VOTE NOW: Help pick QAFL’s best 22 under 22
The depth of young talent in the QAFL has never been greater as evidenced by those dominating at senior level. We have plucked the best names from the competition, now it’s on you to vote them into the 22 under 22 team of the season.
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We have consulted the competition’s best pundits and eyes for football talent to unearth the best young players at each QAFL club who are making an impact in senior footy.
Some clubs, like premiership-contenders Redland-Victoria Point, boast a list profile of mature players with only a smattering of talented teens. Others, such as Gold Coast clubs with Suns Academy links, could almost roll out an entire starting side if asked to.
These are the pick of the top talents across the QAFL this season.
Scroll to the bottom to cast your votes and help select the QAFL 22 under 22 team of the season.
ASPLEY
Ryan Banks-Smith (21 – Midfielder)
One of the best on-ballers in the QAFL and still at just 21, is on the fast track to being one of the competition’s out-and-out stars. Banks-Smith averages a touch under 29 disposals per game and is able to get forward and impact the scoreboard. An electric player who can break games open at the drop of a hat.
Lleyton Brown (20 – Defender)
Brown has locked down a starting spot in a Hornets team that has premiership aspirations, which is no mean feat at 20. He is a talented and courageous halfback flanker who can read the play well and has great skills. Is touted for a long and established senior career.
William O’Dwyer (19 – Wing/Defender)
O’Dwyer is still finding his feet at senior QAFL level but has looked far from out of place in his four games this season. A great runner and user of the ball by foot, O’Dwyer’s ability to spread the football is a feature. He has been used both on a wing and across halfback by the Hornets this season.
BROADBEACH
Brayden Taylor (18 – Midfielder)
Broadbeach’s incredible depth of midfield talent means Taylor flies under the radar often, but not internally. The 18-year-old earned a QAFL Rising Star nomination against Mt Gravatt and is one of the first picked in Craig O’Brien’s side.
Pickering could well develop into one of the premiere rucks in the QAFL if his trajectory continues. In 2021 Pickering played his first full season of senior QAFL footy and won a premiership with the Cats. He put 8kg on his frame in the off-season and looks every bit a 10-year player for Broadbeach. Tall players take time to mature their games so it’s scary to think what Pickering could be with a few more seasons under his belt.
Cody Harrington (17 – Small Forward)
A Queensland junior representative, Harrington made his senior QAFL debut for the Cats last season and his form warranted a place in the premiership-winning side. A handful for defenders small and tall, Harrington has spent some time running through the middle this season but it’s as a small forward where his silky skills and goal nous are best utilised.
Rogers made the Allies squad for the U18 National Championships and watching him play senior footy it’s easy to see why. He’s regularly among the Cats’ best players even as a 17 year old. A solidly built player who loves to get his hands dirty, Rogers is a ready-made clearance star and has a bright future at QAFL level or higher.
Riley Winter (20 – KP Forward / Defender)
With Harry Arnold now departed for the Brisbane Lions, coach Craig O’Brien needed another defensive swingman and he looks to have found it in Winter. Deployed predominantly forward in 2021, the 20-year-old has made a home down back this season and thrived. Able to play small or tall, he has deceptive speed and is a great reader of the play.
Michael Selsby (20 – Midfielder)
Selsby showed his class in a 38-disposal game in the wet against Mt Gravatt earlier this year. Coach Craig O’Brien rates Selsby as one of the best midfielders in the QAFL and it’s easy to see why, with his solid build, evasive abilities and willingness to get forward and hit the scoreboard a feature. Selsby will spend time between the Cats and Southport in the VFL this season.
LABRADOR
Nathan Wright (19 – KP Forward / Defender)
Wright has an ex-factor that can turn a game on its head. He was named best and fairest of the Tigers’ 2021 Colts team that went unbeaten to the premiership. He is incredibly good above his head and has speed to burn. Debuted against Surfers Paradise in round four but was injured. Has a massive future at the club.
Cade Gregory (18 – Defender)
You can’t miss this sensation on the field. Sporting ample speed, Gregory is as tough as they come. He is a disciplined small defender who got a taste of senior footy last year and has continued his run of form into the 2022 season.
Campbell Lake (18 – Midfielder / Forward)
Another teenage gun who made his senior debut against Maroochydore in round eight. Lake has come through the Gold Coast Suns Academy program and played predominantly through the midfield and on the wing, though Tigers coach Nick Malceski has used him to great effect as a small forward. Lake is easy to spot with his headgear and dogged attack on the footy.
Luke Coombes (18 – Midfielder)
Few players can claim to be a three-year QAFL senior starter at just 18, but that’s exactly what young Tiger Luke Coombes is. A regular state representative and Suns Academy product, Coombes can run all day on a wing and rarely puts a foot wrong with his disposal.
