Only a few years into the rebuild, some of our young guns have made a case to be in the best 22 already.

For the purpose of these rankings, the basic criteria that I’ve taken into account is what these players have shown so far at AFL and WAFL level and also have considered the future potential I believe the player has. For example, I’d have Elijah Hewett as the second-highest potential young player we have drafted but ranked him lower than that based on not getting on the park to prove himself this year.

I’d define the beginning of our rebuild the 2021 draft, so will only be discussing players who have been drafted since then. I also won’t bother ranking or discussing a couple of players who were rookie drafted last year and we’ve seen nothing of so far but feel free to let me know if you have any thoughts on them.

1. Harley Reid – Pick 1, 2023 National Draft

As expected, this guy is the cornerstone of the rebuild and has future Brownlow written all over him. I don’t think any one wouldn’t have him in first spot on their lists.

There was daylight between him and the rest of the competition for Rising star before he his unfortunate suspension. I’m eager to see what this kid is capable of producing in his second year, and hopefully we can get that contract extended soon.

2. Brady Hough – Pick 31, 2021 National Draft

I’d almost have Brady in first spot, given he’s shown for 3 years now how good he is. I think his spot in the team is locked down now for the rest of his career. Brady is shaping up to be Brad Sheppard 2.0, and has already locked down some of the best small forwards in the competition this season.

3. Reuben Ginbey – Pick 9, 2022 National Draft

Reuben is a powerful midfielder that has great potential, and has improved as the year has gone on. He sits in the top 5 for AFL player ratings for his draft crop every week.

Began the year slow but has cleaned up his seen more of the ball as the season has gone on, all the while cleaning up his disposal efficiency. Still has a bit to work on in the coming years but is shaping up to be a nice defensive midfielder / half back flanker.

4. Elijah Hewett – Pick 14, 2022 National Draft

On pure potential I’d have Elijah second only to Harley Reid, but unfortunately hasn’t been able to get on the field this year. Elijah displayed some real star moments in 2023, and can hopefully come back in to the team firing with a good preseason under his belt next year to round out our future midfield alongside Reid and Ginbey.

5. Jack Williams – Pick 57, 2021 National Draft

Jack has put together a good season this year and for me should be in the team ahead of Darling from now on. Can play second ruck and take a good mark. Has kicked multiple bags of 3 goals this season which is seriously impressive given how dire some of our performances have been.

6. Ryan Maric – Pick 1, 2023 Mid-Season Draft

Really glad we had first pick in the MSD last year as we look to have picked up a real gem here. Really liking the look of Maric on the wing now, and want to see more of it going forward.

7. Noah Long – Pick 58, 2022 National Draft

Along with Jack Williams at pick 57 the year before, we have done a great job grabbing Longy at pick 58 in 2022. Noah came straight into the team in his debut year and has hardly left on form. A real shame about his long term injury this season but i see Longy as an important part of the future.

8. Campbell Chesser – Pick 14, 2021 National Draft

After a slow first few years at AFL level Chesser has shown some real improvement this year. Campbell looks a lot more composed with the ball in hand and is beginning to find more of it. Showed some promise playing inside mid in the WAFL recently and I’m hoping we explore that some more.

9. Jai Culley – Pick 1, 2022 Mid-Season Draft

This guy has a fair bit of potential in my books, unfortunately the coaches don’t seem to agree. Jai earned a rising star nomination last year but then has barely been given a chance this year. Hopefully gets another crack at it before the season ends.

10. Rhett Bazzo – Pick 37, 2021 National Draft

Haven’t seen him this year aside from in the WAFL this week, which he looked decent in after returning from a massive injury. Seems to have bulked up a fair bit in his time off too. Think he has potential, though i do think some of the guys below him have higher ceilings. Hopefully he can prove himself next year.

From this point the judging leans heavily towards potential as we’ve not seen enough of these players yet to make a real call

11. Archer Reid – Pick 30, 2023 National Draft

Rated as the best KPF in his crop from memory. Needs a few preseasons as he’s currently a stick, but after watching the WAFL game on the weekend I am bullish on him as the future for us. I think he has very high potential though hasn’t actually debuted which is why I am putting him at rank 11 for now

12. Clay Hall – Pick 38, 2023 National Draft

Made all Australian for the u18s last year, and looked like he was gonna earn a round 1 debut by all accounts before getting injured by Yeo in the preseason. Harley said he was the hardest opponent he’s played on when we drafted him which bodes well too. Has been decent in the WAFL and hopefully gets a call up before the season ends.

13. Harvey Johnston – Pick 49, 2023 National Draft

Earnt a debut early on in the season, and by all accounts has a high ceiling too. Will be interested to see how he goes with another preseason under his belt, as i think he needs a bit more size.

14. Tyrell Dewar – 2022 Rookie Draft

Behind the others on potential in my eyes, however did earn an early debut this season which means there could be a decent player here. Looked really silky when played. Feels weird to lower his rank this year but to be clear, he has only slid due to new, higher potential players being drafted.

15. Coby Burgiel – Pick 29, 2022 National Draft

Supposedly was close to a call up early on in the year which speaks to his potential but then got injured. Has spent a lot of his time with us injured unfortunately, hoping that comes to an end. Watched him in the WAFL on the weekend and he looked fairly good, hope he gets a shot in the 1s before season end as he has not been offered a contract as far as I’m aware. We need more of this type player so hopefully he can earn a contract.

16. Jack Hutchinson – Pick 3, 2024 Mid-Season Draft

Got him fairly low on my list as I’ve not seen much of him and i was a bit confused by the pick in the MSD as i didn’t think we needed any more of this type player, however he has seemed alright when played so far. Has shown a bit so far and will be happy to eat my words if he turns into a key part of our team.

17. Harry Barnett – Pick 23, 2022 National Draft

Harry was rated the best ruckman in his draft crop but has not impressed in the 2s so far. Freo took the 2nd best ruckman of that draft year and he has shown a lot more. It feels a bit harsh to put him so low down the rankings, but Harry is a ruckman which is a role notorious for taking longer to develop, so I am willing to be patient as these things take time.

18. Jordyn Baker – 2022 Rookie Draft

From what I’ve heard Jordyn has not impressed in the WAFL and is possibly in delist territory this off-season. Though Baker did showed some flashes of potential in his most recent WAFL outing, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

Closing Thoughts

So far, I am fairly happy with our drafting over the past few years. In particular i think our later picks have been quite good with Jack Williams, Noah Long and Brady Hough all coming outside of the first round and featuring in my top 7. The mid-season draft also appears to have been a handy tool, providing us with Ryan Maric who looks better each week, and Jai Culley who earned a rising star nomination last year.

Looking ahead, I believe we need another highly rated midfielder to come in to the team to round out our inside midfield, and also hopefully some more defensive depth to replace the likes of Rotham, Cole, and Witherden who I think we can improve on.

Harry Edwards has shown a fair bit when given opportunity this year and I am hopeful will be ready to fill the shoes of McGovern when he decides to retire.