WAFLWAFL breakout contenders: The young guns ready to take next step at your club
Jordan McArdle
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4 Feb 2026
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We take a look at the best young guns in the Sullivan Logistics WAFL seniors, aged 21 and under as of January 1, ahead of the 2026 season.
Elijah Scoble
Age: 20
Club: Perth
Position: Defender
Height: 195cm
Scoble is a seriously talented defender who took another huge step forward in his development last season.
The 20-year-old has become reliable as ever down back for the Demons and was a major reason behind their long-awaited return to finals.
Don’t be surprised if an AFL club comes knocking in the Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
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Kane Bevan
Age: 21
Club: West Perth
Position: Midfielder
Height: 192cm
The big-bodied midfielder cemented his spot in the Falcons’ midfield last season and became a real ball magnet.
Bevan averaged a career-high 23.3 disposals last season, a massive jump from his previous best of 18.9, and featured in 18 matches.
The 2022 Jack Clarke Medal winner also hit the scoreboard regularly with seven majors as he continues to push for higher honours.
Coby Burgiel
Age: 21
Club: East Perth
Position: Midfielder/forward
Height: 185cm
There’s never been any doubt of the former West Coast-listed player’s talents, but his body let him down during his time at the top level.
Burgiel bounced back from a host of soft-tissue injuries for a career-best campaign for runners up East Perth.
He’s got serious pace, elite defensive pressure and can find the footy, all traits that saw him drafted in the second round back in 2022.
Jack Cleaver
Age: 21
Club: East Fremantle
Position: Utility
Height: 189cm
The talented utility has achieved a lot for a 21-year-old, having already played in a senior premiership with the Sharks in 2023 and reached 50 appearances late last season.
Averaged 20.6 disposals and booted 10 goals last season playing in a variety of roles in a consistent campaign.
Jasper Peace
Age: 20
Club: Claremont
Position: Key defender
Height: 192cm
Peace took his game to another level in 2025 to become a key contributor in Claremont’s defensive unit.
He didn’t shy away from the big assignments and regularly shutdown some of the competition’s most dangerous forwards.
Darcy Craven
Age: 21
Club: East Perth
Position: Small forward
Height: 174cm
Craven returns to Sullivan Logistics Stadium after one-and-a-half seasons as a Brisbane Lions.
The crafty small forward only featured three times at league level for East Perth before getting picked up in the 2024 AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft but returns a much-improved player after a stint with the two-time reigning premiers.
Oskar Smartt
Age: 21
Club: East Fremantle
Position: Small forward
Height: 180cm
Like Craven, Smartt is fresh out of the AFL after his time at Essendon came to an end.
The Victorian is new to the WAFL, choosing East Fremantle over a return to the VFL, and will add some firepower to the Sharks’ forward-line.
Jordyn Baker
Age: 21
Club: East Perth
Position: Half-back/midfielder
Height: 187cm
The former West Coast rookie and Next Generation Academy product was one of East Perth’s best performers in their heartbreaking senior Grand Final loss to South Fremantle last season, racking up 31 disposals and taking 12 marks.
The silky-skilled talent became an important player at the Royals in 2025 after two seasons on West Coast’s list and has steadily improved his game.
Chase Bourne
Age: 21
Club: South Fremantle
Position: Forward/midfielder
Height: 184cm
Bourne cemented his spot in South Fremantle’s sign last season on the way to winning his first premiership.
The 21-year-old is a dangerous small forward who can also pinch hit in the midfield.
He booted 10 goals last season in 20 appearances including back-to-back three goal hauls late in the campaign.
Roan O’Hehir
Age: 21
Club: South Fremantle
Position: Small forward
Height: 179cm
Another young member of South Fremantle’s premiership team, O’Hehir average a goal per game during a consistent season last year.
After being in and out of the league side the previous two years, O’Hehir enjoyed a breakout campaign and showcased his talents inside forward 50.
Indhi Kirk
Age: 21
Club: Perth
Position: Midfielder
Height: 181cm
The son of Sydney Swans great Brett Kirk heads west to continue his footy career after he was delisted by the Swans.
The 21-year-old is a hard-working midfielder who can run all day and should suit the dimensions of Mineral Resources Park.
He will be an important addition for the Demons’ quest of back-to-back finals campaigns.
Taj Wyburd
Age: 21
Club: Peel Thunder
Position: Utility
Height: 174cm
The hard-running utility is back at Peel Thunder after a stint in Geelong in a massive boost for the club.
Wyburd has already won two premierships at the Thunder – a league triumph in 2024 to go with one in the EGT WAFL Colts two years previous.
Tyler Lindberg
Age: 20
Club: East Perth
Position: Forward/midfielder
Height: 188cm
The classy forward-midfielder made his league debut for the Royals before getting squeezed out for their finals campaign.
He instead played in the reserves and won the Merv McIntosh Medal as best-afield the Royals’ boilover of the highly-fancied Claremont at Optus Stadium.
Lindberg is tipped by many to have a breakout season in the WAFL.
Odin Jones
Age: 20
Club: West Perth
Position: Key defender
Height: 197cm
Jones had an unlucky run of injuries during his time at Fremantle, restricted to just six league games and five in the reserves for Peel Thunder.
He’s signed for his original WAFL club for the 2026 season and everyone is hoping to see the best of the 197cm key defender as he aims to put his injury-hit AFL stint behind him.
Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves
Age: 18
Club: Subiaco
Position: Forward
Height: 186cm
Hibbins-Hargreaves was the biggest shock of last year’s AFL Draft, snubbed despite a brilliant season for Dandenong Stingrays and Vic Country.
He’s opted to head to the WAFL to re-ignite his draft hopes and follows in the footsteps of his stepfather, Mark ‘Dessy’ Haynes, who’s a four-time premiership player at Subiaco.
