The AFL young guns set to shake the league

Jason Horne-Francis endured a disappointing rookie run aft being thrust into the limelight successful a struggling North Melbourne side.

The No.1 prime successful the 2021 draft, Horne-Francis entered the AFL compared to the likes of champions specified arsenic Patrick Dangerfield, and struggled to unrecorded up to the expectations.

After seeking a commercialized backmost location to South Australia, the precocious endowment present finds himself connected a bona-fide contender successful Port Adelaide and is acceptable to thrive arsenic a result.

Has been 1 of the standouts successful a Power broadside that is acceptable for a red-hot ace astatine its 2nd premiership successful the past 2 decades.

Another young guardant who is primed for a breakout play aft a fig of years successful the AFL season.

It's been a dilatory pain for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, the No.1 prime successful the 2020 draft, who has been made to gain his spot connected a Bulldogs squad that is firmly successful its premiership window.

The young weapon has shown glimpses of his imaginable crossed his archetypal 2 seasons, kicking 25 goals successful 22 appearances truthful far.

"I've really tried to enactment a batch harder [this pre-season]," helium told AFL.com.au of his pre-season this year.

"Last year, I did conscionable the grooming sessions provided for us. I wanted to go amended astatine moving than everyone other oregon a spot fitter and travel backmost better, truthful I started doing other boxing, a batch much other transverse grooming and betterment has besides been a main absorption – crystal baths, massages and everything.

"Strength is coming, and it's going to instrumentality time, but the fittingness tin spell to different level, which it has."

Maurice Rioli Jr enjoyed a beardown 2022 play and is poised for an adjacent bigger relation successful 2023.

The 20-year-old kicked 14 goals successful 15 appearances successful 2022, playing a important unit relation heavy successful Richmond's guardant line.

He is expected to rotation done the midfield astatine times this season.

"I deliberation the coaches person afloat religion successful Maurice to spell and participate the stoppage astatine immoderate signifier – if Shai (Bolton) doesn't privation to spell into stoppages helium tin instrumentality Maurice and say, 'Go into the stoppage and play determination for a bit'," teammate Daniel Rioli said.

"Maurice is increasing into immoderate relation present and the coaches are truly having religion successful what helium tin bring connected the field.

"The much games helium plays, a batch amended he's going to beryllium for america offensively, and evidently defensively helium doesn't person to interest astir due to the fact that he's been precise bully for america successful that area."

Jesse Motlop was a enactment of caller aerial successful Carlton's guardant enactment past twelvemonth arsenic the Blues changeable up the ladder.

The teenage goalsneak managed 12 goals successful arsenic galore appearances and brought much-needed guardant unit astir Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay.

With Carlton's duplicate towers having a afloat pre-season to enactment together, expect Motlop to get a batch much crumbing opportunities this season.

Is retired of declaration astatine the extremity of the 2023 season.

Ollie Henry recovered himself connected the extracurricular looking successful arsenic Collingwood raced up the ladder and wanted a commercialized to articulation his member astatine the premiers.

Despite Henry falling down Craig McRae's pecking order, the Magpies did not privation to suffer him, a motion of his evident talent.

Everything astir Henry's explosive crippled screams breakout candidate, and he's definite to person greater opportunities up guardant astatine Geelong.

Kicked 28 goals successful 25 appearances arsenic a Magpie, with 21 majors successful 15 games past season.

After making his debut past season, Greg Clark has been 1 of the Eagles' standouts connected the way during pre-season.

Standing astatine 193cm and weighing 94kg, Clark is the prototypical big-bodied midfielder each squad looks for successful today's AFL.

Averaged 10.9 disposals per crippled successful 9 outings past season, with 4 of those coming arsenic a substitute.

Should spot opportunities unfastened up successful an Eagles midfield that is different ageing.

Luke Pedlar's vocation numbers of 4.8 disposals successful 5 appearances crossed 2 seasons bash not stroke you away.

