Tairon Ah-Mu (Berwick) and Cooper Duff-Tyler (Woodend-Hesket) at the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft Combine in Melbourne. Images: Asanka Ratnayake and Graham Denholm / AFL Photos
AFL Talent Ambassador Kevin Sheehan has released profiles on the top rucks and tall forwards ahead of the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft, including many talented Victorian boys.
This year’s Telstra AFL Draft will be held on Wednesday, November 19 and Thursday, November 20. The 2025 Telstra AFL Rookie Draft will follow on Friday, November 21.
Sheehan's player profiles have been released via positional group each week ahead of the Draft. This week’s edition highlights the rucks and tall forwards in this year’s Draft pool.
All players profiled attended the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft Combine or 2025 Telstra AFL State Draft Combine in October.
Keep updated with all the latest news ahead of the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft at the AFL Draft Hub.
Below are the Victorian boys profiles, click here for profiles from all other states and territories.
NATIONAL DRAFT COMBINE
Tairon Ah-Mu
State: Victoria Country
State League Club: Dandenong Stingrays
Community Club: Berwick
Date of Birth: 06/06/2007
Height 198cm
A powerful tall forward and ruck, Ah-Mu has good speed and brings both a genuine physical presence and imposing marking target to his team’s forward 50. He also has very good fundamentals, including a vice-like grip with his marking and booming kick for goal. These were on display when he slotted six majors in a Victoria Country trial match against Victoria Metro in preparation for this year’s National Championships. His power and scoreboard impact were apparent all year, kicking 28 goals in 13 matches while representing Victoria Country and the Dandenong Stingray. This included four goals in his final match of the year, when he also picked up 22 disposals,12 marks and 14 hitouts as the Stingrays when down to the GWV Rebels. Was also a dominant figure in school football for Haileybury, where he played under former Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd. Ah-Mu hails from a strong sporting background, with his father having represented Samoa in both athletics and rugby.
Will Darcy
State: Victoria Metro
State League Club: Oakleigh Chargers
Community Club: Old Scotch
Date of Birth: 14/03/207
Height: 196cm
Mobile tall forward who has grown 16cm over the past three years. Darcy is mobile, with strong hands overhead and is clean below the knees. Still very much a work in progress, he showed glimpses of his potential at Scotch College and will take benefit from five matches with the Oakleigh Chargers in the Coates Talent League this year. The son of former Western Bulldogs captain Luke, he is eligible to join his older brother, star forward-ruck Sam Darcy, at the Bulldogs via the father-son rule. If selected, he will need time to physically develop and hone his skills. Currently managing a lumber stress injury and was unable to test at the Draft Combine.
Cooper Duff-Tytler
State: Victoria Metro
State League Club: Calder Cannons
Community Club: Woodend-Hesket
Date of Birth: 22/08/2007
Height: 201cm
An exciting dual-sport athlete, Duff-Tytler won an gold medal playing under 16 basketball for Australia at the 2023 FIBA Asian Cup. However, last year he opted to pursue a football career after impressing as a potential future star through the Victorian talent pathway programs in recent years. A gifted athlete, Duff-Tytler covers the ground extremely well and becomes an extra midfielder after taking the ruck contest. He dominated for the Calder Cannons in the Coates Talent League, averaging 20.4 disposals, 5.6 marks and 17 hitouts in five matches. He played a combination of ruck and forward for Victoria Metro, averaging 14.5 disposals, four marks and 14 hitouts to earn All Australian honours. Was given a taste of VFL football with Essendon and showcased his potential by kicking three goals from 13 disposals playing as a forward in the final round clash with Sandringham. To cement his standing as an elite prospect, Duff-Tytler excelled in testing at the national Draft Combine with top ten finishes in the 20m sprint (2.92 seconds) and 2km time trial (6:21).
