AFL Draft 2020: See which players are ready-made to play next season

Some draftees take several years to develop, and some are ready to hit the ground running from day one. See the star junior midfielders, defenders and goalkickers who are ready to go.

While a football was not kicked in the NAB League this season, there remains countless names that could have an instant impact at AFL clubs.

Those outside Victoria have had the luxury of playing a full season in their top-age year, where some prospects have proven they can match it against men in senior competitions like the SANFL and WAFL.

Victorian prospects are more difficult to gauge for recruiters, but fortunately many shone brightly as 17-year-olds in 2019.

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Who are the players who could break in for senior action next year?

Which young guns should we be considering as cash cows entering for KFC SuperCoach 2021? It is never too early to start preparing!

Check out the draft hopefuls who will enter selection calculations next season.

NAB LEAGUE

Bendigo Pioneers

Speedy forward-midfielder Seamus Mitchell is capable of slotting in at AFL level next year with a full pre-season under his belt. Compared to wantaway Giant Zac Williams by Pioneers coach and former GWS development coach Damian Trustlove, Mitchell has a nice kick and is lightning quick, running an elite 2.88-second 20 metre sprint at last week’s Vic Country combine.

Calder Cannons

Key position defender Cody Brand is tied to Essendon as an Academy prospect and could get an opportunity in a lockdown role if he is taken by the Bombers – especially if they look to youth in 2021. His defensive attributes are first class, doing several jobs last season for the Cannons as a bottom-ager last year, and his intercept work grew as the season went on.

Could Cody Brand find his way to Essendon?

Dandenong Stingrays

Dandenong’s draft class is not as strong in 2020 as it has been in previous seasons, but Will Bravo is an outside chance to crack in next year if drafted. The inside midfielder has blistering speed out of congestion and was due to spend time across halfback this season, having played 14 games for the Stingrays as a mid-forward in 2019.

Eastern Ranges

A rebuilding Hawthorn side is set to welcome Next Generation Academy member Connor Downie into its ranks and he should get ample opportunity in 2021. Downie is a ready-made running defender/wingman with a penetrating left boot and great running capacity – and will be on the KFC SuperCoach radar as a potential cash cow. His professionalism is off the charts and he is expected to fit in seamlessly in an AFL environment. Speedy backman Josh Clarke has added 10kg this year following a strong bottom-age year for Eastern and could enter selection calculations with his ability to take the game on.

Connor Downie will add speed and poise for Hawthorn in 2021.

Geelong Falcons

On talent alone, top-ten fancies Oliver Henry – the brother of Geelong defender Jack Henry – and Tanner Bruhn can break in next year. Bruhn is a midfielder with impressive skills who can play on the inside and outside but is likely to start as a wingman as he builds his 73-kilogram frame. Henry impacted games at both ends in his bottom-age year for the Falcons with his marking prowess as a third tall and has more tricks than his no-frills brother. He may have a greater chance of playing senior footy than Bruhn in 2021 due to his versatility.

AFL DRAFT HUB: DATE, TOP PROSPECTS, YOUR CLUB’S PICKS

ALL STARS GAME: FULL REPLAY AND ALL THE TOP PROSPECTS RATED

Gippsland Power

Bullocking inside-midfielder Sam Berry shapes as another cheapie to consider in SuperCoach next year. Berry registered an insane 220-point total from 18 tackles, 20 disposals, 17 contested possessions, nine clearances and three goals in wet conditions against the Falcons last year. His prolific ball-winning, strong body and good endurance mean he should enter the selection frame in 2021. Zach Reid is a 202-centimetre defender with a kicking weapon but may need some time to develop before facing AFL key forwards.

Sam Berry has no trouble getting his hands on the footy.

Greater Western Victoria Rebels

With no certain draft chances out of Greater Western Victoria this year, it is hard to gauge whether a Rebels’ graduate will make their senior debut. Running machine Harry Sharp certainly has the tank to mix it in the big league. Attending school in Melbourne, Sharp is every chance of breaking Collingwood fitness freak Jay Rantall’s two kilometre time trial record at the Vic Metro combine.

Northern Knights

Developing tall swingman Nikolas Cox is the Knights’ standout prospect and shapes as their most likely AFL debutant in 2021. Like Reid, Cox may need a pre-season or two to build his physique but his phenomenal athleticism (possessing elite endurance and a great leap), versatility and good skills mean he is a chance of being a factor in his first season.

Nikolas Cox is talented, but may need to add more size to his slight frame before making his AFL debut.

Murray Bushrangers

Senior action beckons for potential top-three pick Elijah Hollands next year despite coming off an anterior cruciate ligament injury, suffered in February. Hollands is a damaging 190-centimetre midfield-forward who has a penetrating kick, hits the scoreboard and wins contested ball. Likely to land at a 2020 bottom-five club, his injury will be the only thing holding him back, and he is tracking well in his recovery.

Oakleigh Chargers

Western Bulldogs NGA prodigy Jamarra Ugle-Hagan headlines a bumper crop of Chargers players capable of playing senior footy from the get-go. While we should temper expectations for the likely number one selection in his formative years, he is sure to show glimpses of his extraordinary talent next season as a key forward. Inside bull Will Phillips is one to keep on your SuperCoach watchlist for 2021 after excelling in his bottom-age year, averaging 22.1 disposals, 4.3 clearances and 103 SuperCoach points – alongside 2019 draft stars Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson, no less. Just like his brother Jack, Finlay Macrae is a smooth-moving accumulator who may see senior action next year, while Collingwood NGA product Reef McInnes is a big-bodied utility standing 192-centimetres that can play all over the ground. Speedy forward Conor Stone and Richmond father-son hopeful Maurice Rioli Jnr, who has shone against senior bodies in the Northern Territory Football League, are others who could feature at AFL level.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has been billed by some as the next Buddy Franklin.

