L-R: Kye Annand (Ocean Grove, Queenscliff, Geelong West), Flynn Riley (South Morang, Montmorency), and Marcus Herbert (South Warrnambool, Image credit: The Standard).
AFL Victoria congratulates the nine Victorian players who were selected as part of the 2026 Telstra AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft, with a total of 18 selections made on the night.
Eleven players were selected from VFL clubs and six from SANFL clubs, whilst Oliver Griffin (St Bedes Mentone) was the only player selected from the Talent League.
Hugo Hall-Kahan (East Sandringham Zebras/Old Hailebury) was the only player to earn a second opportunity at AFL level, with the former Sydney Swans midfielder selected by the Adelaide Crows after playing VFL with Williamstown across the past two seasons.
This achievement would not be possible without the support of the many community clubs that have developed these players over the years.
Below are all the selections from the 2026 Telstra AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
| # | AFL CLUB | PLAYER | STATE LEAGUE CLUB | VIC COMMUNITY CLUB |
| 1 | Essendon | Jaxon Artemis | Tasmania (VFL) | |
| 2 | Richmond | Kye Annand | Geelong Cats (VFL) | Ocean Grove (juniors and seniors), Queenscliff and Geelong West Giants |
| 3 | West Coast Eagles | Oliver Francou | North Adelaide (SANFL) | |
| 4 | Carlton | Flynn Riley | Carlton (VFL) | South Morang and Montmorency |
| 5 | Port Adelaide | Xavier Bamert | North Melbourne (VFL) | East Malvern Knights |
| 6 | North Melbourne | Oliver Griffin | Sandringham Dragons (TL) | St Bedes Mentone (juniors and seniors) |
| 7 | St Kilda | Campbell Lake | Southport Sharks (VFL) | |
| 8 | Collingwood | Harrison Coe | Frankston (VFL) | Narre Warren JFC, Cora Lynna Cobras, Devon Meadows JFC, Berwick JFC, Narre South Saints, St Francis Xavier OC, Beaconsfield |
| 9 | Western Bulldogs | Caleb May | West Adelaide (SANFL) | |
| 10 | Adelaide Crows | Hugo Hall-Kahan | Williamstown (VFL) | East Sandringham Zebras and Old Haileybury |
| 11 | Melbourne | Lukas Cooke | Woodville-West Torrens (SANFL) | |
| 12 | Hawthorn | Max Beattie | Woodville-West Torrens (SANFL) | |
| 13 | West Coast Eagles | Marcus Herbert | Geelong Cats (VFL) | South Warrnambool |
| 14 | Port Adelaide | Alex van Wyk | North Adelaide (SANFL) | |
| 15 | Collingwood | Liam Puncher | Woodville-West Torrens (SANFL) | |
| 16 | Melbourne | Joel Fitzgerald | Williamstown (VFL) | South Morang and Yarrambat |
| 17 | Port Adelaide | Pass | ||
| 18 | Collingwood | Mitch Podhajski | Coburg (VFL) | Aberfeldie and Greenvale |
| 19 | Melbourne | Max Mapley | Tasmania (VFL) |