Lyon: The player that will become the AFL's best in 2026

Having been around the Victorian camp as they prepare for their first official State of Origin match in 27 years, Chief Selector Garry Lyon has been seriously impressed by the skills of one player in particular.

And that has been the Western Bulldogs’ Sam Darcy.

The 22-year-old forward has been quite the pre-season, according to several reports, with Kane Cornes believing he will be the best player in the AFL by season’s end.

And having watched one particular moment in training, it was enough to convince the Melbourne great of that view as well.

“I’m telling you this right,” Lyon said on SEN’s WA Breakfast.

“There was a moment (after) training had finished, and the boys were doing this centre bounce stuff.

“And the forwards had just finished doing what they did. I said, well, you know, hit up to these blokes if you want, if you feel like it, and they (the forwards) started leading.

“I’m wondering back in the midfield, and I’d turned around, and someone kicked the ball that was going to be a half volley for Sam. And I was thinking, ‘Don’t bend down just before the game’.

“He bent down and picked it up one-handed, and without a word of a lie, 24 Victorian blokes just started laughing. Like they burst out laughing, how good it was. I’m talking (Nick) Daicos, (Zach) Merrett and (Caleb) Serong.

“He’ll be the best player in the game by the end of the year."

Darcy will be featuring in Victoria’s State of Origin side on February 14.

That will be played at Perth’s Optus Stadium with SEN’s Gerard Whateley, Peter Bell, Tim Gossage and Tim Gossage commentating the match live.

Our coverage begins from 12:00pm AEDT with a special edition of Crunch Time on SEN’s radio network and on the SEN app.  

The coverage will resume from 7pm (4pm local time).