Inside Oliver-like rise of 2025s biggest bolter; top six emerges ahead of combine — Draft Watch

The 2025 draft bolter has, not just emerged, but roared into mid first-round contention.

Plus why six prospects have separated themselves from the pack — and keep an eye on Kozzy’s cousin.

Get the latest talent news and updates in AFL Draft Watch ahead of the 2025 AFL national draft, with the first round to be held on Wednesday November 19, followed by the remaining rounds on Thursday November 20.

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THE ‘ROWVILLE RAMPAGER’: AFL DRAFT BOLTER OF 2025

Hello and welcome to first-round draft contention, Sullivan Robey – the Rowville Rampager.

For the 192cm beast – who was barely on AFL clubs’ radars as late as the mid-year national championships – is now widely regarded as the big 2025 draft bolter after perhaps the most significant back-end season surge we’ve seen from a prospect since Clayton Oliver in 2015.

In the space of a couple of months, Robey has gone from Eastern Football Netball League young gun to top-15 AFL draft chance, off the back of a big growth spurt and a blistering late-season burst for the Eastern Ranges.

Robey wasn’t on a Coates Talent League list at the start of the year – he’d been cut by the Dandenong Stingrays as an Under 16s player – but won his way onto the Ranges’ radar after a string of promising performances for, firstly, Rowville’s Under 19s team then the club’s senior side. He played forward for the Hawks’ Premier Division side and kicked eight goals in a four-game stretch.

Despite only landing at the Ranges mid-season, Robey made an instant impact, booting 6.1 and averaging 16 disposals from his first three games to earn a state combine invite.

But clubs in recent days have launched a push for Robey to be a last-minute national combine participant after two stunning finals performances.

Robey kicked two goals from 27 disposals in the Ranges’ 48-point qualifying final win over Calder Cannons. That effort came a week after one of the most jaw-dropping individual performances by a draft prospect this year, which saw him boot three goals from 40 disposals and nine marks in a wildcard win over Western Jets.

Clubs had seen glimpses of Robey’s best in his early Ranges games, but have been blown away by his midfield brilliance across recent weeks – to the point where one scout spoken to by foxfooty.com.au would now have him in the top-15 mix.

Robey has all the attributes required to be a great AFL player. He’s super competitive with an infectious willingness to hunt the ball. He’s powerful, energetic and confident. He spreads well from congestion and he’s a good kick.

Robey isn’t the only Ranges player climbing club draft boards and being pushed for a national combine invite, with speedy defender Oskar Taylor now widely considered a first-round prospect.

Unlike Robey, Taylor has been part of the Ranges’ first-choice team all season, averaging 20.9 disposals and 3.8 marks from his 15 Coates Talent League games, with his natural traits and consistency putting him in top-20 calculations.

It’s understood over a dozen clubs have already interviewed Taylor, who’s seen as the quintessential modern-day attacking half-back player with his speed and left-foot kicking ability.

Taylor, Robey and St Kilda NGA product Kye Fincher could all be added to the national combine list as a result of club feedback to the AFL this week. Fincher (185cm), who represented Vic Metro at the national champs, has had a strong season for the Sandringham Dragons, amassing at least 18 disposals in all his Coates Talent League matches.

CLEAR TOP SIX EMERGE

While the likes of Robey and Taylor have worked their way into draft night one calculations, they’re still considered by AFL clubs a level below this year’s top draft prospects.

Most AFL club sources surveyed by foxfooty.com.au this week suggested a gap between the top six prospects and the rest of the draft pool had opened up.

Four of those players are already club-tied: Gold Coast academy duo Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson, Brisbane academy midfielder Daniel Annable and Carlton father-son prospect Harry Dean. Annable’s post-champs form for Brisbane’s VFL side has been particularly striking, averaging 25 disposals across an impressive five-game stretch.

The other two players are Calder Cannons forward-ruck Cooper Duff-Tytler and Gippsland Power utility Willem Duursma, who’ve only enhanced their standing in the pool since the champs.

A potential AFL unicorn at 200cm, Duff-Tytler has impressed draft watchers with his unique athleticism, aerial ability, competitiveness, speed, strong overhead marking skills and cleanliness with ball in hand, especially below his knees for a player of his size. Yet clubs in recent weeks have been particularly pleased with his forward 50 craft, booting 2.5 from 21 touches and 11 marks against Oakleigh before kicking 1.2 from 13 disposals and four marks against the Ranges. It came after he booted 3.2 from 13 touches for Essendon’s VFL side against the Zebras.

And Duursma has surely quashed any doubts over him since his excellent national carnival campaign where he took out Vic Country’s MVP award. Playing more midfield-forward for Gippsland, Duursma has kicked 7.8 and averaged 21.5 disposals and 6.5 tackles from his past four Talent League outings. It came after two VFL games for Casey Demons where he had 17 touches and 10 marks against Sandringham then 20 disposals and six marks against Brisbane. He plays with edge and intensity, while his versatility to play in any third of the ground appeals to AFL clubs.

Rival teams, at this stage, believe if West Coast received Pick 2 as free agency compensation for losing Oscar Allen, the Eagles would use the first two picks to draft Duursma and Duff-Tytler, possibly amid bids on club-tied talent.

AND BEYOND THAT?

This is where it gets tricky – because for many clubs, you could throw a blanket over the next group of players when it comes to ranking them.

