Sport

Tanner Armstrong takes next step on the road to the AFL Draft

By Josh Huntly

Oct 6, 2026

Tanner Armstrong took the next stop forward in his football journey.

Tanner Armstrong’s path to the AFL Draft made a stop at the Victorian State Combine.

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The Richmond Next Generation Academy-tied Armstrong continues to make a case for his call-up to the big time, with a pair of top-10 finishes in Melbourne at the weekend.

The Rumbalara product and Shepparton United star lined up in a series of events designed to test the athleticism of AFL prospects from across the land, the 18-year-old among a 39-strong field putting their best foot forward.

Invites are distributed based on nominations submitted by AFL clubs, and in two areas the young gun showed he’s not just crafty with the Sherrin in hand, running second in the agility test with a time of 7.98 seconds, before running a 3.05 second dash in the 20-metre sprint.

The testing comes after Armstrong was handed his VFL debut for Richmond in August, taking his opportunity with both hands to feature prominently against St Kilda.

Armstrong also impressed for Victoria Country during the AFL National Championships, Scotch College in APS footy, and was named in the Murray Bushrangers best players on all three occasions he donned the yellow, black, and purple jumper.

Meanwhile, Echuca’s Cody Walker also lit up the AFL Combine, but this time in the National edition.

Walker ran a blistering 6:04 in the 2km time-trial to further strengthen his billing to be the first selection of the upcoming Draft, which is scheduled to take place from November 19-20.