AFL Pre Season Rookie Radar: Part 1
- Mel
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Every year footy brings us new players, which can mean only one thing... New cards to collect in Gameday Squad! Well, not only one thing, obviously, it means new talent for us to enjoy as well.
Before we get into it, I’m just going to remind everyone what the scoring breakdown is, so we can assess the new recruits properly:
GDS AFL Scoring System | |
Stat | Points |
Kicks | 4 |
Handballs | 2 |
Marks | 3 |
Tackles | 4 |
Goals | 8 |
Behinds | 0 |
Hit Outs | 1 |
Free Kicks For | 2 |
Free Kicks Against | -2 |
This year as part of Gameday Squad’s exciting new additions, there's an under 22 competition. While it may be just a matter of thinking all rookie’s will be under 22 and throw them in the team, here’s a list of one player from each position that I think will come in and make an impact straight away.
AFL Pre Season Rookie Review:
Xavier Taylor (Pick 11) – Melbourne Demons.
Height: 192cms – DoB: 30-01-2007 – Position: Defender
Should Xavier get the nod early in the competition, I think he’ll be an exciting player to watch. With flexibility to play forward or back he may even kick a couple of goals. Known for taking a lot of intercepting marks, he could be a decent pick for your under 22 side.
Looking at some statistics for Xavier below:
Averages in the U18 Championship side for Vic Metro (4 Games) | |
Kicks | 8 |
Handballs | 7 |
Marks | 4 |
Tackles | 2 |
Goals | 0 |
GDS Average | ~66 Points |
Averages in the Talent League side for Eastern Rangers (17 Games) | |
Kicks | 9 |
Handballs | 9 |
Marks | 6 |
Tackles | 2 |
Goals | 0 |
GDS Average | ~86 Points |
Willem Duursma (Pick 1) – West Coast Eagles.
Height: 193cms – DoB: 21-06-2007 – Position: Midfielder
The name Duursma may ring a bell, and that’s because across the AFL & AFLW there are currently 3, with Willem expected to make his debut this year making it 4. West Coast Eagles have been struggling, I’m sure we can agree on that, but they've also proven that they’re not afraid to debut their number 1 draft picks. Willem is likely to debut in round one making him a decent pick for your under 22 team for GDS. Having the flexibility to play different positions, his versatility should be useful to West Coast for 2026. With a preference for kicking over handballing and the ability to kick goals, he may be a decent shout for scoring those points from being a ball magnet and getting it on his boot.
Let’s have a quick look at his stats.
Averages in the U18 Championship side for Vic Country (4 Games) | |
Kicks | 15 |
Handballs | 9 |
Marks | 5 |
Tackles | 3 |
Goals | 0.2 |
GDS Average | ~105 Points |
Averages in the Talent League side for Gippsland Power (13 Games) | |
Kicks | 14 |
Handballs | 10 |
Marks | 5 |
Tackles | 5 |
Goals | 1.2 |
GDS Average | ~121 Points |
For a new player who is unlikely to get much attention, he may be able to rack up possession and kick a few goals. Willem Duursma is a massive shout for 2026.
Cooper Duff-Tytler (Pick 4) – West Coast Eagles.
Height: 201cms – DoB: 22-08-2007 – Position: Ruck
One of only 3 rucks taken in the draft, Cooper has some decent hype around him. With the ability to play like a midfielder, he could be a decent shout for GDS teams this year (especially the under 22 squads).
While only playing 1 game in the VFL his stats for that game are:
Averages in the VFL side for Essendon (1 Game) | |
Kicks | 6 |
Handballs | 7 |
Marks | 2 |
Tackles | 1 |
Hitouts | 6 |
Goals | 3 |
GDS Average | ~78 Points |
I wouldn’t be surprised seeing Cooper as a lock in many of the under 22 squads, especially with the bonus chance to kick some goals and score some of those cheeky points.