Sandringham Dragons

Expect Archie Perkins to be playing senior footy at some stage in 2021. At 188cm, Perkins has traits that AFL clubs are crying out for as a high impact forward/midfielder with power, speed and marking prowess. He likely starts his career in the forward arc as he develops his midfield craft. Jake Bowey has been likened to classy Bulldog Caleb Daniel for his decision making and excellent skills as a smaller prospect, which may see him called upon next year as a small forward or on the wing.

STAR TALENT: GUN EAGLE PUSHING HIS WAY INTO THE FIRST-ROUND

TOP PROSPECTS: THE NEXT WAVE OF GAME-BREAKING DEFENDERS

Tasmania Devils

The Devils have several prospects who could land on AFL lists and tough inside midfielder Oliver Davis looms as the most ready-made after a superb Tasmania State League season. Against hardened bodies, Davis claimed the Matthew Richardson Medal, awarded to the best young talent in the competition, leading the league in tackles and averaging 20 disposals per game. This is after averaging 22 disposals, 7.8 tackles, 5.5 clearances and 130 SuperCoach points across 13 NAB League games in 2019. Wingman Patrick Walker and intercept defender Sam Collins also played TSL football this season for North Hobart.

Oliver Davis with his 2020 Matthew Richardson Medal.

Western Jets

Eddie Ford, who turned heads in the early stages of the All-Stars showcase on Grand Final day last year, is one who could get a chance up forward if taken. The high marking forward relishes the big stage and is a good size at 188-centimetres, having added to his frame during the competition shutdown.

Western Australia

Western Australia possesses two of the best talls in the draft in forward Logan McDonald and defender Denver Grainger-Barras, both among the talented group jockeying for spots inside the top-five. McDonald stamped his authority as a pick-one contender with a glittering campaign for Perth in the WAFL seniors, finishing second in the league goalkicking as an 18-year-old. He has drawn comparisons to Nick Riewoldt for his work rate, clocking 6:33min in the two-kilometre time-trial at the WA combine last month. Intercept king Grainger-Barras has also impressed at senior level for Swan Districts this season and showcased his versatility in a WA All-Stars showcase last week, kicking two goals in the second half as a forward. The pair’s performances against seasoned bodies this year illustrate that they are more than capable of stepping in right away at AFL level.

Meanwhile, rebounding key defender Heath Chapman broke in for one WAFL game for West Perth after dominating at colts level in 2020, standing out with his reading of the play, pinpoint kicking and decision making. Inside ball-winners Nathan O’Driscoll, Jack Carroll and Zane Trew are others who could receive AFL call-ups next year.

Logan McDonald undertakes the agility test during the 2020 Western Australia AFL Draft Combine at Wesley College.

South Australia

It will be a matter of if, not when, big-bodied defender Lachlan Jones steps into the Port Adelaide line-up in 2021. The Power NGA prospect played a full season for premiers Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFL and thrived, enjoying a fantastic finals series averaging 16 disposals, 10 intercept possessions and 93 SuperCoach points. In doing so, he closed the gap between him and leading South Australian prospect Riley Thilthorpe, who had an injury interrupted campaign for West Adelaide. The 201cm, 102kg man mountain managed solid form in a struggling side playing as a forward-ruck at senior level and remains in contention to be taken by Adelaide as a homegrown number-one pick.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: SEE SA’S TOP AFL DRAFT PROSPECTS IN ACTION

GOALKICKERS: EXCITING FORWARDS OF 2020 DRAFT CROP

Prolific ball-winner Tom Powell tore the SANFL under-18 competition to shreds, winning the McCallum Tompkins Medal as league best-and-fairest and averaging a lazy 33.5 disposals, 14.6 contested possessions, eight clearances and 154 SuperCoach points from 15 games for Sturt. He also played a pivotal role in their finals series, including 25 touches and a goal in the Grand Final, boosting his draft stocks in the process – the only negative being for SuperCoaches, who may have to snap him up at a more expensive price. Half-forward/wingman Brayden Cook is another who excelled in the under-18 competition for South Adelaide, leading the league goalkicking with an inaccurate 26.27 – including two bags of five.

Lachlan Jones has been outstanding for Woodville-West Torrens in a premiership year.

Allies

The Swans have another Academy marvel on their hands in midfielder Braeden Campbell, an exciting small midfielder-forward with speed and a piercing kick who can hit the scoreboard. Campbell broke in for three NEAFL senior games last year as a 17-year-old for Sydney alongside fellow Swans Academy talent Errol Gulden and was best afield in the All-Stars clash on Grand Final day last year. Gold Coast Academy product Alex Davies, who also played at NEAFL level last year, is a 191 centimetre clearance-beast who does his best work in heavy traffic. He has a big-body suited to the rigours of AFL footy and may get early opportunities at Gold Coast. Part of the Suns’ Darwin Academy zone, Indigenous talent Joel Jeffrey is a medium sized swingman with plenty of tricks, as he showed with a three-goal second half for North Territory Thunder in the NEAFL last year.

MORE AFL:

THE KEY REASON DOGS STAR IS CONSIDERING SHOCK SWITCH

THE NUMBERS THAT SHOW NIGHT GF COULD BE HERE TO STAY

‘I DIDN’T ENJOY IT’: TIGERS PRESIDENT WEIGHS IN ON NIGHT GF

BUCKENARA: DEES HAVE ONLY ONE A-GRADER

TRUTH ABOUT POST-MATCH MOMENT THAT HAD FOOTY WORLD TALKING

Originally published as AFL Draft 2020: See which players are ready-made to play next season