Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central

Sam Cumming Draft Profile

North Adelaide prospect Sam Cumming is a powerful and competitive midfielder-forward with strong work rate.

SNAPSHOT: “An explosive and competitive midfielder-forward who reliably wins contested ball and has added weapons to his game.” – Michael Alvaro

Sam Cumming will be among the most highly sought after prospects at this year’s draft after an impressive couple of seasons with North Adelaide. The midfielder took out last year’s SANFL Under 18 MVP award as a bottom-ager, making 10 appearances for an average of 27 disposals. He also turned out twice for South Australia at the Under 18 National Championships, and was selected to play in the National Futures game.

With such exploits under his belt, Cumming was inducted into the 2025 AFL Academy and impressed during a preseason training stint at Port Adelaide. He came into season proper with huge wraps on his potential, and delivered to become an All-Australian by the end of SA’s title-winning nationals run. The best was yet to come, though, as Cumming stepped up into North Adelaide’s League side and made an immediate impact.

Amid arguably his best patch of form for the year, he starred with 21 disposals and three goals in Round 13 against South Adelaide. Unfortunately, his season ended in a fourth and final senior game after injuring his shoulder three weeks later against Central District. Still, Cumming was fit enough to participate at the National Draft Combine where he showcased his explosive speed with a sub three-second 20m sprint time.

Cumming is quite well travelled already having played his junior football in Wentworth, a town over the New South Wales border in the Sunraysia region. He also represented Bendigo Pioneers in the 2022 V-Line Cup, but ended up attending school at the prestigious Prince Alfred College in Adelaide and thus linked up with North. He’s a Hawthorn supporter and models his game on the likes of Sydney star Isaac Heeney.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by Mouseymoo

I've watched a handful of the videos available of him online and I'm not convinced

With that being said, it seems like a lot of clubs are according to Twomey: he midfielder is powerful and brave and is rated by plenty of clubs inside the top 10 available players in this year's pool.

Just now, adonski said:

I've watched a handful of the videos available of him online and I'm not convinced

With that being said, it seems like a lot of clubs are according to Twomey: he midfielder is powerful and brave and is rated by plenty of clubs inside the top 10 available players in this year's pool.

I was just about the say the same thing

Maybe it just doesn’t come through on tape but he doesn’t look particularly explosive in those Rookie Me highlights

On paper he sounds like he’d be a great pick up but he doesn’t seem to have the X factor of some of those guys rated above him

Still, if Robey, Grij and Sharp are off the board he might be the best available midfielder at 7 or 8

The highlights may not show what people are looking for but Imv he is a point of difference to our current young mids

He plays differently to pickett Langford Lindsay and Windsor

He probably ends up being an upgrade on the type of player we want tholstrup to be

I saw that he was from Wentworth the other day and he actually reminds me of another Mildura area guy in the late Col Sylvia.

He’s a nice mover and has some class. Definitely a well rounded player. Just not sure if he has any special traits.

He’s super fast DeeSpencer and if Sam has come out of Wenty he will be quite tough.👍😁

28 minutes ago, DeeZone said:

He’s super fast DeeSpencer and if Sam has come out of Wenty he will be quite tough.👍😁

2.97, he's quick enough to play forward and mid but that's not super fast these days