Like many of you, I watch a lot of footy. Particularly toward the start of the season, I like to get a good handle on who’s doing what, and how they’re going about it.
Intraclub games, Match Sims, and now into the AAMI Series, I find myself taking mental notes on players I expect to have a big year. And then, I like to share them with you, and you can agree with me, or tell me I’m nuts. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground.
Anyway, we’re almost there, with one week of preseason games to come before the real stuff gets underway, and I really hope I don’t put a curse on anyone by doing this, but here are some of the players I expect to have a big year.
Note – I’ve left off the “bigger” names, as I reckon that would be like shooting fish in a barrel. This is more your younger or mid-tier players I think will step it up a notch.
JASE BURGOYNE
I heard some criticism of him over the off-season. That he maybe isn’t doing enough, or that he disappears for too long in a game.
So, I went and did some research, and of all the players I could compare him to, I found the comparison to his old man to be the most eye-opening.
At the same stage of their careers, Jase is actually ahead of where his dad was. He is still just 22 years of age, and with his role oscillating between half-back and the wing in the Match Sim, the Power could find themselves with one of the best in either role depending on where they position him.
A career-high of 19.1 touches per game should provide a nice stepping stone for him to launch into the prime of his career. And that could start as early as this season.
if Port end up with Jase becoming the type of player that Peter was, nobody will be complaining.
HUGH BOXSHALL
I have a couple of Saints in the mix, and their ability to take the next step will be imperative to the Saints mounting a challenge.
Boxshall is in here at the expense of Max Hall, who already demonstrated what he is capable of in the back half of 2025. But Boxshall looks determined to make a name for himself with his relentless pressure.
There was one point in the Match Sim where, with stakes nowhere near what they’ll be in a couple of weeks, he threw himself across the boot of an opponent, made the smother, and gave the Saints another opportunity to score as a result.
You either have that about you, or you don’t. Boxshall has it, and if the Saints get a lift from him, Tauru, Hall, Garcia, and their younger brigade coming through, it won’t be the big recruits that’ll propel them into September. It’ll be the cohort that was already there.
TOM MCCARTHY
I think every team needs a player like Tom McCarthy – a diamond in the rough… but also a pretty rough diamond, if you know what I mean.
McCarthy looks like a player that will hunt the footy or the opposition, depending on the situation – an absolute competitor in every aspect of the game. The Eagles were liking him off half-back, but when you have a player possessing this type of mongrel, he belongs in the guts, particularly if Elliot Yeo’s body won’t allow him to play the role.
Having McCarthy in the mix with Harley Reid gives West Coast a solid one-two punch, with both guys loving a bit of the rough stuff. A couple of his defensive efforts during the match sim were absolutely first class, and if West Coast can win their share of ruck contests (over to you Messrs Williams and Flynn), that pairing has the capacity to do some damage out of the middle.
OLLIE HOLLANDS
He’s another year older, and another year stronger, and with Michael Voss moving him back to the wing in the Match Sim, I reckon the Blues have found their running mate for Blake Acres.
Hollands has the makings of an elite wingman. He can run all day, is good with the footy, and having played in defence now, understands the value of getting back to aid his back six. He was one of the best for the Blues last week, and you can tell by the way he ran the game out, that he has put in a ton of work over the last four months.
I’m tipping a top-ten finish in the Robbie Flower Wingman of the Year Award for Ollie this season. I just hope that Voss doesn’t get tempted to throw him onto a half-back flank again to give the Blues more drive. He is far too valuable on the wing to do that.
MATTAES PHILLIPOU
Confession time – in the off-season following the 2024 season, I had Mattaes Phillipou as the next breakout player at St Kilda. Not Big Wang – I thought it’d be Phillipou.
Well, an injury-ruined season prevented Mattaes from showing what he was capable of, but a clean run at the 2026 season is now giving him that chance.
He will get midfield minutes, but is also a danger around goals, so I suspect we’ll see him quite a bit across half-forward, as well.
Do I dare make a prediction?
Of course I dare… I think he will have a game in the first month of the season where he is THE standout for the Saints, and at that point, the footy world sits up, takes notice, and realises just how deep this team now runs. Get on the bandwagon Saints fans. It’s starting to roll..
SAM GRLJ
I’ve watched him twice – once as part of a Richmond intraclub hit out, and once as part of their match sim, and both times, I have walked away thinking that the Tigers have found an absolute gem.
There is something about a young player with composure that just feels wrong – they shouldn’t look as comfortable at the highest level as they do right away.
That’s Grlj.
He doesn’t hack at the footy under pressure, he trusts his ability to change direction and run himself out of harm’s way, and when he does decide to get rid of it, he does so by dishing to a teammate in a better position.
I am interested to see how the return of Sam Banks impacts the role Grlj has played as the half-back distributor, but over the journey, I have often employed the Macho Man Randy Savage mantra of the cream always rising to the top.
It won’t be long before the rise of Sam Grlj becomes a massive talking point amongst the yellow and black faithful, if it isn’t already.
ARTHUR JONES
I’m normally a little reluctant to place an emphasis on someone who has had multiple injury-impacted seasons, but I am making an exception for Jones, who finally looks like he may have got his body right heading into the 2026 season.
Jones moved really well in the Match Sim, and his track work has been tough to fault. He has always had all the talent in the world, but when your body breaks down, you start to get a few doubts about whether you can make it. Further, others start doubting you, as well – does he do the work to get himself right? Does he do the right things when he’s not at the club?