Xavier Milner
Age: 21
Club: East Perth
Position: Half-back/midfielder
Height: 191cm
Milner played in a senior grand final for East Perth in just his 15th league game and didn’t look out of place, gathering 12 disposals, taking eight marks and booting a goal.
The Busselton product grew in confidence as the year went on, showing an ability to read the play and an elite kick.
Luke Carrello
Age: 18
Club: East Fremantle
Position: Wing
Height: 177cm
Talk about hitting the ground running.
Carrello bounced back from a frustrating ankle issue which saw him ruled out of WA’s National Under-18s Championship campaign to play some strong senior footy for East Fremantle.
The hard-running wingman made his league debut in Round 18 against West Coast and held his spot for the remainder of the season, even featuring in the Sharks’ first final against Perth.
He found the footy with ease, averaging 21 touches including three games of 20 or more.
The sky’s the limit for Carrello if he can stay injury-free in 2026.
Archie Caldow
Age: 19
Club: Peel Thunder
Position: Utility
Height: 193cm
The former 3000m national athletics champion enjoyed a promising start to his WAFL career last season after moving from country Victoria.
The tall utility played in a variety of roles and got better as the season went on, averaging 16 disposals and four marks per game.
Expect the teenager to take another step forward in his second season at the Thunder.
Jayden Rigoll
Age: 19
Club: West Perth
Position: Midfielder
Height: 188cm
Rigoll is following his champion father Kim’s footstep at West Perth, making his mark in the seniors last season.
Still only 19 years old, Rigoll Jnr made his league debut against Peel Thunder in Round 6 and booted two goals from 14 disposals.
He racked up 20-plus touches in five of his 13 league appearances to highlight his exciting potential for the Falcons.
Riley Wills
Age: 21
Club: Perth
Position: Midfielder
Height: 181cm
Wills flourished in his second season at the Demons after crossing from Subiaco at the end of 2023.
The prolific wingman has been on the scene for a while now, winning the Jack Clarke Medal as the EGT WAFL Colts’ fairest-and-best player in 2023 as well as representing WA’s under-18s.
But 2025 was his best season at senior level, becoming an integral player at Perth and cementing his spot with 20 appearances including both finals.
Mitch Zadow
Age: 21
Club: East Fremantle
Position: Small forward
Height: 180cm
Zadow’s talents up forward caught the eye of Port Adelaide, who are currently trialling for a rookie spot.
The 21-year-old enjoyed a breakout season for East Fremantle’s league side, finishing with 18 goals in 14 goals including three consecutive two-goal performances in his last three goals.
The Pinjarra product is an excitement machine and plays the pressure forward role to perfection.
Charlie Burke
Age: 19
Club: Subiaco
Position: Midfielder
Height: 183cm
Burke made a smooth transition from colts to senior ranks in 2025, tallying 15 games after making his debut in Round 4 against East Fremantle.
The 19-year-old can run all day and grew as a player throughout the season, proving to be one of the shining lights in an otherwise tough campaign for the Lions.
Jovan Petric
Age: 21
Club: Swan Districts
Position: Key forward/ruck
Height: 197cm
Petric was a prolific goal-kicker at Coates Talent League level for Western Jets, booting 43 goals in 31 appearances as a key tall.
The 197cm talent also averaged nearly a goal per game for VFL side Williamstown over the past couple of seasons as well and is shaping up to be a handy recruit for Swan Districts.
Kyelan Sanders
Age: 19
Club: Peel Thunder
Position: Small forward
Height: 179cm
Sanders is an exciting small forward with plenty of tricks who made his mark for the Thunder in 2025.
The 19-year-old, whose father Greg tallied 50 WAFL senior games including 46 for the Thunder from 1999-2005, broke through for a league debut against Subiaco in Round 8 and produced some eye-catching performances – and serious highlights – in the back half of the season.
He finished with 12 goals in 11 league appearances including two bags of three in the final two games of the season.
Griffin Vladich
Age: 21
Club: East Fremantle
Position: Key forward
Height: 192cm
The 21-year-old was forced to bide his time in the reserves before getting a long-awaited senior gig, but showed plenty of promise at league level.
He averaged a touch under two goals across his seven league appearances, highlighted by a stunning 6.3 performance against West Perth in their final game of the home-and-away season.
Expected the talent No.8 to push for a regular senior gig in 2026.
Other young guns to watch in 2026
Bailey Banfield (Claremont, 20)
Mitch Barron (Claremont, 21)
Riley Disisto (Claremont, 21)
Rory Luscombe (Claremont, 19)
Austin van der Struyf (Claremont, 19)
Sam van Rooyen (Claremont, 20)
Kobe Austin (East Fremantle, 20)
Oli McManus (East Fremantle, 18)
Freddy Brayshaw (Perth, 18)
Noah Cachard (Perth, 20)
Oscar Hine-Baston (Perth, 21)
Cooper Moore (Perth, 19)
Baxter Philip (Perth, 21)
Jake Watson (Perth, 21)
Conrad Williams (Perth, 21)
Cooper Clarke-Dehring (South Fremantle, 20)
Connor McDonald (South Fremantle, 21)
Marlin Corbett (Subiaco, 21)
Judd Kelman (Subiaco, 20)
Wes Walley (Subiaco, 18)
Hudson Walker (Subiaco, 18)
Tyler Senge (Subiaco, 20)
Travis Shearer (Subiaco, 20)
Sonny Siano (Subiaco, 19)
Otis Harvey (Swan Districts, 20)
Blake Kelly (Swan Districts, 19)
Tom Smith (Swan Districts, 21)
Lochlain Carpenter (West Perth, 18)
Matt Galjaardt (West Perth, 21)
Coen Livingstone (West Perth, 20)
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