WAFL 2026: One player to watch from every club ahead of the start of the new season

Ahead of the start of the new WAFL season on Good Friday, The West Australian has taken a look at one player to watch from all 10 clubs in the 2026 campaign. See our WAFL top 40 for 2026. Claremont: Sam Van Rooyen The brother of Melbourne spearhead Jacob has found league opportunities tough to come by at the Tigers since missing out on the draft in 2023. But he has put his claims forward with an excellent pre-season, kicking six goals across three games. The 21-year-old was dominant at reserves level last year, closing out the season with a run of 34 majors in his final nine games. East Fremantle: Oskar Smartt Smartt opted to cross the Nullarbor after a whirlwind stint at an injury-depleted Essendon last year. The 20-year-old small forward played four AFL games after being selected in the mid-season draft but was de-listed at the conclusion of their campaign. After losing Milan Murdock and Mitch Zadow to the AFL over the summer, the Sharks will be hoping Smartt can provide some offensive impetus. East Perth: Cooper Stephens Players are often talked up as being ‘like a new recruit’ at this point of the off-season but Stephens legitimately will be for the Royals, having not featured at all in his first year with the eventual beaten grand finalists due to a torn ACL. The former Geelong and Hawthorn on-baller is not necessarily the most prolific accumulator but will give the Royals a dose of class in their midfield mix. Peel Thunder: Floyd Burmeister Will this 200cm smooth-mover become the latest player to be plucked out of the Thunder by an AFL club? An underage national high-jumper who is only a recent full-time convert to football, the 19-year-old oozes athleticism and untapped potential and has taken no time to impress track-watchers in Mandurah after making the move from regional Victoria. Perth: Lochlan Paton One of the breakout stars of the Demons’ drought-breaking run to the finals last year, with his 32 goals across 17 games including four bags of four. The feisty character fits the modern prototype of a small forward, being able to both hit the scoreboard and apply defensive pressure in equal measure. South Fremantle: Lucas Robinson Despite remaining age-eligible for colts football, the Fremantle Next Generation Academy prospect is in the mix for an early berth in the reigning premiers’ senior side — and he already has a body built for the level. The 189cm on-baller from Tarin Rock in the State’s Wheatbelt was surprisingly left out of the AFL Academy squad comprising of the country’s best young talent. Subiaco: Jacob Blight The key defender will have a point to prove after an 18-month stint at Richmond ended by being de-listed last year, despite consistently strong form in the VFL. Will be a central figure in the Lions’ hopes of rising up the ladder under returning coach Jarrad Schofield with his ability to both lock away an opponent defensively and springboard attacking chains as an interceptor. Swan Districts: Zane Trew A dashing on-baller whose first season back in the WAFL after being de-listed by West Coast was cut short by an ankle injury and will be out to make up for lost time in 2026. The 23-year-old was the competition’s eighth-most prolific ball-winner in 2024, registering an average of 27.2 disposals per game for the battling Eagles. West Coast: Archie Watt The 19-year-old was a dominant performer in the strong Goldburn Valley League in regional Victoria last year and has crossed the country to take up a place with the Eagles. Watt was integrated into the AFL program during their pre-Christmas block — could he become the first top-up from their reserves program to be given a chance at the top level? West Perth: Coen Livingstone Livingstone’s strange 2025 season opened with a berth in the ruck for the Indigenous All Stars, and ended with him being axed by West Coast — but the best of the 20-year-old is still to come. He packs plenty of athleticism into a 200cm frame and is continuing to develop his ruck craft while also showing some promise as a forward, having finished as the Eagles’ leading goal-kicker last year.