finish, securing a commanding 30-point win. Country’s victory marked their second win of the carnival and saw them overtake Metro on the ladder to finish second overall.
Here’s how the National Championships ladder wrapped up:1st – South Australia (4 wins, 0 losses)2nd – Vic Country (2 wins, 2 losses)3rd – Vic Metro (2 wins, 2 losses)4th – Allies (1 win, 3 losses)5th – Western Australia (1 win, 3 losses)
With the final game of the series showcasing the best Victorian talent, here’s a breakdown of the standout performers from Vic Country vs Vic Metro:
Vic Country (94) vs (64) Vic Metro
Vic Country
Willem Duursma
Potential No. 1 pick Willem Duursma capped off his national carnival in style, starring in Vic Country’s final game with 27 disposals, 6 marks, 5 tackles and a classy final-term goal. The brother of Essendon’s Xavier and North Melbourne’s Zane averaged 24 disposals and 5 marks throughout the 2025 National Championships, underlining his elite versatility and overhead marking.
Talor Byrne
Small forward Talor Byrne turned heads with a game-high 5 goals from just 13 disposals in a breakout performance. With forward pressure and goal sense like that, Byrne is now a late-season draft bolter.
Cody Walker
Just a few days after Andrew Walker’s son nominated Carlton as his club of choice for the 2026 draft, over his ties to Richmond NGA’s program, Cody Walker had a standout performance with 24 disposals, 7 marks, and a goal. Walker is making an early push to be the No.1 selection for next year’s draft, and all Carlton fans should be excited by the prospects of young Walker.
Riley Onley
The 194cm big-bodied midfielder who has constantly been among Vic Country’s best for the carnival and was dominating in the engine room for Vic Country, until he exited the game due to injury. Onley spent the 2025 preseason training with Collingwood’s VFL program, so the huge midfielder looks set to make the leap to the AFL.
Harry Dean
Carlton father-son prospect Harry Dean, who is the son of Blues premiership player Peter Dean, finished his carnival with another unreal performance. The 194cm key defender took an equal game-high 8 marks, along with 22 disposals. Dean will definitely be a first-round selection, and could develop into the next Jacob Weitering for the Blues.
Hugo Mikunda
Hugo Mikunda topped off his consistent carnival with 22 touches and 2 goals. Mikunda was among the best in this matchup, proving he has what it takes to compete with the top prospects from this year’s draft class.
Jasper Russell
The Dandenong Stingrays small defender made his second appearance for the carnival, performing extremely well with an equal game-high 8 marks, along with 21 disposals. Russell has been stringing together a run of amazing performances for the Stingrays, and is an absolute draft smoky.
Brodie Atkins
Brodie Atkins played the final 2 games of the carnival for Vic Country, where he racked up 18 and 22 touches, respectively. The Gippsland Power talent is as hard as they come inside the engine room, with 7 tackles and 5 clearances for Country. Atkins seems ready to take the leap to the AFL, and will be a sought-after prospect for any clubs looking for a high-intensity midfielder.
Toby Sinnema
Melbourne NGA prospect Toby Sinnema had another eye-catching performance on the wing for Country. This kid can run all day, shown by his 6 marks and 17 disposals. If Melbourne pick up Sinnema in the draft, Ed Langdon will be a great mentor for the young winger’s development.
Callum Smith
Kevin Bartlett’s grandson finished off his carnival with yet another consistent showing. Smith finished with 15 disposals, 3 tackles, and 3 clearances. While Smith is not linked to Richmond, he will be a gun, and the Tigers should keep an eye on of their club legend’s grandson.
Josh Lindsay
The potential top 10 midfielder was quieter for Country than his normal output, only gathering 14 disposals. Nonetheless, Lindsay is still an elite ball using midfielder, and has potential to be one of the best on-ballers from this year’s draft.
Jesse Mellor
The Geelong NGA forward prospect didn’t have the scoring output that he normally does, but he still kicked a goal from 2 scoring shots. Mellor ends his carnival with 8 goals and a whopping 16 scoring shots. He knows how to get the ball in dangerous positions, and the potential first-round pick should be an excellent addition to Geelong’s forward line.
Zac Harding
199cm Zac Harding won the ruck battle all day, with a game-high 19 hit outs. Harding also influenced the game on the ground thanks to 15 disposals, 3 tackles, and 5 clearances. Harding was overlooked in this year’s mid-season draft, but is officially listed in Carlton’s VFL squad, so that could be a sign of things to come.
