WAFL breakout contenders: The young guns ready to take next step at your club

We take a look at every club’s leading breakout contender for the 2026 Sullivan Logistics WAFL season.

Claremont

Sam van Rooyen

Age: 20

Position: Forward

Height: 193cm

The younger brother of Melbourne forward Jacob led the WAFL reserves goal-kicking last year, but has still only played just two senior games.

The 20-year-old finished the season with a bang, booting 18 goals in a three-game stretch including nine in Round 19 against Perth for an overall 2025 tally of 40.13 in 17 appearances.

He looks ready to cement his spot in the seniors.

East Fremantle

Griffin Vladich

Age: 21

Club: East Fremantle

Position: Key forward

Height: 192cm

Expect the talent No.8, who inherited the jumper from club great and premiership skipper Matthew Jupp, to push for a regular senior gig in 2026.

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.

The Sharks have been impressed with Vladich’s work on the track over the summer months as he looks to fill a massive hole left by departing goal-kickers Cody Leggett (retired) and Jed Hagan (Tasmania VFL).

East Perth

Tyler Lindberg

Age: 20

Position: Forward/midfielder

Height: 188cm

Lindberg is tipped by many to have a breakout season in the WAFL after an eye-catching 2025 campaign.

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.

Perth

Indhi Kirk

Age: 21

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 is already turning heads with his work ethic and drive over the pre-season.

He will be an important addition for the Demons and he hunts an AFL lifeline.

Peel Thunder

Kyelan Sanders

Age: 19

Position: Small forward

Height: 179cm

Sanders, an exciting small forward with plenty of tricks who made his mark for the Thunder in 2025, looks ready to take another massive step forward this season.

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, and is coming off a massive summer on the track.

Recruit Floyd Burmeister is another young gun who’s impressing this pre-season as he eyes an early senior WAFL debut.

South Fremantle

Cooper Clarke-Dehring

Age: 20

Position: Key forward

Height: 190cm

With Zac Strom retiring, there should be plenty of opportunities for the talented tall forward as add to his two senior games in 2026.

The Donnybrook product showed a bit at reserves level in his first full season at Souths and didn’t look out of place when blooded into the league side.

He’s got the tools to become a regular up forward for the reigning champs.

Another young tall, colts graduate Lucas Cattalini, is expected to push for early senior games after showing plenty as a key defender.

Subiaco

Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves

Age: 18

Position: Medium 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 which will no doubt spur the 18-year-old on for an exciting debut WAFL campaign.

He’s opted to head to WA 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.

Swan Districts

Blake Kelly

Age: 19

Position: Midfielder

Height: 183cm

Another disappointment out of AFL Draft night, Kelly missed out on his dreams after an excellent season for Swan Districts colts and WA’s under-18s where he was part of the leadership group.

Kelly does his best work in the midfield but has also shown his ability to play across half-forward.

He knows how to find the footy, averaging nearly 27 touches per game in the colts last season to go with five goals in 11 appearances, and works hard to better himself.

In a race against time for an early-season debut because of a foot issue which has hampered his pre-season but is highly rated at Swan Districts and should push hard for a senior berth once fit.

Fellow colts graduate Anthony Hansen is another one to watch as he eyes the vacant small forward spot left by Fremantle draftee Leon Kickett, while young VFL recruit Jez Rigoni has also impressed.

West Coast

Archie Watt

Age: 19

Position: Midfielder

Height: 182cm

Watt, a new addition to West Coast’s WAFL program, has benefitted from a stint with his club’s AFL team over the summer.

The youngster headed west from Kyabram in regional Victoria after a standout 2025 season in the Goulburn Valley Football League, where he booted 30 goals in 19 games, kicked 30 including a dominant grand final performance in the winning team with 24 disposals, seven inside 50s, six clearances, and five tackles.

Watt previously represented Bendigo Pioneers and Oakleigh Chargers in the Coates Talent League.

West Perth

John Coleman

Age: 18

Position: Half-back/midfielder

Height: 189cm

A famous footy name but a totally different type of playing to the former VFL goal-kicking legend, John Coleman is expected to push for an early-season debut after putting in the work over the pre-season.

Coleman had an excellent colts campaign last season across half-back, averaging more than 17 disposals per game including a career-best 33 touches against East Perth.