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 Sunday at 03:124 days 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

I like him. He is exactly who we need. We’ve got grunt (Viney), system (Sparrow), and polish (Bowey), but what’s missing, now post-Tracc, is that burst-from-stoppage game-breaker who can take the ball from congestion and turn defence into attack in one step. I think that Cumming does that instinctively.
He wins his own ball, breaks lines, and hits the scoreboard — a rare combo that immediately will rebalance our midfield mix.

Edited Sunday at 10:004 days by damienjr

4 minutes ago, damienjr said:

I like him. He is exactly who we need. We’ve got grunt (Viney), system (Sparrow), and polish (Bowey), but what’s missing now post-Tracc is that burst-from-stoppage game-breaker who can take the ball from congestion and turn defence into attack in one step. I think that Cumming does that instinctively.
He wins his own ball, breaks lines, and hits the scoreboard — a rare combo that immediately will rebalance our midfield mix.

He seems to make the right decisions, has a bit of composure and balance about him. Looks to be one of those solid peices you need in your midfield, a bit of break away and delivery to the forward line.

Little bit of Spargo about him.

We couldn't do much worse than him and Dovaston at 7/8

6 hours ago, FrothiesLiam said:

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

Upon reflection this is probably where I’m at with him - i.e. he offers a different dimension to our other young midfielders (and our older heads in Viney and Steele) so he would be a solid pick

26 minutes ago, Mouseymoo said:

He seems to make the right decisions, has a bit of composure and balance about him. Looks to be one of those solid peices you need in your midfield, a bit of break away and delivery to the forward line.

Little bit of Spargo about him.

We couldn't do much worse than him and Dovaston at 7/8

??

He looks good, composed effective with ball, with a nice side step and movement in traffic to get into position to deliver well. Reminds me of Cam Raynor in ability to orchestrate in space. Agree with question on his ability to do damage… few examples of long kicks with impact.

I’m not a fan of Dovaston at all, reckon he’d be exposed at AFL level.

I know Sam and the family well. Outstanding club people (mum and dad are both Life Members at Wentworth FNC) and he's just grown up with a footy in his hands.

His old man, was not only a long term wonderful player (well before I moved to Mildura) but his mum was a great netballer.

They run the largest commercial landscaping business locally and were the contractors who completed the three immaculate ovals AFL level ovals at the $40m + Mildura Sporting Precinct. So if Sam isn't getting a kick in the ones, we can get him and the family on the tools at Caulfield. The project also included 4 outdoor netball courts and 6 indoor basketball courts and offices.

On Sam, he's an exciting talent and would like to have him but I have never seen much X factor that makes him a high end pick. I've always thought of him being a really solid mid fielder. I see him more of a James McDonald type.

could have fooled me that the highlights package at the top of this thread was a harley barker one not a sam cumming one, gee he looks good, shame about the acl as he seems a likely type and i'd be probably pushing pretty hard for him if he was fit

17 minutes ago, adonski said:

I like the look of him but the Heeney comparison is a bit off the mark...

I have watched a few videos of Cumming and and I'm yet to see any special traits that commands being taken as a top 10 pick.

He just reminds me too much of Tom Sparrow and hes a plodder at AFL level.

Scouting Notes 30/10/2025

"A South Australian with Rory Sloane comparisons, Cumming is a genuine workhorse who has starred across different levels this year

Club North Adelaide / Wentworth

State SA

Height 184cm

DOB 27/07/2007

Speed / Power / Leadership / Scoreboard Impact

A tough and fierce competitor who has been likened to former Adelaide champion Rory Sloane, Cumming also brings power, speed and plenty of class. A vice-captain of South Australia at this year’s under-18 national championships, Cumming spent time rotating between onball and forward roles and performed well in both with his enormous workrate and appetite for the contest. He kicked goals in three of his side’s four matches, including two majors in one quarter against Vic Metro. The performances saw him named across half-forward in the under-18 All-Australian side. Cumming had won the SANFL under-18s MVP award as a bottom-age player with North Adelaide last year and was also dominant in the early rounds this season. He went on to feature at senior level in the SANFL in the second half of the year and starred with 21 disposals, five clearances and three goals in a round 13 clash against South Adelaide. His season ended early, though, due to a shoulder injury. Cumming is originally from Wentworth in New South Wales but moved to Adelaide for school.

2025 SANFL 67 ranking points, 12.8 disposals, 5 contested possessions, 2.8 marks, 3 clearances, 2.8 inside-50s, 3 tackles, 2.5 score involvements, 0.8 goals, 0.3 score assists (4 games)

2025 SANFL U18s 144 ranking points, 24.2 disposals, 13.2 contested possessions, 3.4 marks, 3.4 clearances, 5.6 inside-50s, 1.6 tackles, 6.8 score involvements, 1.6 goals, 1.6 score assists (5 games)

2025 National Champs 89 ranking points, 17 disposals, 1.3 clearances, 3.3 inside-50s, 4.5 score involvements, 1.0 goals, 0.8 score assists, 3.3 tackles (4 games)"

50 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I have watched a few videos of Cumming and and I'm yet to see any special traits that commands being taken as a top 10 pick.

He just reminds me too much of Tom Sparrow and hes a plodder at AFL level.

Hes much more dynamic a mover at stoppages than Sparrow

With that said, he's not a big accumulator judging by the stat lines he has in his footage online and his kicking looks a bit dodgy which is concerning

I don't see the Sparrow comparison, but Dazzle could be right, as I haven't seen enough of him. Cumming strikes me as having a much higher ceiling with a lot higher onfield production than Sparrow, who never got much of the footy, even in juniors.

If Grlj and other likely types are gone, then Cumming and Dovaston appeal to me as a great combination.

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I have watched a few videos of Cumming and and I'm yet to see any special traits that commands being taken as a top 10 pick.

He just reminds me too much of Tom Sparrow and hes a plodder at AFL level.

Similar build, athleticism and baby face as Sparrow but I don't think their games compare. Sparrow's plodder-ness at afl level isn't due to his lack of athleticism, it's caused by his lack of game sense to move proactively both with and without the ball. Sparrow came through with the last great crop out of SA which gave them more options but the SA junior coaches knew this and played him half back in the national champs. I don't think he progressed to SANFL seniors either.

With Cumming I see a much more proactive mover at stoppages around the ground, a way better decision maker especially when on the run and whilst not perfect he kicks the ball far smoother than Sparrow. And that greater ability has been showcased by making an impact mid/forward at the champs and at senior sanfl level.

He's got a higher ceiling than Tommy Sparrow in that he has a great leap and a bit more flexible in that he can impact up forward with his marking.

On his stats, he was rotated a lot more up forward during the year hence he's not just racking up 25+ in the midfield each week. I have no doubt if we was playing as a pure mid then he'd have far more attractive numbers but he was impacting up forward well so he was always going to be a hybrid.

On the comparisons with Heeney, yes they play a similar role but Cumming is nowhere near the quality of Heeney. I have Heeney in one of the best dozen in the comp. Hopefully Sam gets to a similar level and he has so many positive aspects but Heeney was a jet and remains so.

Reminds me of Mattaes Phillipou with a bit more hard YAKKA in him

spirit of norm smith

Jun 21

I think one impressive youngster for the Dees to consider is Sam Cumming. He’s a midfielder small half forward type. In the bits and pieces that I’ve seen in his games for South Australia, he shown the skill and good running through that translates to AFL. Made good decisions with the footy and yes he hits targets inside forward 50!!!