Latrelle Sumner Pickett (Pick 12) – Melbourne Demons
Height: 182cms – DoB: 28-12-2005 – Position: Forward
Can I just start with, I’ve seen this kid play.... and he can play! Even though he was playing against my side and dominating, you’ve got to appreciate skill when you see it. His ability to read the footy and act on pure instinct was mesmerizing. On debut in the SANFL senior Glenelg side, he racked up a score of 101 GDS points from 12 kicks, 4 handballs, 3 marks, 1 tackel and 4 goals. He started 3 senior games last year with a strong preference to kick rather than handball.
Averages in the SANFL side for Glenelg (3 Games) | |
Kicks | 7 |
Handballs | 3 |
Marks | 2 |
Tackles | 2 |
Goals | 2 |
GDS Average | ~64 Points |
In the reserves for Glenelg he played 18 times kicking 32 goals, averaging 1.8 per game with 64% accuracy. He still preferring his boot with an average of 9 kicks to 2.9 handballs. Most importantly, his disposal efficiency was 88% in reserves and 73% in the senior side meaning he could be a decent pick in the under 22 comp as he'll be listed as a forward. He may even play midfield minutes... watch this player closely!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot he's the cousin of a guy named Kozzie! It’s going to be an exciting year for Melbourne when these two take the field together and honestly, from a fantasy perspective, I can’t wait!
Other players that should be on your watch list:
Dyson Sharp (Pick 13) – Essendon Bombers.
Height: 187cms – DoB: 23-05-2007 – Position: Midfield
Probably the player I’ve seen the most out of the top 20 rookies drafted. A natural footy brain with the ability to read the play and make decisions on the fly. Dyson has worked hard getting his body right for the big league, hitting the gym hard to build a frame able to take a hit. Dyson, at 17 years old, managed to stay cool under pressure and kick many important goals to steady the ship for his SANFL side. Where he starts in GDS may be the defining factor of whether he is played in most teams or not. He will be a midfielder in 2026 but may actually find himself in the forward line while he gets used to the AFL pace.
Averages in the SANFL side for Central District (9 Games) | |
Kicks | 8 |
Handballs | 6 |
Marks | 9 |
Tackles | 3 |
Goals | 0.4 |
GDS Average | ~65 Points |
Dyson also featured in the state team as captain so this kid is one to watch for the future. A passionate Essendon supporter throughout his childhood now gets to live out the dream of playing for his favourite club.
Jagga Smith (Pick 3 in 2024) – Carlton Blues.
Height: 182cms – DoB: 28-01-2006 – Position: Midfield
While not in this years draft pool, Jagga was a player most people would have been excited to see play for 2024; however, he injured his knee, missing out on the entire 2025 season.
Certain to get the call up this year, Jagga seems to be a fantasy scoring machine, I must use stats from 2024 as he didn’t play throughout the 2025 season, but I’m still excited to see how he performs.
Averages in the U18 Championship side for Vic Metro 2024(4 Games) | |
Kicks | 12 |
Handballs | 16 |
Marks | 4 |
Tackles | 2 |
Goals | 0.3 |
GDS Average | ~100 Points |
Averages in the Talent League side for Oakleigh Chargers (12 Games) | |
Kicks | 17 |
Handballs | 16 |
Marks | 4 |
Tackles | 3 |
Goals | 0 |
GDS Average | ~124 Points |
I can't wait to see Jagga play and if named I’d expect to see him in a lot of under 22 squads. Given time, and an injury free run, he will be scoring greatly for our GameDay Squad teams well into the future.
While there are a lot of players that could have made the list for an abundance of reasons, these are the players that I think will come in and have an impact. While they might not start as the best scoring GDS players, I think these ones may surprise you.
Who is on your list of players to watch in 2026?
Who are you looking forward to seeing the most?
Let me know your thoughts @Melz_Misfits on Twitter. Make sure you’re following @TheGDSociety for more throughout the 2026 AFL Season.
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