By Marc McGowan
Barely a week out from “round zero”, we have tackled the challenge of naming the AFL’s best 20 footballers aged 21 or younger ahead of the new season.
Carlton young gun Ollie Hollands was unlucky to miss out on the top 20.Credit: Getty Images
Cue the debate.
The criteria were simple: players must have played at least 10 games (sorry, George Wardlaw, Sam Darcy, Harley Reid and co.) and not have turned 22 years old. The list is based mostly on production – but with some extrapolation, so those who are only one year in are not too disadvantaged.
Care was taken not to give too much weighting to potential and also factored in that it is harder to make an early impact as a tall forward or defender than, say, a midfielder or half-back flanker.
Among those to miss out were Adelaide’s Max Michalanney and Luke Pedlar, 2022 No.1 pick Aaron Cadman, Carlton’s Ollie Hollands, Kangaroos Paul Curtis and Will Phillips, Hawthorn’s Josh Ward, Demons Judd McVee and Jake Bowey, Gold Coast’s Bailey Humphrey, and Eagles Reuben Ginbey, Elijah Hewett and Noah Long.
Let us know your thoughts on the list in the comments.
20. Logan McDonald (Sydney)
Date of birth: 4/4/2002
Key 2023 stats: 10 disposals, 4 marks, 1.6 goals
McDonald might not be a stay-at-home, bullocking key forward who is going to monster opposition defenders, but his running power, particularly for someone of 195 centimetres, sets him apart as a prospect. The West Australian showed glimpses of what he could become in his first two seasons, while sharing a forward line dominated by Lance Franklin, but he enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2023. McDonald more than doubled his goal tally from a year earlier to finish with 32 and illustrate why he is so important to the Swans’ plans.
Logan McDonald (right) might be set to blossom now that Lance Franklin has retired.Credit: Getty Images
19. Josh Gibcus (Richmond)
Date of birth: 4/4/2003
Key 2022 stats: 9 disposals, 4 intercept possessions,4 contested possessions
Gibcus missed his entire second season due to hamstring issues, but the 2021 top-10 draftee was promising enough in his debut campaign to make 18 appearances and win the Tigers’ best first-year player award. Then-Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was not afraid to hand the key defender several big jobs and described him as “a wonderful player” midway through his first season. Gibcus is a great size at 196cm and boasts impressive intercepting prowess. The post-Dylan Grimes and Nathan Broad era at Punt Road is in safe hands.
18. Darcy Wilmot (Brisbane Lions)
Date of birth: 31/12/2003
Key 2023 stats: 16 disposals, 5 intercept possessions, 3 rebound-50s
You do not finish in the top 10 of a grand final team’s best-and-fairest count by accident. That is what Wilmot did in his second season in the AFL, occupying a defensive role for Chris Fagan’s Lions. The No.16 selection in the 2021 draft made his senior debut in an elimination final a year later and has not missed a game since. He breaks lines, reads the play well and is tough, a combination of traits that should hold him in good stead for a long-term AFL career. Still only 20, Wilmot still has plenty of development to come.
17. Ollie Henry (Geelong)
Date of birth: 29/8/2002
Key 2023 stats: 10 disposals, 5 contested possessions, 1.9 goals
The ex-Magpie kicked plenty of goals in his first season as a Cat – 41 from 22 games – and he has not had a problem doing that in his career to date. The first-round pick also slotted 21 goals in 15 games in his second year at Collingwood. There were knocks on him for his defensive shortcomings at the Pies, as well as for going missing at times during matches, but he made progress in 2023. Henry’s tackle numbers went up, and he kicked multiple goals in 14 games, including two bags of four and another of three in his last four appearances.
Ollie Henry made a splash in attack in his first season at the Cattery.Credit: Getty Images
16. Archie Perkins (Essendon)
Date of birth: 26/3/2002
Key 2023 stats: 15 disposals, 5 contested possessions, 3 inside-50s
A day will come, surely not too far in the future, when Perkins will be a midfielder who goes forward rather than vice versa. Until then, there is still so much to like about this young Bomber, who has mostly played as a high half-forward in his three seasons since being a top-10 selection in 2020. Perkins quickly earned his coaches’ trust and has already played 62 matches, including all 23 last season. The numbers don’t tell the full story yet, but he is diligent, smart, ambitious and boasts a savvy sidestep.
15. Max Holmes (Geelong)
Date of birth: 29/8/2002
Key 2023 stats: 19 disposals, 4 inside-50s, 4 tackles
The hard-running Holmes – whose mum is Olympic sprinter Lee Naylor – bounced between wing and on-ball roles last year, but the Cats are set to unleash him at half-back this season. He is still trying to find consistency, but his best is seriously good, as evidenced late in the 2022 season and at different stages in 2023, including a 33-touch effort against Essendon. Rival clubs clamoured for Holmes after the Cats left him out of the 2022 grand final – following a hamstring issue – and he is out of contract at season’s end, so it is a situation to watch.