MAROOCHYDORE
Alex Jacobs (17 – Defender)
Tagging roles are rare in modern footy but it’s even more uncommon for your best stopper to be a 17 year old. Yet young Alex Jacobs is one of the first players picked each week by Maroochydore coach Ben Jones, because he knows exactly what he will get from him. Jacobs is a Brisbane Lions Academy prospect who played most of his junior footy in country Victoria before moving north two years ago. A medium-sized player with a strong build belying his young age, Jacobs relishes the rare tagging role and thrives on the challenge of playing on the QAFL’s best players.
Damon Eastwell (18 – Wing)
“Basketball background” is an AFL commentator’s favourite phrase and if Eastwell ever makes it to the big time, it will apply to him as well. Lauded by his coach for his incredible aerobic capacity and competitive nature, the 6’3 Eastwell is a born-and-bred Sunny Coast product with huge upside. He made his senior QAFL debut in round one and has played every game for Maroochydore this season.
MORNINGSIDE
O’Neill Moncrieff (20 – Midfielder / Forward)
Moncrieff has played every senior game this season rotating through the middle and across half-forward. The Panthers junior has great pace and loves to inject himself on a game with his tackling pressure.
Max Nelson (18 – Key Defender / Forward)
Another prototypical key position prospect, Nelson does his best work in defence but can be thrown forward if the need arises. Made his senior debut last season and hasn’t looked back. A Brisbane Lions Academy member with strong hands and a booming kick.
Ben McCarthy (18 – Halfback)
A running defender with great pace, skills and an eye for picking a key pass through the middle of the ground. McCarthy is another Lions Academy product who has flashed his class playing seniors for the Panthers this season.
Wilson Barry (19 – Midfielder)
Barry has graduated to regular midfield minutes this season after serving predominantly on the wing and across halfback for the Panthers last year. Barry is a taller ball-winner with excellent foot skills and poise under pressure. Has played a handful of games for the Brisbane Lions in the VFL already this season.
MT GRAVATT
Zac Young (19 – Halfback / Half-forward)
A Brisbane Lions Academy product with a damaging left boot, Young measures at under 180cm but his pace and explosiveness make up for what he lacks in height. A great finisher by foot, he’s a valuable asset in either the forward or defensive 50.
Jake Tawny (18 – Halfback)
Another Lions Academy product who is in his first year of senior footy at the Vultures. Tawny plays taller than his six-foot frame and is a great attacking runner off of a halfback flank. Has improved out of sight this year with exposure to senior QAFL footy and still has plenty of upside in him.
Sam Carmody (18 – Winger)
A gut runner who will run the length of the field all day to provide an option. Carmody started the year in the Colts but has been worked into the senior set-up by coach Tony Lynn and the Vultures are hopeful of big things from the tall winger.
NOOSA
Will O’Dwyer (20 – Small Forward / Midfielder)
A Noosa junior who would have won the Division 1 league best and fairest in the Tigers’ 2019 premiership year if not for a late-season suspension, O’Dwyer has returned from Aspley after the Hornets dropped out of the VFL and hit the ground running back at home. He is one of the most dangerous small forwards in the competition and an incredible gut runner.
Maverick Pettigrove (19 – Small Forward / Midfielder)
One of the first picked each week for the Tigers, Pettigrove has been playing senior footy since he was 16 and that should tell you all you need to know about his stocks. Fantastic skills and a quality decision maker, Pettigrove rarely turns the ball over and doesn’t need much of it to do damage.
Charlie Bowes (19 – Defender)
Bowes started the season at Wilston Grange but has returned home much to Noosa’s delight. The running halfback flanker is on the Brisbane Lions’ VFL list as well as the club’s AFL Covid supplementary list, which tells you how highly he is rated. At 6’2 Bowes is a skilful player with a powerful burst of speed and makes good decisions.
PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN
Foggo has been a VFL regular for the Suns this season but could find himself back at the Lions through the middle stages of the season. With a solid, stocky build and powerful legs he has the potential to be an incredibly damaging inside-outside midfielder.
Brother of Suns AFLW ruck Lauren, Will Bella was kicking 60m bombs as a 15 year-old. He won the Colts best and fairest two years ago when the Lions were crowned premiers and is already in his second VFL season at the Suns. Bella has some kinks in his game to iron out but he has the potential to be an incredibly dominant key forward.
Harrison Day (19 – Defender)
A Rising Star nomination early in the season highlighted Day’s ever-improving game as a key position prospect. Under the tutelage of ex-Carlton AFL star Liam Jones this season, the uber-fit Day has not put a foot wrong and is quickly becoming one of the more reliable defenders in the competition.
Jack Granville (19 – Defender)
Granville played every game in 2021 in his senior QAFL debut campaign. He hasn’t quite hit the same consistent heights so far in 2022 but he is still a valuable member of the Lions’ back six whom the club believes has massive upside.
Jed Walter (16 – KP Forward / Defender)
A man mountain at just 16, Walter could be anything yet. Standing 6’5 the Suns Academy player is ready to dominate grown men in senior QAFL footy when he gets his chance. Played one game last year but has been unable to get on the ground so far in 2022, due to illness and wet weather washouts.