Central District duo Dyson Sharp and Aidan Schubert, Geelong Falcons defender Josh Lindsay, big-bodied Eastern Ranges midfielder Ollie Greeves, West Adelaide forward Mitch Marsh and North Adelaide mid-forward Sam Cumming are all in the top-10 mix after strong draft years.

But what’s important to note about this area of the 2025 draft is after West Coast’s selections, Richmond and Essendon hold the next four picks with two back-to-back selections each. And in a draft where the top-end isn’t as sharp as previous years, sources wouldn’t be surprised if the Tigers and Bombers were more selective, brave and prepared to pick on a needs basis.

It’s why one club said they wouldn’t be shocked if the Tigers used one of their top picks to take a player like Oakleigh Chargers midfielder Sam Grlj – a well-rounded prospect with a great combination of speed, power and endurance. The 182cm prospect has had a strong finish to his 2025 campaign, with hauls of 18 and 15 disposals playing predominantly off half-back in two eye-catching VFL outings for, coincidentally, Richmond .

“His leadership, his exuberance and his excitement to be part of our program, and to be himself, was outstanding,” Tigers VFL coach Jake Batchelor told the club’s website after Grlj’s debut against Gold Coast.

“And we saw on the track out there today he’s got speed, he’s got ‘smarts’, he’s got sidesteps and agility.

“He’s going to be a heck of a player.”

There’s also lots of hype around Ranges medium defender Xavier Taylor, who’s only enhanced his draft prospects since his eye-catching national carnival with Vic Metro. Taylor has been a picture of consistency for Eastern, averaging 19.1 disposals and 5.8 marks across his past six games and 18.4 disposals across his entire 15-game season. Some scouts have likened him to three-time premiership Tiger Nathan Broad as a hybrid third defender who has the athleticism and versatility to either lock down or intercept while playing on forwards of different sizes.

Throw exciting small forward Lachy Dovaston – who’s kicked 34 goals for Eastern this season, including seven in its two finals wins so far – in with Xavier Taylor, Oskar Taylor and Greeves and the Ranges loom as one the big draft winners among Coates Talent League clubs this season.

The other possible top-10 watch is West Perth defender Jacob Farrow, who’s now widely seen as WA’s best 2025 draft prospect.

Likened to Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson for his strength, composure, kicking, running and rebounding ability, Farrow averaged 19.0 disposals and 4.8 marks and went at an impressive 87 per cent efficiency by foot from his four carnival matches for WA. Upon return, Farrow played three WAFL league matches for West Perth and impressed with an average of 17.7 disposals before returning to colts.

Farrow has fans at clubs that hold early picks and is now rated well ahead of fellow WA prospects Sam Swadling, Fred Rodriguez, Toby Whan and Cody Curtin.

The wildcard remains Dandenong Stingrays prospect Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves, who has top-10 talent yet continues to split scouts with his game-to-game consistency.

The silky 186cm prospect’s best is brilliant. It was on display at the national carnival in Vic Country’s tight loss to WA, booting four goals from 18 disposals as he hit the scoreboard when the game was up for grabs. Hibbins-Hargreaves then had a strong finish with the Stingrays, highlighted by a breathtaking five-goal, 29-disposal, eight-mark display against the GWV Rebels.

In what has been a rollercoaster, injury-impacted year for Hibbins-Hargreaves, some scouts believe they’ve seen more ‘highs’ from the Stingray across the back-half of the season. But whether they’d be prepared to invest in him with a top-end pick remains unclear.

One source suggested Hibbins-Hargreaves would suit a club that has multiple picks close together. Teams like West Coast, Richmond and Essendon all have multiple selections close together within the top 25.

LATEST DRAFT WHISPERS …

– When AFL club list management representatives from the majority of the competition came together at the Pullman Hotel this week for annual, informal chats before the exchange period, there was a sense many clubs are keen to trade out of this year’s draft. Foxfooty.com.au colleague Ben Cotton reported Port Adelaide was a club “considering different options to lessen its 2025 draft hand” and potentially opting for multiple rookie upgrades. Seventy-one players were taken in last year’s national draft, yet that number isn’t in danger of being usurped in 2025.

– It’s also why clubs could look to mature-age talent more this off-season and use the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP) to trial players that’d be under the watchful eyes of coaches. State league players who’ve been on the radar this year include Richmond VFL duo Massimo Raso and Harry Scott, Frankston star Tom Blamires, East Fremantle’s Milan Murdock, Werribee key defender Ryan Eyers and Lions VFL goalkicker Fergus McFadyen.

– There’s expected to be more first-round bids on club-tied talent outside of Uwland, Patterson, Annable and Dean. Swans academy prospects Max King and Lachlan Carmichael are both expected to be off the board by night one, while Suns trio Jai Murray, Beau Addinsall and Koby Coulson are also in the first-round mix. There’s also a good chance Carlton on the first night will be asked to match a bid on top NGA prospect Jack Ison, who’s finished his Coates Talent League campaign with Oakleigh a surge. Ison, who’s been invited to the national draft combine, kicked 1.3 from 30 touches and five tackles in a wildcard game against Calder before racking up a team-high 27 touches in a loss to Sandringham.

– Clubs are also keeping close tabs on Jevan Phillipou – the brother of young Saint Mattaes – who has ability to find the footy, hit the scoreboard and take a big mark in the air. After missing South Australia’s champs win with a broken arm, the Woodville-West Torrens player received great exposure at SANFL league level with a six-game stint. He then returned to the Eagles’ Under 18s side for finals, featuring a 25-disposal, seven-clearance, three-goal outing against Central District. Again, he’s a first-round chance.

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