From EGT WAFL Colts grand final stars to AFL grand final curtain-raiserThursday, September 25, 2025 - 1:07 PM - by Jordan McArdle

Several stars from the EGT WAFL Colts Grand Final at Optus Stadium on Sunday will get the opportunity to impress in the annual AFL Grand Final curtain-raiser at the MCG this Saturday.

Claremont colts premiership trio and 2026 AFL Draft prospects - ruck Benji van Rooyen and midfielders Heath Mellody and George Gale – are among eight West Aussies who will feature in the AFL Futures Match against the best bottom-aged talent in the country.

Mellody was one of the best players on ground in the win over minor premiers South Fremantle with 25 disposals, eight marks and a goal, while van Rooyen - the younger brother of Melbourne forward Jacob - impressed in the ruck and Gale also contributed.

Big-bodied Bulldogs midfielder and Fremantle Next Generation Academy prospect Lucas Robinson, one of his team’s best in a losing cause with 25 possessions and a stunning long-range goal, will also travel to Melbourne for the match.

West Coast NGA prospect Garrison Kenh from East Perth, West Perth son of a gun Koby LeCras, the son of Falcons champion and North Melbourne key-position player Brent and nephew of West Coast legend Mark LeCras, Peel Thunder talent Mitch Stirling and West Perth tall forward Harvey Spawton-Guy are the other WA players picked.

Claremont trio van Rooyen, Mellody and Gale will all play for Team Docherty alongside LeCras, while Robinson, Spawton-Guy, Kenh and Stirling are on the opposing Team Boak.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for eight of our most promising 2026 AFL Draft prospects to go up against the country’s most talented young players in front of a host of AFL recruiters on the MCG on AFL Grand Final day,” WA Football’s State Talent Manager Adam Jones said.

“We’re looking forward to seeing how these boys progress over the next 12 months as they head into their draft year next year and we’re bullish about what they can achieve.

“They’ve already shown some exciting signs for their EGT WAFL Colts clubs and for Western Australia’s talent programs, with several impressing in this year’s AFL National Under-18s Championship as bottom-agers.

“Half of the eight players selected featured in last week’s colts grand final including three in Claremont’s premiership-winning team which is a massive achievement as bottom-agers, while several others made important contributions across the finals series.”

Players were nominated for the Futures squad by national selectors and AFL club recruiters.

Many of the players who will play in the Futures match will go on to feature in the 2025 Marsh AFL National Academy Boys program.

The 2025 Marsh AFL National Futures clash will be broadcast live on the AFL website and AFL Live Official App from 7.35am on Saturday, September 27.