Wreck It Ralph: The best 20 players aged 22 and under in the AFL

He’s the perfect midfielder and has already established himself as Carlton’s best player. How long until Sam Walsh is the Blues’ skipper. See Ralphy’s young gun ratings.

Young guns Sam Walsh, Kysaiah Pickett, Shai Bolton, Aaron Naughton.

As Carlton mastered its latest technique to steal defeat from the jaws of victory, Sam Walsh had clearly seen enough.

Gathering the ball on the wing on Saturday, he chipped another flawless kick to Paddy Dow.

Surging forward in a manner Craig Bradley perfected all those years ago, he took the handball back, sprinted across the 50m arc, surveyed the options and then snapped a perfect checkside goal.

Like Chris Judd before him, he is going to have to strap his shoulders soon given the weight of carrying his teammates.

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A week after kicking the matchwinner against Fremantle from a freakish pocket snap, Walsh couldn’t get his team over the line despite 36 possessions, 158 SuperCoach points, and a million breathtaking moments.

If you were looking at a player 22 and under to build a side around, most would automatically choose the AstroNaught.

Fair enough.

I couldn’t go past the relentless, magnificent Walsh.

Aaron Naughton will be a star for the next decade. Picture: Michael Klein

In nearly three years Walsh is yet to miss a game (55), has finished fourth and second in his first two best-and-fairests, is already Carlton’s best player (with apologies to Harry McKay), will be a 300-game long-time AFL captain.

Naughton might be a game-changer as a forward target, and every list boss wants to set up their team around a key-position tall.

He has missed just 11 of 79 possible games despite perceptions he is injury prone, has 80 goals from 50 games as a forward, and might be footy’s most electric, watchable kid.

But if Walsh still needs to work out how to beat a tag (Matt De Boer kept him to 20 possession), it is impossible to go past a player who has barely slipped below an eight-out-of-ten performance across three seasons.

Why pick the 20 best players 22 and under?

Because we can. Because you could spend hours mounting arguments why Bailey Smith or Zac Butters is the better player over a beer or a strong flat white.

As with all drip-tray discussions, 22 and under is an arbitrary figure, with Sean Darcy just missing out after turning 23 last month.

1. Sam Walsh (Carlton, age 21)

The perfect midfielder who reefs the ball from stoppages, never stops running, has improved his kicking and is adding goalkicking to a blend of play that includes tackles, inside-50s, score assists and 30.1 touches per game this year. Already the Blues’ best player. He has only just turned 21, but how long until he is Carlton captain?

Sam Walsh is Carlton’s best player at age 21.

2. Aaron Naughton (Western Bulldogs, 21)

No. 1 of all key forwards for contested marks and forward-50 marks, a stunning achievement for someone who doesn’t turn 22 until November. And the best bit for Dogs fans — he has recently purchased a house in Melbourne and is locked in until 2024. But just 51 per cent set shot accuracy, which is clear room for improvement.

3. Ben King (Gold Coast, 21)

Everyone else is in love with Max King and Oscar Allan. This kid is third in the Coleman Medal after only making his debut in Round 9, 2019. He hasn’t missed a game since then, gets the opposition’s best defender every week in a mediocre team and is also exceptional below his knees. A superb set shot with 38.17 for the season. But the murmurings about St Kilda’s confidence in securing him at the end of next year should be a warning sign for the Suns and the AFL, given its investment on the Gold Coast.

4. Zak Butters (Port Adelaide, 20)

Need any more proof of his worth? Look at the Power’s battles since he was injured. The hard nut with the cleanest hands in footy is fifth of all mid-forwards in Champion Data’s player rankings behind these names: Josh Dunkley, Dustin Martin, Jake Stringer and Dayne Zorko. Connor Rozee’s upside is immense, but Butters is on track to end up the best of the Butters-Rozee-Xavier Duursma draft haul. Top four in the best-and-fairest in both of his seasons so far in a team contending for flags. Seriously impressive.