However, inquire anyone astatine Adelaide who has been a standout young subordinate during the pre-season, and the 20-year-old's sanction won't beryllium acold from the apical of the list.

Despite playing arsenic a midfielder successful the juniors, Pedlar is expected to slot into Adelaide's guardant enactment this season.

Was drafted by Adelaide with the No.11 prime successful the 2020 draft.

The Brisbane Lions are 1 of this season's premiership favourites and the accomplishment of weapon youngster Will Ashcroft is 1 of the reasons why.

Ashcroft and commercialized play acquisition Josh Dunkley are acceptable to beef up what was already a prolific on-ball brigade alongside Brownlow Medal victor Lachie Neale.

Neale has already been impressed by the 18-year-old, who was selected No.1 wide successful past year's draught nether the father-son rule.

Starred successful an intra-club hit-out wherever midfield manager Cameron Bruce lauded his composure astir congestion.

Collingwood's tally into the preliminary last past play was made each the much awesome owed to the information that it was done with what was virtually a makeshift guardant line.

Enter Bobby Hill, an electrical young guardant who volition nary uncertainty inject the Pies with a spot of flare successful their guardant 50 this season.

Hill yet got a determination to Victoria aft 2 years of trying and should thrive with his aboriginal present settled.

Kicked 34 goals successful 41 appearances crossed 4 seasons with the GWS Giants.

If there's 1 subordinate who is poised to measurement into immoderate other midfield minutes astatine North, it's Tom Powell.

The No.13 prime successful the 2020 draft, Powell volition crook 21 this twelvemonth and has a fig of pre-seasons nether his loop and is acceptable to thrive.

Powell has made 31 appearances crossed his archetypal 2 seasons and has averaged 15.5 disposals per contest.

Expect him to get immoderate much tally alongside the likes of Kangaroos co-captain Jy Simpkin.

Elijah Hollands was a highly-touted imaginable heading into the 2020 draught erstwhile helium slipped to the Suns astatine No.7.

After missing the entirety of the 2021 season, Hollands managed 5 appearances successful the backmost fractional of 2022 and looked firmly astatine location averaging 17 touches per contest.

The 20-year-old has enjoyed an uninterrupted pre-season and is hoping to play each crippled successful 2023.

"I was capable to ace successful precocious past twelvemonth which gave maine the assurance that I person the quality to play astatine that level and play it well," helium said astatine the commencement of the Suns' pre-season.

"This year, that's the extremity – to springiness myself the champion changeable astatine playing [23] games and finals."

Max Holmes was the hard-luck communicative of past year's all-conquering Geelong broadside aft cruelly missing the expansive last owed to a hamstring injury.

The 20-year-old acceptable into a seasoned Cats squad with aplomb, averaging 15.6 disposals per contention successful 18 appearances, and is poised for a bigger relation this twelvemonth with Joel Selwood having retired.

Holmes has not fto the expansive last disappointment get him down and has been 1 of Geelong's pre-season standouts.

Jai Newcombe has the imaginable to spell down arsenic 1 of the AFL's top mid-season pick-ups aft an awesome archetypal 2 seasons with the Hawks.

The bulldozing 21-year-old exploded past season, averaging 22.6 touches per crippled successful 22 appearances, and should spot a further uptick successful those numbers successful a midfield without Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O'Meara.

Will don the celebrated No.3 jersey this play aft being presented it by nine icon Leigh Matthews.

He was voted the champion young subordinate by the AFL Coaches' Association past season.

It's not often that an untried youngster generates hype for a seasoned team, but that's precisely what Jacob van Rooyen has done astatine Melbourne this summer.

The 19-year-old, who was selected No.19 successful the 2021 draft, has impressed onlookers astatine the Demons during the pre-season.

With Luke Jackson having departed, the Demons are expecting the 193cm van Rooyen to beryllium a salient beingness up guardant alongside the likes of Ben Brown.

Will person contention with Tom McDonald and off-season accomplishment Josh Schache for that relation successful the guardant line.

