AFL Draft Board: Gold Coast Suns' embarrassment of draft riches increasing by the week

7NEWS

15-05-2025

Welcome back to 7NEWS.com.au's monthly AFL draft series, The Draft Board.
In the lead-up to November's draft, we will hand-pick players from around the country who are impressing each month.
May's edition centres around the Gold Coast Suns Academy.
A quick look at the Coates Talent League ladder tells you all you need to know about the rude health of the Queensland academies.
Gold Coast and Brisbane sit first and second on the ladder, both undefeated, with massive percentages.
AFL Academy trio Beau Addinsall and Dylan Patterson (both Suns) and Daniel Annable (Lions) are the obvious standouts, but there are a host of others following their lead.
The Suns boast five first-round academy draft picks in the past two years, including four in 2023, when they wheeled and dealed their way through the trade period to accumulate enough points to secure all four.
They may have a similar problem this year — albeit a good one to have — as their star-studded academy goes from strength to strength.
With the Suns in the mix to potentially play finals for the first time in their history, there is a chance their first-round pick will fall later than in previous years.
Luckily for them, they have two extra first-rounders they got as part of the Lukosious-Noble-Houston mega trade last October, which could allow them to match any bid that comes for their academy prospects.
Scroll down to read the May edition of The Draft Board.
This list is not exhaustive, and is ranked in no particular order.
On last month's Draft Board: Oliver Greeves (Eastern Ranges), Hussien El Achkar (Calder Cannons), Adam Sweid (Calder Cannons), Daniel Annable (Brisbane Lions Academy), Beau Addinsall (Gold Coast Suns Academy), Dylan Patterson (Gold Coast Suns Academy), Dyson Sharp (Central District), Cooper Duff-Tytler (Calder Cannons), Willem Duursma (Gippsland Power), Archie Ludowyke (Sandringham Dragons).
Koby Coulson
Gold Coast Suns Academy
Midfielder
180cm
DOB: 31/07/2007
In a stacked Suns Academy, Coulson has established himself as one of their best. Needless to say Addinsall and Patterson are leading the charge for the elite Suns crop, but don't sleep on Coulson. After getting a taste of VFL footy against Southport, Coulson has come back to the Coates Talent League and averaged 28 touches from three games. Gets involved at both ends of the ground as a midfielder and has a booming kick on him.
Jai Murray
Gold Coast Suns Academy
Midfielder
187cm
DOB: 09/03/2007
Another one less heralded than Addinsall and Patterson, and even Coulson, but Jai Murray is yet another exciting prospect coming out of the Suns Academy. Hit the Talent League with a bang in his the Suns' first game of the season against Dandenong, which was Round 4, with 29 disposals and 1.1. Less prolific against Eastern the following week, but looked just as good as he oozed class coming out of centre bounce stoppages.
Max Hudson
Gold Coast Suns Academy
Key forward
192cm
DOB: 11/01/2007
Hudson has lit up the Talent League since the Suns began their campaign, kicking 12.4 from three games, including 5.2, 17 disposals and nine marks against Dandenong in Round 4. The clever key forward is such a tough prospect for defenders to handle because he reads the ball so well so well in the air and is fiercely competitive. Hudson took marks from easy goal-kicking spots in Round 5 against Eastern and could have had a couple more majors if not for some missed chances.
Sam Grlj
Oakleigh Chargers/Camberwell Grammar
Midfielder
182cm
DOB: 26/07/2007
Along with Tom McGuane and Max King, Grlj can consider himself one of the unluckiest to have missed AFL Academy selection. But the classy midfielder hasn't let that worry him in the first third of the season, with prolific games for the Chargers, Camberwell Grammar, and Vic Metro's trial squad rocketing him into top-10 calculations. Grlj stood out for Metro during the trial match against Vic Country last month, averaged 21 disposals and kicked three goals in his three Coates Talent League games, and has had his own footy for Camberwell in the AGSV. Clearly best on ground against Ivanhoe Grammar last weekend despite his side getting smashed by over 10 goals as a host of recruiters watched on. Grlj has a good mix of inside ball-winning ability and outside burst away from stoppages.
Xavier Bambert
Sandringham Dragons
Midfielder/forward
185cm
29/01/2007
The Sandy skipper is hard not to notice when you watch him play; his explosiveness is just so eye-catching. Bambert's 20 touches are most impactful than most players' 30. He can burst from stoppages as a midfielder or burn defenders on the lead as a forward, and did both of those things in a great game against the Giants Academy in Round 5.
Josh Lindsay
Geelong Falcons
Defender
183cm
DOB: 07/04/2007
If he wasn't already, Lindsay confirmed himself as a top-10 prospect with best-on-ground honours for the AFL Academy against Coburg last month. This bloke just doesn't make mistakes. If you could pick one player to give the ball to coming out of half back, it's Lindsay every time. He makes things happen with his creative vision and laser-like left-foot kicking, provides run and drive out of the defensive 50, and just never gets flustered with the ball. A pleasure to watch.
Ryda Luke
South Fremantle/Fremantle Next Generation Academy
Forward
185cm
DOB: 19/09/2007