5. Oscar Allen (West Coast, 22)

His admirers would suggest this is too low for Allen, who has 62 goals in 52 games for the Eagles playing mostly on the third defender. Just eight goals in his past eight weeks, sometimes plugging holes as a key defender. Love his talent and aggression, but I have Naughton and Ben King ahead of him.

Oscar Allen is an exciting talent for the Eagles.

6. Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle, 21)

He isn’t going to be as flashy or as explosive or as genuinely watchable as some of his peers, but he’s just going to keep getting it done. After a third placing in last year’s best-and-fairest he has gone to a new level, averaging 28 possessions and 103 SuperCoach points. You build a side around players who consistently front up and get to work at the coalface as much as flashy forwards whose gap between their best and worst can be considerable, and Brayshaw is one of those midfielders. No. 4 in the comp for uncontested possessions behind Tom Mitchell, Jackson Macrae and Ollie Wines.

7. Matt Rowell (Gold Coast, 20)

The Suns wouldn’t swap him for anyone but after the most extraordinary four games on debut last year (before injury in his fifth) he’s taken time to get back into the swing of things after his Round 1 knee injury. Fair enough too, but Rowell’s key goal late against GWS was the best moment of his five games upon return. This kid’s 200-plus games are going to be from the top shelf.

8. Max King (St Kilda, 21)

When King had the yips early this year everyone said he would come good at some stage. But many key forwards carry those issues through their entire careers. Which is why his 10.3 in the past five weeks — including his three-goal cameo against Brisbane — was so reassuring for the many who have stocks in King. For all the awkward moments and quiet patches, he has won 36 per cent of one-on-one contests, ranked No. 6 of the top 50 players.

Shai Bolton is out of contract at the end of the season.

9. Shai Bolton (Richmond, 22)

Bolton has had a quiet month by his lofty standards after making a living standing on heads and kicking freakish goals. The uncontracted mid-forward is always going to have his ups and downs playing in starvation corner, but a measure of his consistency is that he is one of only two forwards who are elite for goals and assists this year. The other one is Dustin Martin. Bolton is No. 3 for all mid-forwards for metres gained and contested possessions. Don’t worry about recruiting Adam Cerra, the No. 1 task for the Tigers is re-signing Bolton.

10. Bailey Smith (Western Bulldogs, 20)

The hard-charging Dogs midfielder still hasn’t missed a game in his career, adding line-breaking pace to Luke Beveridge’s side and ranking as the No. 3 wingman for score involvements this season. Only averages half a goal a game across his career, but the club that brought you Dougie Hawkins will lock in 250 games of sheer class from the No. 7 draft pick.

11. Kysaiah Pickett (Melbourne, 20)

After three quiet weeks you wondered if he had run out of puff in a glorious second season. Then he goes bang, crash, wallop with three goals, nine tackles and five score involvements against the Power. To think Demons fans have 12-plus years of watching this Cyril Rioli clone strutting his stuff. The only small forward in the competition to rate elite for tackles, forward 50 groundball gets and forward-half pressure.

Demons excitement machine Kysaiah Pickett.

12. Will Day (Hawthorn, 20)

What kind of player will Day become? Not quite a Grant Birchall, not quite a Tom Stewart, but Day, top five in 2020 Rising Star voting, has something special about him. Elite for intercept possessions and above average for metres gained, he makes time slow down with his football vision and capacity to set up attacking thrusts when rivals would panic. Injury has limited his impact this year, but the No. 13 pick from the 2019 national draft has the capacity to be elite for a very long time.

13. Jordan Ridley (Essendon, 22)

Exploded last year as a shock best-and-fairest winner after a scintillating season and Ridley, 23 in November, has backed it up with a year not quite so eye-catching but just as effective. He is one of seven general defenders to rate elite for intercept marks and possessions. And while others including Nick Hind and Jayden Laverde have gained the plaudits this year, Ridley is the centrepiece given his close-checking style.

