AFL Fantasy Draft Track Watch 08/02/26
Preseason is starting to sharpen up, and while we’re still a few weeks away from meaningful data, patterns are emerging. Intraclubs are getting longer, match simulation is closer to best-22 looks, and coaches are starting to let things slip in media.
As always, everything below is being fed directly into the AFL Draft Pros Fantasy Rankings, so if you want to stay ahead of the curve, now’s the time to be paying attention.
Let's get into it, with the updates from the track this week.
Ah Chee kicked five goals in the intraclub, reminding us he’ll always pop up when opportunity presents itself.
Brayden Cook continues to be trialled off half-back and earned strong praise from Hombsch after the hitout. Luke Nankervis has also been used there, but the real name that keeps coming up is Hugh Bond. Max Michalanney spoke about Bond’s offensive game from half-back this week, and that follows similar comments from Hinge last week. When multiple teammates start independently talking up the same player, it’s worth taking note. Bond is shaping as a big preseason match watch.
Rachele is getting midfield exposure again, with Luke Pedlar also rotating through there. Of the two, Rachele is clearly the one to get excited about from a fantasy perspective.
Jaspa Fletcher is being trialled on a wing to allow him and Coleman to coexist in the same side, a big watch if it sticks.
Despite Draper missing the start of the season, don’t overreact on Fort. He averaged just 78 in games without McInerney last year, so expectations need to be tempered.
Brisbane’s conditioning staff continue to talk up Zorko’s ability to defy age. When he’s on the park, he still profiles as a premium draft option.
Ollie Hollands has been training on the wing, which will be worth monitoring once preseason games begin.
Zac Williams has confirmed he’s been training in defence all preseason.
Harry McKay continues to get well up the ground during match simulation, consistent with what we’ve been seeing for a while now.
Pendlebury’s move to half-back remains one of the biggest watches of the preseason. If it holds into real games, it could have big AFL Fantasy Draft implications.
Lachie Blakiston and Vigo Visentini have catapulted themselves into the No.1 ruck conversation at Essendon.
Archie Roberts’ fitness stood out during a four-quarter match simulation. He’s shaping as a very solid draft defender, don’t overthink this one.
Fiorini was also dominant in the latest intraclub and continues to push his case.
Hayden Young looked terrific in match simulation but still spent plenty of time forward. Dual-position watch remains alive.
Sean Darcy suffered a small calf strain during the session. Here we go again.
That’s good news for Luke Jackson believers, but Cox did a lot of the ruck work once Darcy went down, which slightly muddies the picture.
Tanner Bruhn has been training with the inside mids and off half-back. Tom Stewart referred to him as his “little brother” this week so let’s hope that extends to the family tradition of fantasy scoring.
Stewart has also confirmed he’s been fully fit since early January.
Ollie Dempsey downplayed any midfield move and expects to play primarily on the wing.
Jeremy Cameron admitted recovery from his broken arm is taking longer than expected.
Touk Miller has confirmed he’ll spend more time at half-forward this year.
Will Powell has been used through the midfield, but so has Weller, classic preseason noise for now.
Jarrod Witts spoke highly of Christian Petracca during a recent media appearance.
Brent Daniels admitted he still has boxes to tick before being considered for Opening Round. Still worth a late draft pick in case he gets anywhere near his best again.
Weddle’s final position is still being worked out, but one thing is clear, he’s going to be around the ball more often, including stints starting on a wing.
Karl Amon is back off half-back, but Jarman Impey looks like the sleeper of the two after producing strongly there late last season.
Jack Ginnivan fractured a finger despite a dominant intraclub performance.
Jai Newcombe talked up Josh Ward as a potential replacement for Will Day, while Josh Battle was quick to praise Connor Macdonald. Both are shaping as excellent value picks above their current draft price.
Trent Rivers was unanimously named best on ground by track watchers during match simulation.
Smokey Jai Culley fractured his arm in the contest. One for deep leagues only, though there’s still belief he could be available Round 1.
Christian Salem is running laps, and Xavier Lindsay looks in line for kick-in duties if Salem misses time.
The path to more midfield time for Caleb Windsor has become clearer with Jack Viney sidelined and Culley injured.
Cooper Harvey has officially moved to the defence group this offseason. He’s a big practice-match watch, though Caleb Daniel was playing that role for the A-team in match simulation.
The Herald Sun reported Luke Parker and Jy Simpkin will spend more time forward this year. That’s excellent news for Luke Davies-Uniacke and Harry Sheezel, who both dominated match simulation.
George Wardlaw is injured again. In the ten games without Wardlaw last year, Simpkin averaged 22 more points and Tom Powell averaged 16 more. Both are worth tracking for early-season boosts.
Jason Horne-Francis returning to match simulation has clearly thrown Miles Bergman off regarding his role and if you saw that Channel 7 interview this week, it was almost awkward. Despite the uncertainty, Bergman still dominated with midfield minutes. One of the biggest watches of the preseason.
Dante Visentini looks ahead of Jordon Sweet for the No.1 ruck role.
Assitant coach, Hamish Hartlett, talked up the excellent condition Todd Marshall is in, particularly praising his development as a defender and his intercept marking.
Sam Lalor’s latest block of training has all but confirmed increased midfield minutes.
Sam Banks continues to profile as the primary distributor off half-back.
Mattaes Phillipou’s media comments this week were telling. He’s clearly buying into the Ross Lyon way, with quotes like “the best ability is availability” and “it’s empowering because it makes me believe I can change things going forward.” Expect big things from Phillipou this season.
Callum Mills is building nicely and looks likely to climb draft boards once preseason games begin.
All the big names are getting the right noise for this time of year. Brodie Grundy, Errol Gulden, Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey can be drafted with confidence.
Assistant coach Mark McVeigh was full of praise for Angus Sheldrick and also highlighted Riley Bice as one of the runners they need around congestion.
Justin McInerney’s role has been confirmed as a hybrid half-forward/wing, which is less exciting than earlier preseason signs.
Jake Waterman is back to full fitness, though it’s difficult to gauge output given the defenders he’s facing at training.
Harley Reid and Tom McCarthy continue to do a mountain of work through the midfield.
Budarick was recruited under the promise of playing off half-back, and that’s exactly how he’s been used so far this preseason.
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