Corey Joyce (21 – Defender / Midfielder)
Played a full season as a 19-year-old midfielder for the Lions in 2021 and was one of their best. Has picked up a VFL contract with Southport. Though small in stature Joyce makes up for it with incredible instincts and skills.
Ethan Sekac (19 – Forward / Wing)
A Tweed Tigers product who won the club’s best and fairest as an 18-year-old last season before moving to the Lions. Coach Russ Maloney wanted Sekac last season because he know how talented he was and finally got his man for 2022. Unfortunately the youngster broke his arm earlier this season but is due back in the next month.
There are few if any players you want with ball in-hand coming off halfback than the 6’1 Gahan. Injured to start the season, he returned for Palm Beach and was arguably best on ground from the jump – immediately earning a recall to Southport’s VFL side. Lions coach Russ Maloney believes the Gold Coast Suns should seriously consider looking at Gahan for what he can do with the ball.
Ashton Crossley (20 - Midfielder)
Averaging a touch over 20 disposals per game this season, Crossley is as clean as they come by hand and foot and can get forward to impact the scoreboard. A Suns Academy graduate, Crossley is also a Southport Sharks VFL-listed player alongside older brother, Brayden.
REDLAND-VICTORIA POINT
Matt Hambleton (19 – Defender)
The Canberra native joined the Sharks in 2021 and won the club’s Rising Star award that season. Still only 19, Hambleton has NEAFL experience with the Canberra Demons and his pedigree has shone through again this season in the QAFL. Deployed predominantly across halfback by coach Phil Carse, Hambleton has a capable set of hands and silky smooth skills for a medium-sized defender.
SHERWOOD
Jaspa Fletcher (18 – Midfielder)
The son of Sherwood coach and ex-Brisbane Bears/Lions AFL player Adrian, Jaspa Fletcher is perhaps the best Queensland product in this year’s draft class and he has shown that in the QAFL this year. He is averaging a touch over 23 disposals and a goal per game. Fletcher played for the U18 All Australian team against Collingwood’s VFL side on May 21. We could be seeing him run around in the AFL next year, all going well.
Darcy Prest (19 – Midfielder / Defender)
The agile 185cm Prest provides a pacy presence for the Magpies through the middle and across halfback. Now in his second season of senior QAFL footy, the Brisbane Lions Academy product has established himself as a Sherwood staple and his versatility makes him one of the first picked for the magpies.
Connor Bulley (20 – Forward / Defender)
Another to come through the Brisbane Lions Academy, Bulley is a medium-sized key position prospect who can play tall or small. He covers the ground well, has fantastic hands and his reading of the play makes him a great intercept marker when playing in the defensive 50. Boasts a penetrating right boot to start attacking chains or finish them from outside 50.
Ethan Harris – (20 – Ruckman)
Not many young ruckmen are getting regular senior minutes in the QAFL, or anywhere for that matter. Harris, an ex-Lions Academy player, has earned his coach’s trust after a solid season and a bit at senior level. Standing 201cm he is one of the tallest players in the competition and his work at ground level belies a bloke his size. Once he develops his forward craft Harris could be one of the most dangerous tall men in the QAFL.
SURFERS PARADISE
Sam Hilton-Joyce (20 – Small Forward / Midfielder)
Hilton-Joyce is a known commodity in the QAFL having made his senior debut for the Demons as a 16-year-old in 2019. He has made it onto Southport’s VFL list and might not be far off getting a game but as it stands he is one of the most electric, natural small forwards in the competition. Has spent more time through the middle this season.
Riley Stone (19 – Wing / Defender)
The Northern Territory prospect joined the Demons last year via the Gold Coast Suns Academy. He played an important role in Surfers’ run to the finals last season deployed across halfback and higher up the ground when needed. A combination of sickness and Gold Coast VFL call-ups has kept him out of coach Brad Moore’s clutches but if and when he comes back, the Dees will be better for his presence.
Marlin Corbett (19 – Wing)
Corbett made his senior QAFL debut last season and was building nicely before Covid border restrictions locked him in northern NSW. He’s played two games for the Demons this season, also juggling Suns VFL duties. As a taller outside runner, Corbett is a solid accumulator of the footy and uses it well.
WILSTON GRANGE
Jack Manly (18 – Midfielder)
Manly is a Brisbane Lions Academy player who has split his time between the Gorillas in the QAFL and the Lions in the NAB AFL Academy Series. A Wilston Grange junior, Manly has been blooded slowly in his maiden senior QAFL campaign deployed predominantly as a high half-forward rotating through the middle when required. Playing alongside three-time Grogan Medallist Matthew Payne is a fair midfield apprenticeship.
Jackson Mills (19 – Defender)
Mills is another Lions Academy player at the Gorillas. With time he is expected to develop into a solid, big-bodied contested ball midfielder but for the moment he is playing a key role across halfback for coach Brent Maloney.
VOTE NOW – MIDFIELDERS
VOTE NOW – FORWARDS
VOTE NOW – DEFENDERS
VOTE NOW – RUCKS
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