14. Noah Balta (Richmond, 21)

Balta’s freakish athletic gifts have been put to good use in the past 18 months as the Tigers’ intercepting full-back, with the 21-year-old given footy’s biggest tasks on the league’s key forwards. Before untimely ankle surgery he had won 41 of his defensive one-on-ones, good enough for 10th in the top 50. But he could eventually becoming a ruckman with a booming kick or even a key forward when Jack Riewoldt retires given his glorious set of hands and prodigious kicking.

15. Luke Jackson (Melbourne, 19)

What is Jackson? Is he a ruckman or a ruck-forward or a utility? Pretty sure in five years he will be special if he isn’t already. In just 21 games of football he has shown he can capably ruck (with an excellent hitout-to-advantage rate), he can follow up at ground level, and he can play as a genuine key-position forward. He is the full package as he gradually grows into his body and realises his potential. He has shown more after 21 games than both Tim English and Brodie Grundy, so the football world is at his feet if he can put it all together for a consistent stretch.

Tom McCartin competes against Bulldog Josh Bruce.

16. Tom McCartin (Sydney, 21)

How valuable is a player like no-fuss centre half-back McCartin, who will slot in alongside Dane Rampe for years to come as a player capable of locking down on the stars as well as playing an offensive intercept game. Rates above average for both intercept possessions and spoils and is coming off a career-high six intercept marks against the Dogs. GWS defender Sam Taylor just misses the top 20, but is in the same class of defender who will hope he can put together multiple All-Australian nods in the next decade.

17. Caleb Serong (Fremantle, 20)

Last year he was the impressive Rising Star winner and AFLPA best first-year player as a No. 8 pick in the 2019 national draft, surging late through a pack of contenders after showcasing his nice blend of run and inside game. This year he has tagged many of the league’s stars before switching it up against the Hawks with 30 possessions, 10 clearances and eight score involvements. He makes the list ahead of Adam Cerra, who has two more seasons of experience and rival mids including Luke Davies-Uniacke and Tarryn Thomas.

18. Xavier Duursma (Port Adelaide, 21)

Some might be stunned there is not room for Connor Rozee in this list — despite a goal a game across 52 contests — but it is classy wingman Duursma who has had more impact as an X-factor onballer who regularly racks up 16km a game. The next step is to improve a goal tally that stands at only 20 from 39 games, but his two-way running and classy disposal smacks of a player with serious X factor.

19. Jack Lukosius (Gold Coast, 20)

We have rightly criticised what he hasn’t done right, given Lukosius needs to learn to impose himself more in contests and develop a ferocity that rivals his classy moments. But a player who can play forward, back and wing has been the No. 2 ranked wingman across the competition this year for metres gained, and has the fourth-most metres gained of any player. He has also taken the most marks, even if his scintillating kicking hasn’t been as accurate as his debut season. Can’t wait to see what this package looks like when it all clicks, especially if he can develop some mongrel spirit.

Zac Bailey celebrates a goal for the Lions.

20. Zac Bailey (Brisbane Lions, 21)

This much is certain — his kid is a star, even if there are plenty who are prepared to claim they saw him first. He wins heaps of the footy (18 possessions a game), kicks goals (22 for the year), has huge score assists numbers (6.4 score involvements, one direct assist per game) and tackles hard (2.8 per game). He has a sidestep, a dash of speed, is flying in a premiership contender, and has only just tapped into his potential at only 21 years of age.

WHO JUST MISSED THE CUT

Riley Thilthorpe (Adelaide), Sam Draper (Essendon), Connor Rozee (Port Adelaide), Sam Taylor (GWS), Josh Daicos (Collingwood), Cam Rayner (Brisbane), Nik Cox (Essendon), Tom Green (GWS), Adam Cerra (Fremantle), Harry Jones (Essendon), Tarryn Thomas (North Melbourne), Luke Davies-Uniacke (North Melbourne), Changkuoth Jiath (Hawthorn), Archie Perkins (Essendon), Hunter Clark (St Kilda).

Originally published as Wreck It Ralph: The best 20 players aged 22 and under in the AFL