14. Josh Weddle (Hawthorn)
Date of birth: 25/5/2004
Key 2023 stats: 17 disposals, 5 marks, 5 intercept possessions
There is a reason this masthead’s columnist and retired Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes predicted Weddle could become the AFL’s best player one day. Weddle is an endurance beast who dominates time trials at Waverley Park and manically takes rivals on when he wins the ball at half-back. The Hawks traded into the first round to select him in the 2022 draft, and he was crowned internally as the club’s most promising player based on his 17-game debut campaign. Weddle’s athletic traits and running ability could lend itself to the midfield in the years to come.
Emerging Hawk Josh Weddle loves to take the game on.Credit: Getty Images
13. Mattaes Phillipou (St Kilda)
Date of birth: 27/12/2004
Key 2023 stats: 13 disposals, 6 contested possessions, 4 score involvements
Could, and probably will, end up the best of the Saints’ new breed. Phillipou is obsessed with becoming a great AFL footballer and backs up his confidence with a standout work-rate behind the scenes. Fox Footy guru and North Melbourne premiership star David King even sees some Marcus Bontempelli-type traits in the South Australian teenager, who he believes could one day dominate games for fun. The talk out of St Kilda is they will let him roam away from the forward line more often in 2024, and this journey is just getting started.
12. Jacob van Rooyen (Melbourne)
Date of birth: 16/4/2003
Key 2023 stats: 9 disposals, 3 marks, 1.4 goals
The Demons are transitioning to a new forward line, with this 20-year-old enforcer overtaking veterans Tom McDonald and Ben Brown to earn his spot. Club great Russell Robertson told this masthead after van Rooyen’s three-goal debut last year that he saw shades of “a young David Schwarz” in him. It is not hard to see why, given the way the Western Australian fearlessly flies for marks and throws his weight around. Van Rooyen missed Melbourne’s semi-final loss last year due to suspension, so using his aggression more wisely should be a focus.
11. Finn Callaghan (GWS)
Date of birth: 26/4/2003
Key 2023 stats: 21 disposals, 3 inside-50s, 5 score involvements
The classy winger is a superb left-foot kick with excellent evasive skills, and the modern prototype for a midfielder at 192 centimetres. Callaghan is more of a secondary centre-bounce option for the Giants at this stage, given his skill set and having the likes of Stephen Coniglio, Josh Kelly and Callan Ward as teammates. But it would be a surprise if the No.3 pick in the 2021 draft did not eventually develop into a star onballer, where he spent plenty of time as a junior prospect. Callaghan has already shown promise in that regard in cameos.
10. Mitch Owens (St Kilda)
Date of birth: 24/9/2003
Key 2023 stats: 15 disposals, 8 contested possessions, 1.1 goals
Owens took on great responsibility last year, along with pre-season signing Anthony Caminiti, while Max King and Tim Membrey were sidelined – and finished fourth in the Saints’ Trevor Barker Medal. At 191cm, he is undersized as a key forward, but successfully operated as one. Owens made a quick start with eight goals across the Saints’ unbeaten first month, including a 27-disposal performance against Gold Coast. His role was, and will be, a bit different with King and Membrey in the side, but he is a big part of the club’s future.
Young Saints star Mitch Owens finished third in last year’s Rising Star award.Credit: Eddie Jim
9. Josh Rachele (Adelaide)
Date of birth: 11/4/2003
Key 2023 stats: 15 disposals, 6 score involvements, 1.1 goals
Rachele, the No.6 pick in the 2021 draft, is precisely what the doctor ordered for the Crows’ attack. The small but powerful forward is a constant danger for defenders with his uncanny goal sense, whether he is getting away a quick snap in traffic or delivering a long-range effort. Rachele kicked more behinds than goals last season, so a correction on that front will take him to another level, but he has already demonstrated how valuable he is. Adelaide extended his contract in June for an extra four years to keep him at the club until at least 2029.
8. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (St Kilda)
Date of birth: 22/2/2003
Key 2023 stats: 24 disposals, 450 metres gained, 5 intercept possessions
Wanganeen-Milera oozes class and looks a home run selection from the Saints at No.11 in the 2021 draft. The vast majority of the 21-year-old’s disposals are kicks – and that’s by design because he is already the best exponent on St Kilda’s list. His move from the wing to half-back also made him the resident kick-in specialist, and coach Ross Lyon wants the Sherrin in his hands as often as possible. Finished top five in the club’s best and fairest award, and how he handles the extra attention surely coming will be fascinating viewing.
