It’s that time of year again when Cal Twomey is in hibernation, and I get a turn to use his crystal ball and predict how the first 20 picks will go in the draft. I may be wildly off on some as I don’t have his level of intel (who does?), but here’s my best crack.
Pick 1 – Cooper Duff-Tyler
Having already been announced (and given it’s my pick) there is no mystery on who will go at pick 1 in this year’s draft. The ruck unicorn that models his game on TDK and Luke Jackson, and as far as everything I saw had a better under 18 year than Jackson did, the Soldiers are not risking missing out on their guy. This is the second straight year the Soldiers have not kept a ruck within their 20 keepers. A fact which will not be repeated for a long time with CDT on their list.
Pick 2 – Dyson Sharp
This is where the challenge comes, as there isn’t a clear top pick in this draft. You could throw a blanket over the top 4 or so mids, so which way coach Buzz will go could have a massive impact on the next few selections. Sharp gets the nod at the reigning Larke medallist and captain of the undefeated SA side at the under 18 carnival, averaging 27 touches a game. He’ll be given every opportunity to start in Essendon’s round 1 team, and has solid fantasy numbers across his junior years that you would only expect to grow.
Pick 3 – Willem Duursma
There is surprisingly far less challenge in this pick than the previous one. The West Coast fan traded up to get the West Coast player drafted at number 1 overall in the AFL draft. Duursma will be (barring injury) straight into the Eagles round 1 team, and while that probably won’t be the case for his career at MSHB, he will at least be scoring (we assume) enough points that he could be a handy emergency for this team fighting to go back-to-back.
Pick 4 – Zeke Uwland
This selection is a genuine coin flip between Uwland and Dan Annable. Uwland gets the nod to head East purely because of his dual position status and chances of playing early in 2026. An excellent junior career with great fantasy numbers, and no signs of slowing down. Already a better fantasy player than his brother. Given the depth players that Gold Coast lost in the offseason has the chance to stake his case for a round 1 selection for both GC and the Pukekos with their injuries.
Pick 5 – Dan Annable
The Soldiers will be happy with any of the players listed 2-5 falling to them, and the only hard choice they will face at this pick will be if more than one of them fall to this point. Annable has been talked about as potentially the most talented player in this pool, and I feel he would be as high as pick 2 if it wasn’t for the fact he’s playing for the back-to-back premiers whose lineup will be extremely hard to break into. The Soldiers can afford to play the long game with DA, as with very little expectations of wins this year Annable spending time in the VFL developing his craft won’t hurt any premiership ambitions.
Pick 6 – Josh Lindsay
This is where the next tier of rookie starts, and where a few coaches might start looking at non-rookie players to fill out their teams. Not coach Zerna though, who wants to bring more youth through the doors. Lindsay is a great kick and just like was mentioned with Duursma, playing for the Eagles means he’ll get plenty of opportunity early on. Will get the keys to the half back role with the main kicking responsibility far earlier than most rookies, and so the sky’s the limit on what his production could be. A strong showing in the Eagles intra club game may have sealed this pick.
Pick 7 – Jacob Farrow
In a similar vein to Lindsay, a rebounding half back that will get the keys to his side’s drives early on. A taller player who may move into the midfield and lose defender status in a few years but will be spending his apprenticeship behind the ball and using his booming left leg to create opportunities for an often starved forward half for the Bombers. The Soldiers with this pick complete the rookie position quaddie – a forward, ruck, mid and defender. At this point their draft is deemed a success, and all later picks will be whimsical shots at random players (with enough time for second breakfast before their 4th pick comes).
Pick 8 – Sam Cumming
In 2025 the Chiefs went to Richmond rookies with both early picks, and so after trying something new at pick 2, they fall into old habits and head straight back to Tigerland with this pick. Cumming looks another elite unit who could also spend some time forward and gain dual position status, and playing for Richmond will also be given plenty of opportunity. Might not be the best scorer in 2026 while establishing himself both at the Tigers and Chiefs but looks like a can’t-miss pick for the next ten years, and dare I say it, a cornerstone piece of another Chiefs/Tigers dynasty?
Pick 9 – Sullivan Robey
The Vipers continue the draft trend of rookies dominating the first round and take Robey at 9 to add to their squad. With 3 key forwards kept on their roster, opening up a position for a half forward/mid type should give them a lot more flexibility as they look towards what the future is of the acid green team. Robey was a bolter during his draft year, and now he’s found a home he should be settled in for a long time with coach Nathan. Dusty-like vibes off this guy, and so if the career goes anything like Dusty’s, Nathan is in for a very sweet ride.
Pick 10 – Dylan Patterson
Another rookie to round out the first round, and it’s another Gold Coast academy player. Patterson (at least on the Keeper platform) has been likened to NWM – if that is even 80% of what he becomes Paul will be getting an absolute steal here at pick 10. Just like Dan Annable earlier, one potential downfall to this pick could be a lack of opportunity early on, however this feels like a good spot for him to go, and if Elijah Hollands taught us anything, it’s that Paul will be patient with a player he deems talented enough to be a Defenestrator.