Jones is now 22, and with just five games to his name over the last two seasons, he will be itching to get stuck into the 2026 season. The Dogs will commence without Cody Weightman, but a fit Jones, and an impressive Harvey Gallagher running around, they could be about to get an injection of scoring from sources many hadn’t pencilled in.
MALCOLM ROSAS
There were some question marks around him over the off-season, pertaining to the condition he was in when pre-season commenced, but Rosas has since started to make believers of many.
He was up and about in the Swans’ match sim, often finding himself in the right spot at the right time (that doesn’t happen by accident) and his presence at ground level opened up a plethora of opportunities for Sydney to hit the scoreboard.
With a half-decent run in the AAMI Series, Rosas will definitely be kicking the door down for a Round Zero berth, and whilst Tom Papley remains the number one small forward threat at Sydney, the presence of Rosas might just have a positive impact on him, as well. Competition for spots is always good, particularly when the incumbent is forced to fight and scrap for his spot.
COOPER TREMBATH
Plenty of North fans have been joining in the chorus, calling for Cooper Trembath to play more in 2026 after his excellent finish to the 2025 campaign.
I was pretty harsh on North in the review of their match sim loss to the Dees, so a bit of positivity won’t go astray in this column. Trembath offers what no one else at North currently seems to be able to – a genuine contested marking threat inside 50.
In the final three outings of 2025, Cooper averaged two contested grabs and three goals per game, slipping under the guard of the defences as the attention went to Nick Larkey. I’m not sure he gets that privilege again this season, but that’s a good thing.
Larkey gets swamped by the defence, but a combination of Larkey, Paul Curtis, and Cooper Trembath (and throw Jack Darling and Cam Zurhaar into the mix, as well) actually provides North with something that they’ve not had in recent seasons – offensive firepower.
I loved what I saw from him last year, as did many. Get him in there and let the man cook!
JACOB VAN ROOYEN
I get nervous as I type this, because I genuinely think 2026 can go either way for him.
On one hand, the way he attacked the footy in the match sim gave me a lot of hope, but on the other hand, once he dropped a chest mark, it seemed as though things went downhill for him.
Do the Dees have a good sports psych? I reckon JvR should be in there with him or her after every game. He just seems the type that relies on confidence and momentum.
I see him as being someone that can emulate what Josh Treacy is doing at Freo, but unless he starts this season, I am not sure he will ever get there.
If you can’t mark the footy, split the packs, Jacob. With Brody Mihocek – a genuine workhorse – in the forward fifty, maybe we see a role similar to the one Dermott Brereton played at Collingwood when he went there to help out Sav Rocca in the early days? A similar result would be wonderful for the Dees.
LACHIE BLAKISTON
Did you see what I saw during the Match Sim?
Everyone has been harping on about how the new ruck rules would impact some players, and we got the most clear example of it during the Bombers’ game against the Tigers.
Matched up against Toby Nankervis who admittedly may not have been taking things as seriously as he would in the home and away season, Blakiston was able to use the new centre… throw up (I still want to write ‘bounce’) to his advantage. He got first hands on the footy, and gave the Bombers plenty of first use.
I know that was just one game, but what it does is give Essendon a viable ruckman to hold the fort, at the very least, until the return of Nick Bryan. And even then, a version of Blakiston that starts in the ruck and immediately drifts back into defence to support Ben McKay is an asset to the club.
LOGAN MCDONALD
Okay, I’m cheating here. He is a top-four pick, so naming him as one to watch is a bit on the obvious side.
That said, after a year on the sidelines, people are a bit unsure of what to expect from him. He answered any questions emphatically, with multiple contested marks and goals.
Whilst much of the attention will be lavished on Charlie Curnow, and rightly so – he is a dual Coleman Medallist, after all – it could very well be the work of Logan McDonald that opens a lot of eyes.
They say the big fellas take a bit more time to come on. McDonald had a whole year and a bit to get ready for 2026. If he darts fulfilling his enormous potential, this Sydney forward line is going to put the fear of god into some defences this season.
JAEGER O’MEARA
Huh?
What the hell is HB smoking, right?
Hear me out. Sometimes a player starts to realise that footy doesn’t go on forever. Sure, there are the Scott Pendlebury-types, or the Brent Harvey-types, who could play forever if they were permitted, but the vast majority of players start to face their footy mortality and are confronted with a choice. Ride it out, or knuckle down and give it one almighty shake on the way out.
Watching O’Meara through this pre-season, from footage during intraclub games, to the State of Origin clash, and into the Match Sims, there has been something about him. It looks and feels a lot like what Travis Boak did when he was relegated to the half-forward flank and decided to do something about it. He hasn’t sat out or looked his age. He looks like he wants it.
People forget how talented O’Meara is. When he was drafted (the Gold Coast mini-draft, where they grabbed him a year before he could actually go into the real draft) he was touted as a future Brownlow Medallist. Blokes like Robert Walls and Tim Watson gave glowing assessments of his potential, with Watson stating he could be one of the best ever in the midfield.
Of course, we know what happened – injury prevented us from ever seeing that side of him, but talent doesn’t disappear, and after fronting up for the SOO game – and playing very, very well – he was back out there again for the Match Sim. No pomp and circumstance – just going about the business, at age 32.
This might blow up in my face, but I reckon Jaeger is gearing up for one last big crack at it, and if he can own a wing for Freo, occasionally moving through the middle to provide that big, powerful player at stoppages, maybe come back to this and tell me I wasn’t as crazy as you thought I was at the time, okay?
And if he does a hammy in Round Two, forget I ever said anything.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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