7. Jason Horne-Francis (Port Adelaide)
Date of birth: 21/6/2003
Key 2023 stats: 18 disposals, 9 contested possessions, 5 clearances
The ex-Kangaroo, the No.1 pick in the 2021 draft, has endured a controversial and dramatic start to his AFL career but thrived after moving to Alberton. “The Hornet” racked up 25 disposals on debut for his new club against the Lions before matching that tally while winning a career-best 11 clearances in a win over St Kilda in round seven. Horne-Francis is a bull in the contest and has a knack for kicking a goal, too, highlighted in his 27-disposal, three-goal performance at the Giants’ expense in round 22. Even better is to come.
No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis looks a long-term star for Port Adelaide.Credit: Getty Images
6. Jye Amiss (Fremantle)
Date of birth: 31/7/2003
Key 2023 stats: 8 disposals, 4 marks, 1.9 goals
The Dockers entered last season wondering how they were going to kick a winning score, particularly if Matt Taberner’s injury woes continued. Taberner ended up making only four appearances but 196-centimetre Amiss’ emergence meant Fremantle were able to soldier on. The 20-year-old, the No.8 selection in the 2021 draft, played only three matches in his debut season before breaking out in a big way to slot 41 goals in 22 games in 2023. Amiss, known for his contested marking prowess, looms as a key long-term piece for coach Justin Longmuir.
5. Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (Western Bulldogs)
Date of birth: 4/4/2002
Key 2023 stats: 11 disposals, 5 marks, 1.5 goals
The 2020 No.1 draft pick has taken a big leap in all three of his seasons to date, capped by a 35-goal campaign last year while sharing the Dogs’ forward line with Aaron Naughton and Cody Weightman. Ugle-Hagan’s match-winning five-goal display against the Demons in 2022 was his breakout performance, and he booted three majors or more on five occasions last year as he became a more consistent threat. He kicked as many behinds as goals in 2023, so some tidier goalkicking would make him a threat for 50 this season.
4. Harry Sheezel (North Melbourne)
Date of birth: 13/10/2004
Key 2023 stats: 27 disposals, 442 metres gained, 7 contested possessions
Harry Sheezel is a leading part of what the Roos hope will be a bright new era.Credit: Getty Images
Sheezel starred as a forward and midfielder in his draft year but was deployed in defence to start his AFL career. The 19-year-old racked up at least 30 disposals in five of his first seven games and was a metres-gained menace. He did not miss a match and his brilliant debut campaign scored him the Rising Star award and the Kangaroos’ Syd Barker Medal as club champion. Sheezel also showed impressive glimpses in midfield cameos. He won 42 disposals in match simulation against Collingwood last week, so expect more of the same this year.
3. Will Ashcroft (Brisbane Lions)
Date of birth: 6/5/2004
Key 2023 stats: 22 disposals, 8 contested possessions, 4 clearances
The son of triple premiership-winning Lion Marcus might have won last year’s Rising Star award if not for an ACL rupture that prematurely ended his season and cost him an appearance in the grand final. Ashcroft dominated in his 2022 draft year, and only the Giants’ want to crown Aaron Cadman at No.1 stopped the father-son prospect from being the dux of his class. He stepped straight into Brisbane’s midfield and won 31 disposals and nine clearances in just his second match, against Melbourne’s much-vaunted on-ball brigade.
2. Errol Gulden (Sydney)
Date of birth: 18/7/2002
Key 2023 stats: 27 disposals, 562 metres gained, 6 inside-50s
Gulden polled 738 votes in the Swans’ club champion count last year, with Nick Blakey runner-up on 481. Throw in an equal-fourth Brownlow Medal placing and All-Australian honours, and you should get an idea of how good Gulden was. The John Longmire favourite is a running machine with a laser-like left boot who also averaged almost a goal a game. Gulden, a Sydney academy product and draft bargain, dipped below 19 disposals only three times in 2023, so his consistent excellence is another part of his appeal.
1. Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
Date of birth: 3/1/2003
Key 2023 stats (average): 31 disposals, 9 contested possessions, 4 clearances
Collingwood phenomenon Nick Daicos is the game’s best young player.Credit: Paul Rovere
Daicos is not only the game’s best 21-and-under footballer but also challenging to be the No.1 player overall. A hairline fracture sustained late last season might be the only reason the All-Australian did not win the Brownlow Medal, given he finished only three votes behind Lachie Neale despite missing rounds 22-24. Daicos did not miss a beat graduating from a lethal half-backer to a fully fledged onballer. His kicking skills, decision-making, vision and football IQ are already elite, and he uses his speed and endurance to be a damaging runner, too.
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