Pick 11 – Sam Grlj
The player you’d hate to have to pick in a game of hangman, but if picking a best 22 for the next 10 years becomes a much more palatable option. The Sizzler (awesome nickname) looks to be doing everything right to get into Richmond’s round 1 side. This was the guy that went higher than Cal Twomey predicted with Richmond jumping early to snatch him up. Lightning could strike twice with others potentially liking Grlj more than this, however if he does slide this low I can’t see him going any further down the board. An outside player which might put a cap on his scoring early on, however with all players talent always wins out, and he’s certainly good enough with what we’ve seen so far to have that breakout potential in the future.
Pick 12 – Cooper Lord
The first non-rookie taken off the board in the 2026 draft, and it’s the player with the unique story of being traded for by MSHB in the offseason, and then still cut as the team out West pivoted in what direction their keepers were going in. The Chiefs look at this 20 year old midfielder out of the Blues and they see the opportunity that is there. Cripps, Walsh, Hewett and Jagga seem to be higher in the Blues pecking order, but one injury there (likely) and I feel Lord could be next man in to take that place and make the role his own.
Pick 13 – Jack Macrae
One of the more unlikely drops in my mind (will cross check with Paul’s contentious keeper calls when that is out), however Jack Macrae is quick to find himself on another list. While his days of being a 110+ fantasy pig may well be behind him, there is a lot of unknown about the St’s midfield make up this year. It would not be shocking at all to see JM back in the thick of it and ready to lend his experience both to the young St’s mids, but also the young (and supremely talented) Midnight mids. 31 years old so closer the end than beginning, but you could easily see a couple of years trying to help TLM to their first finals win.
Pick 14 – Zach Reid
The team with the hardest working doctors are yelling NO into their phones while the list management team make this call, but the upside is just too much for coach Schonfeldt to ignore. Reid is only 23, has average over 70 in defence where he will keep that status, and so if he shakes off his injury run will be a great pick up. It’s a pretty big IF, which is why the Soldiers cut him, however in a year where the list is already full of injuries, one more gamble probably won’t change the Pukekos’ fortunes.
Pick 15 – Willem Drew
The time of rookies is well and truly over (for the early part of the draft at least), and so now it’s a look at who best helps a squad win games in 2026. While Drew alone probably doesn’t move the needle, what he does do is provide reliable points through hard defensive work on the field, which will give you a consistent score to set and forget on the field. The Vipers only kept 6 pure mids, so will have the space for Drew to come in, do his thing, and make a case that he could be kept beyond the one year.
Pick 16 – Elliot Yeo
The Devils have gone from a grand final appearance in ’24 to another top 4 finish in ’25. They know now is the time to strike, and so they take the player with the highest potential average they can see. Reports from the track are that Yeo is flying, and with the younger bodies in the Eagles midfield, they’ll want him doing as much as his body will allow to hep them not get too beaten up during the season. It was only 2 seasons ago he averaged 90 through 20 games, so there is a good chance he’s at least an 85 this year to try and help Max and his Devils go that one step further than they have before.
Pick 17 – Jake Waterman
Back to the Eagles for the second of Max’s back to back picks to get into the draft, and it’s to the forward line he heads. Waterman looks to have shaken off his injuries of 2025 and, while key forwards are more risky, the improvement that West Coast will have to show (hopefully for those Eagles fans in our midst) should mean that he gets on the end of a few and is able to once again put up reliable scores. This pick is also there as an indictment of the status of the forward pool this year, because yikes!
Pick 18 – Paul Curtis
Another team needing a forward, and once again, yikes! Paul Curtis showed a bit last year, and if we work off the assumption that the Roos, like the Eagles, can only get better this could be a player with more upside than I currently give him. I find it unlikely he ever gets to move up the ground to maximise scoring with the depth of midfield ready players the Roos have, but an average of 80 might not be out of reach for him to help the Kiwis climb up and chase their first finals win in a long time.
Pick 19 – Tim Kelly
The Eagles fan needs a forward, and Tim Kelly has been a high scorer in the past. There is hope he can at least get back to an 80 average, which would certainly help Greg in his pursuit of his second premiership in 3 years. If he checks out on the team again this could well be TK’s last year in the league, so he’d want to make the most of this year, and Greg is taking the punt that Kelly wants to be able to go around again.
Pick 20 – Steele Sidebottom
Everyone has attachment to players that help them win, and Jordan is no exception. MSHB won the premiership with Steele in the team from a late round draft pick up, and he would be able to help again if given the chance. While the age factor will be enough to scare many coaches away, Jordan is shooting for the premiership again, and so it’s all about how many points can the player drafted score this year. Steele could be looking to join a rare club and have his last home and away game of his career be a fantasy premiership.