Not a prolific ball-winner but Ryda Luke will hurt you on the scoreboard. He's kicked 13 goals from three WAFL Colts games this year, including eight from eight disposals against Swan Districts in Round 3, when everything he touched turned to gold. The medium-sized forward is lightning quick, flies for marks, and devastating when the ball hits the ground.
Tairon Ah-Mu
Dandenong Stingrays/Haileybury College
Key forward
198cm
DOB: 06/06/2007
Tairon Ah-Mu is putting the fear of god into 16 and 17-year-olds around Victoria at the moment. A brute at full forward for Haileybury and the Stingrays, Ah-Mu takes pack marks, has an AFL-ready body, and plays with a noticeable presence. Dominated for the Vic Country trial squad against Metro last month and will be a handful for defenders at the national championships. Kicked 2.5 in what could've been a massive day for the Stingrays in Round 3, which was his last Talent League game before Country and school footy duties took over.
Cody Walker
The bottom-ager and son of Carlton great Andrew Walker is one of the most exciting prospects ahead of next year's draft and the Blues will no doubt make sure they're stocked up with enough points to match a bid that could come within the top couple of picks. Walker has starred for the Pioneers this year, averaging 19 touches and just under a goal a game, and was probably the best player on the ground for the first of two trial games between Vic Metro and Vic Country last month. He's a damaging midfielder who hits the scoreboard when he goes forward. Dad's shoes are big ones to fill, but Cody has got all the tools he needs to do it.
Koby Bewick
Calder Cannons
Midfielder
178cm
DOB: 10/01/2009
Essendon fans have a lot to be excited about in Bewick, who is the son of two-time premiership player Darren Bewick, making him eligible as a father-son. The 2027 draft prospect doesn't even turn 17 until next year, but has already shown he is comfortable at Talent League under-18s level. Under-16s aren't typically allowed to play under-18s for their Talent League clubs until after the national championships but, due to injury and unavailability, Calder asked for special permission to play Bewick against Northern Territory in Round 4 — and he put on a show. The youngster had 28 classy disposals and kicked a nice goal on the run from about 50 metres out.
Tallis McMillan
GWS Giants Academy
Key forward
191cm
DOB: 11/04/2007
One of the more unheralded key forwards of this year's class, but that won't continue for much longer if McMillan maintains the form he's hit since the Giants' season kicked off. He's kicked 9.3 from three Coates games, including 4.1 against Murray and 4.2 against Sandringham. The Dragons were without most of their stars, but take nothing away from McMillan's performance that day. He took contested marks, led up strongly at the ball, and kicked well. Plays much taller than his 191cm stature suggests. GWS monitoring him closely.
Harry Van Hattum
Northern Knights/Ivanhoe Grammar
Ruck
202cm
DOB: 01/07/2008
He hasn't played yet this year for the Knights this year but big Harry has turned heads for Ivanhoe in school footy. Van Hattum is still only bottom age, not eligible to be drafted until 2026, but clubs have already got him in first-round calculations for next year. A traditional tap ruckman who tends to push back behind the ball in the same way that — dare it be said — Max Gawn does, where he is capable of taking contested intercept marks. Would be leading Ivanhoe's best and fairest comfortably to this point of the season, as a year 11, after three massive games against Marcellin, Yarra Valley and Camberwell. One of three bottom-agers included in Vic Metro's train-on squad.
Sam Swadling
West Perth
Midfielder
187cm
DOB: 16/01/2007
Through pure weight of numbers, Swadling simply must be acknowledged as a force of the WAFL Colts competition. He is racking up video game-like numbers at will for West Perth, with tallies of 36, 30, 40, 42 and 39 touches in his past five matches. It's ridiculous consistency from the medium-sized midfielder, who has made it difficult for WA state coaches not to pick him for the national champs. Swadling can find the footy, that much is clear. But to get to the next level and be considered among the best of this year's draft class, he needs to use the ball better, have more impact with his possessions, and get the ball in more damaging positions. He had the ball on a string against Claremont in Round 5 but often turned it over or had little impact with it.
Ryan Commandeur
Northern Knights
Medium defender
181cm
25/02/2007
Commandeur plays so much taller than his 181cm suggests. He reads the ball well in the air and gets involved when it hits the ground. Made a statement to recruiters with his 26 disposals and 10 marks in a best-on-ground performance against Calder in Round 3. Has missed out on Vic Metro selection but recruiters will continue to monitor.
Other notable mentions
Harry Heathcote is yet another promising prospect out of the Suns Academy, a key position player who can take a contested mark and is happy to put pressure on when the opposition get it. Bendigo Pioneers defender Finlay Lockhart played really well for Vic Country in the trial match against Metro, as did Murray's Zac Harding, who is a mid-season draft hopeful. Also putting his hand up for the mid-season draft is Calder Cannons key defender Gus Papal, who had 27 disposals and a whopping 13 marks last weekend. His Cannons teammate Sam Harris, two years his junior, has started his bottom-age year on fire. Harris is the son of North Melbourne champion, Daniel Harris, and is eligible as a father-son.