Northern Academy Players Dominate AFLW Combine

A record 16 prospects from northern academies are participating in the 2026 Telstra AFLW National Combine.

Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Youth

Expressive sports illustration of a female athlete sprinting on a pitch, captured in dynamic motion with vibrant green and gold strokes. — Sixteen prospects from northern Australian academies are participating in the 2026 Telstra AFLW National Combine, signaling a shift in talent development. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Sixteen academy players from Brisbane, Gold Coast, Greater Western Sydney and Sydney have been invited to the 2026 Telstra AFLW National Combine. These athletes represent a significant portion of the 43 total invitees currently undergoing evaluations.

Why it matters

The high representation of northern academy prospects is driven by a shallower player pool in traditional football heartlands like Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. This shift highlights evolving development pathways for young female talent in non-traditional regions.

The 2026 intake features 16 northern academy invitees out of 43 total participants, marking a growth trend from the 10 invitees recorded in each of the two previous years. Prospective father-daughter talent Sophia Green also attended, following her father Peter Green's 1994 stint with the Blues.

The players

Sophia Green

She is a young football prospect attending the combine as a potential father-daughter recruit for Carlton.

Peter Green

He is a former player who appeared in one game for the Blues in 1994.

The details

The current draft system allows clubs to match bids for academy players if the selection falls within 18 picks of the original bid. Proposed changes for 2027 aim to tighten these rules, requiring matching selections to occur within 10 picks for the first round and 20 picks for the second round.

1994: Peter Green plays one game for the Blues.
2024: 10 of 47 combine attendees are academy or father-daughter tied.
2025: 10 of 46 invitees are academy-tied players.
2026: 16 northern academy players attend the national combine.
2027: New draft bid-matching rules are likely to be implemented.

Culture Shift

The rise of northern academy influence reflects a structural correction in the national development of female football talent. As Victorian and South Australian pools remain consistent, the rapid expansion of northern academies is reshaping the national recruiting balance.

For young athletes and their families, these shifts indicate that academy affiliation will become increasingly critical for draft success. Families should monitor potential rule changes for 2027 to understand how new bid-matching requirements may affect player pathways to professional clubs.

The takeaway

The increasing prominence of northern academy graduates suggests that regional diversity is becoming a defining feature of the modern AFLW draft landscape. Aspiring players should remain flexible as league administrators adjust bidding rules to maintain competitive balance across the country.

What happens next

AFLW officials are expected to formalise new bid-matching regulations for the 2027 draft, which will likely restrict matching first-round bids to selections within 10 picks.