Tairon Ah-Mu
This 198cm Pacific Island talent didn’t have the output he would’ve hoped for in this matchup, spending his time rotating between key forward and ruck. Ah-Mu is part of Melbourne’s NGA program, however he’s not eligible for priority selection by the Demons due to AFL rules, which currently only apply NGA priority access to players of Indigenous, Asian or African descent.
Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves
The AFL Academy talent didn’t have much impact at all, with only 7 touches. The standout performance from his carnival came in Vic Country’s first game where he kicked a game-high 4 goals, along with 18 disposals.
Vic Metro
Ollie Greeves
Potential top 5 selection Ollie Greeves was the best-on-ground, ending with 24 disposals, 4 clearances, and 3 tackles. This tops off an outstanding carnival where he averaged 25 touches, proving that he could be one of the best midfielders from this year’s draft.
Cooper Duff-Tytler
The 200cm potential No. 1 pick ruckman Cooper Duff-Tytler spent more time up forward in this matchup, kicking 2 goals from 4 scoring shots. The youngster had 12 disposals and 5 marks, proving he is equally as good up forward as he is in the ruck.
Lachy Dovaston
Arguably the best small forward from this year’s draft, Dovaston kicked another 2 goals. He finishes his National Champs carnival with 9 goals, and a major case as the best small forward from the 2025 draft. The Eastern Ranges product is on fire, and AFL clubs will be chasing him on draft night.
Jack Dalton
Jack Dalton was among the best for Vic Metro with an equal game-high 27 disposals, and a game-high 10 tackles. Dalton has been putting together some amazing performances for Sandringham in the Coates Talent League, and his draft stock has definitely been bolstered from this outstanding performance.
Adam Sweid
Essendon NGA small forward had a run in the midfield this week for Vic Metro, and he absolutely dominated. Sweid racked up 24 touches along with 6 clearances, proving that despite being only 175cm, he can still have an impact in the midfield.
Hussien El Achkar
Other Essendon NGA small forward only kicked 1 goal this week after kicking 5 in the two games prior. Despite only having 6 touches, El Achkar proved he was still dangerous around goals when he was given his opportunity.
Zac McCarthy
The 200cm Collingwood NGA prospect had another impressive performance up forward, with 12 disposals, 3 marks, and a goal. McCarthy has shown glimpses of excellence this carnival, and if the Pies select him, he could be developed into one of the best key forwards in the competition.
Xavier Taylor
Rebounding defender Xavier Taylor was crucial for Vic Metro again off the half-backline, taking an equal game-high 8 marks, along with 16 disposals, providing plenty of run and carry out of the backline.
Thomas McGuane
Collingwood father-son prospect Tom McGuane, the son of Mick, had a quiet performance given his standards. McGuane had only 13 disposals and 2 marks, which is much less than his usual output. Tom McGuane still has unreal potential, and the Pies will welcome him with open arms.
Jack Ison
Carlton have another priority pick here with Jack Ison, who is a Carlton NGA prospect. Ison’s elite forward-half IQ was on show again, having 3 scoring shots from 17 disposals. Ison also took 7 marks, and could be an amazing forward-half player for the Blues.
Kye Fincher
St Kilda NGA midfielder Kye Fincher finished his carnival with an impressive 20 disposals and equal game-high 8 marks. St Kilda are desperate for an elite midfielder right now, and Kye Fincher could develop into just that for the Saints.
Thomas Burton
AFL academy member and 2024 Caulfield Grammar graduate managed 17 disposals, 3 marks, and 2 clearances from the midfield for Metro. Burton has been putting together a string of impressive performances in the Coates Talent League, averaging 30 disposals for the Western Jets. AFL recruiters will definitely be keeping an eye out for this young talent.
Samuel Grlj
Potential first-round prospect Samuel Grlj accumulated 17 disposals, alongside 5 marks and 4 tackles. Grlj makes every disposal count, and his speed outpaces everyone else. The Oakleigh Chargers midfielder has all the X-factor attributes to be a first-round selection.
Max Kondogiannas
190cm defender from the Oakleigh Chargers was one of the best for Vic Metro, racking up 22 disposals, and 4 marks. Kondogiannas is shaping up to be a great defensive prospect from this year’s draft class.
Tyson Gresham
The brother of Essendon’s Jade Gresham also had a quiet showing, with only 7 disposals. Tyson had a game-high 9 marks last week against the Allies, but didn’t even take a single mark this week. Despite this poorer performance, Tyson Gresham will still be gaining attention from AFL recruiters, and If he can have a career anything like his brother, he’ll be in the AFL system for a long time.
With the U18 National Championships now officially done and dusted for the year, all eyes will be on the Coates Talent League to see which prospects solidify their case to be drafted in November.
