Heath Mellody
Contested Defender
Claremont (WAFL Colts / WA)
Key Defender
Harry Franz is South Australia’s standout "intercepting general and defensive launchpad" for the 2026 draft. Standing at an athletic 192cm, the Glenelg product has spent three continuous years inside the SANFL state talent pathway, developing into one of the most reliable, high-IQ center half-backs across the country. Holding down the pivotal defensive spine for South Australia at the Under-18 National Championships, Franz repeatedly proved his class against top-tier opposition—headlined by an aerial clinic across half-back against the Allies.
Franz's appeal is in bringing some order to a defensive contest, reading where the kick is going and making a clear decision about whether to mark or spoil. His next possession can then give the backline a way to move out together. We would judge his development by the consistency of those decisions, particularly when he is forced to defend an opponent who changes the type of contest from one entry to the next.
Jack Buckley
At 192cm, Franz doesn't just play as a stationary goal-square fullback; like Buckley, he is an athletic, rangy intercept defender who excels at both locking down mobile medium-talls and dominating the aerial transition zone
Scouting text, projected ranges and comparisons are SotaramAFL editorial assessments, rather than confirmed club decisions or predictions of career achievements.
The simulator currently places Harry Franz in the Top 50 group. Compare the role and scouting assessment with the players available at your club’s selection, then test an alternative in your own mock draft.
The scouting view is written for this website. Published measurements and their sources appear in the athletic profile below where available; a missing result is not a zero or proof of non-participation.
PROSPECT INTELLIGENCE / 2026
The numbers. The draft context. The bigger picture.
SOTARAMAFL SCOUTING VIEW
10 profiles share this band · editorial snapshot, 19 October 2026
Highlighted span: picks 1–50. A range, not an exact ranking or consensus score.
Dots show known results from the same event and protocol. Higher on the bar means faster or higher. This leader-biased sample does not represent the whole draft class.
Compare with a named historical mark. These are benchmark gaps, not all-time rankings or percentiles. National and state conditions can differ.
We will add the bars when attributable results are available. Missing data is not a low score and does not establish whether a player tested.
Rankings use only published results collected for the same test and event, with competition ranking for ties. The denominator is the number of known results, not all participants. Preliminary and unofficial figures are shown without ranks or historical comparisons. Reaching-hand, side-specific and counter-movement protocols stay separate.
Scouting bands are the site's existing editorial view; no numerical skill ratings have been inferred from prose. Historical marks use the AFL's records reference. The 2km event began in 2017; no 3km, beep-test or Yo-Yo conversion is used. Harry Sharp's 2020 mark is a historical reference across differing event conditions. Finlay Yeo's WA agility result may surpass the national benchmark without changing that benchmark's event scope.
Research reviewed 26 October 2026. Read coverage and source discrepancies →
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Contested Defender
Claremont (WAFL Colts / WA)
Smooth Mover
GWS Academy / Allies
Greater Western SydneyAssured Intercept Shield
Woodville-West Torrens (SANFL U18 / SA)
Listed measurements and club connections come from the public simulator pool. See sources, methodology and corrections.