Louis Emmett
State: Victoria Metro
State League Club: Oakleigh Chargers
Community Club: Glen Iris
Date of Birth: 23/03/2007
Height: 199cm
A ruck and tall forward, Emmett uses the ball effectively on his preferred left foot while his overhead marking is a real weapon. A very mobile player, he is still developing his ruck craft but had a major influence at the U16 National Championships in 2023, where he averaged 18 disposals, six marks and 15 hitouts to earn All-Australian selection. After a very promising bottom-age year in 2024, Emmett again caught the eye early this year with the Oakleigh Chargers and when representing the Australian U18 team. He showcased some of his abundant talent against VFL side Coburg, recording 15 disposals, five marks and a goal while splitting his time between ruck and forward duties. Despite some injury challenges with a hip flexor issue, Emmett was prominent for Victoria Metro during the National Championships, averaging 12.7 disposals in three matches. A former rower, he showed his elite aerobic capacity with a time of 6:07 for the 2km time trial at the national Draft Combine, which ranked third overall and was a special result for a player of his size.
Archie Ludowyke
State: Victoria Metro
State League Club: Sandringham Dragons
Community Club: East Sandringham
Date of Birth: 19/11/2007
Height: 197cm
A left-footed tall forward, Ludowyke has spectacular ability in the air with his natural leap and clean hands. He won All Australian honours at under 16 level in 2023 and showed more glimpses of his talent as a bottom-age player last season. Made a promising start to 2025, which included a five-goal haul against the Eastern Ranges in Round 2 of the Coates Talent League before booting five majors in two games for the Australia U18 side against VFL opponents Richmond and Coburg. Unfortunately Ludowyke succumbed to a PCL injury during Victoria Metro’s third match of the National Championships which ruled him out for the remainder of the year. Nearing the end of a successful rehab program, he was unable to test at the Draft Combine with just thin slices of his elite potential left to evaluate his Draft position.
Zac McCarthy
State: Victoria Metro
State League Club: Oakleigh Chargers
Community Club: Old Carey
Date of Birth: 27/10/2007
Height: 199cm
A tall forward/ruck, McCarthy has raw athletic talent, being extremely mobile with an impressive natural leap and strong hands overhead. Neck and hip issues, along with school football commitments, kept him to just three games in the Coates Talent League with the Oakleigh Chargers but he impressed by averaging 17 disposals, 3.7 marks and nine hitouts. Played all four games with Victoria Metro at the National Championships, hitting the scoreboard with three goals against Western Australian and two majors against the Allies, with his composure, marking overhead and speed for his size all on display. Is a member of Collingwood’s Next Generation Academy as his mother was born in Vietnam, meaning the Magpies can match a bid in the Draft.
STATE DRAFT COMBINE
Zac Harding
State: Victoria Country
State League Club: Murray Bushrangers
Community Club: Wodonga Bulldogs
Date of Birth: 01/01/2006
Height: 199cm
A mobile ruckman with an excellent vertical jump and natural speed, Harding uses those assets to become something of an extra midfielder. He was given permission to play as a 19-year-old in both the Coates Talent League and National Championships this season following injury disruptions in his Draft year and grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Harding finished runner-up in the Murray Bushrangers’ best and fairest award after averaging 18.5 disposals, 2.6 marks and 28 hitouts. He was also very impressive playing for Victoria Country at the National Championships, averaging 14.5 disposals, 3.8 tackles and 24 hitouts, featuring among his team’s best players against Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria Metro. Harding went on to make his VFL debut for Carlton throughout the season, before producing eye-catching results in the 20m sprint (2.98 seconds) and running vertical jump (86cm) at the state Draft Combine in Melbourne. Harding’s father Dean played 19 games for Fitzroy in the early 1990s.
Marcus Krasnadamskis
State: Victoria Metro
State League Club: Eastern Ranges
Community Club: Berwick
Date of Birth: 18/06/2007
Height: 201cm
A dual sport athlete who has always played basketball as well as football, Krasnadamskis focused on just a potential AFL career in the middle of this year. Showed enormous athletic talent and fundamental skills for the Eastern Ranges in their run to winning the Coates Talent League premiership. In 13 matches he averaged 11.5 disposals, 2.7 clearances and 14 hitouts to play an important role for his team, featuring among their best players in finals wins over the Calder Cannons and GWV Rebels. His elite athletic ability was showcased during testing at the end of the year, with his 2.89 seconds for the 20m sprint and running vertical jump of 88cm both ranked second at the state Draft Combine event held in Melbourne.