Having returned to Adelaide connected a lucrative deal, Izak Rankine is each acceptable to person a monolithic play successful 2023.

The 22-year-old goalsneak comes to West Lakes with 48 games and 57 goals nether his loop crossed 3 seasons with the Suns.

Adelaide volition expect Rankine, the No.3 prime successful the 2018 draft, to beryllium lethal astatine the ft of Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe for years to travel successful the guardant line. 

Rankine is besides expected to log immoderate midfield minutes this play to assistance easiness the load of the likes of Rory Laird and Rory Sloane.

Cam Rayner is 1 of a fig of young Lions stars acceptable to detonate having a fig of AFL seasons nether their belts.

The 23-year-old, who was taken No.1 wide successful the 2017 draft, has 87 games nether his loop crossed 4 seasons astatine Brisbane.

Rayner enjoyed his champion twelvemonth yet successful 2022, rebounding good from a ruptured ACL to play 24 games, kicking 24 goals.

Is expected to person a caller relation successful 2023, playing crossed the fractional backmost line.

"I really don't caput it due to the fact that it makes players deliberation differently. I cognize that Zorko learned a lot," said erstwhile teammate Luke Hodge of the positional switch.

"Cam Rayner, making him look astatine thing other and seeing the crippled successful a antithetic mode and that helps with his improvement arsenic well."

Tom De Koning's accelerated improvement has fixed Carlton's wage headdress managers a large headache, but it's 1 the Blues welcome.

The 23-year-old large antheral has excelled with immoderate added opportunities implicit the past fewer seasons and played a career-high 19 games successful 2022, averaging 17.2 hitouts per contest.

De Koning volition person to combat with the returning Mark Pittonet for changeless ruck minutes this season, and could beryllium an enactment down backmost for the Blues similar his member Sam is for the reigning premiers.

Having spent the bulk of his archetypal 2 AFL seasons up forward, Essendon is acceptable to unleash Archie Perkins connected the midfield this year.

Standing astatine 189cm, Perkins has the cleanable size for the modern-day midfielder and already has 39 games nether his loop astatine the AFL level.

The 20-year-old has been awesome successful intra-club hitouts truthful acold this pre-season.

"I person been grooming beauteous overmuch afloat with the midfield, past twelvemonth I astir apt divided it," helium said.

"I person done a batch of enactment with (assistant coaches) Daniel Giansiracusa and Ben Jacobs astir stoppages and the midfield broadside of the game. I'm truly looking to amended connected winning much of the ball, clearances and centre bounces."

Jordan Clark enjoyed a career-best play backmost location with Fremantle connected a squad which overachieved past season.

The moving defender notched career-high marks successful games played (24), disposals per crippled (21.1), marks (5.0) and rebound 50s (3.3) successful an awesome 2022.

Much similar his club, the 22-year-old is expected to physique upon that and go 1 of the champion astatine his presumption successful 2023.

Should beryllium pushing for an quality successful the All-Australian squad of 40, if not the squad itself.

Jai Culley could extremity up being different mid-season gem aft being taken with the No.1 prime past twelvemonth by the West Coast Eagles.

The 19-year-old managed 4 games successful the backmost fractional of the 2022 play and averaged 13.2 disposals per contest.

Has been constantly named arsenic 1 of the astir awesome players connected the way for the Eagles this summer.

"I person a fewer goals I privation to tick off, and to play circular 1 is my purpose close now. That's driving me, to commencement successful determination and clasp my spot," Culley told AFL.com.au.

"You person to person that content and assurance successful your quality to play and I deliberation I'm ready, truthful hopefully I tin instrumentality that spot."

Logan McDonald was different hard luck communicative of the expansive last aft being dropped by Sydney for the decider.

Much is expected of the 20-year-old large man, who present has aggregate pre-season campaigns nether his belt, and helium should beryllium acceptable to interruption retired arsenic a result.

Managed 15 goals successful 17 appearances successful 2022.

Despite leaving him retired of the expansive last side, Swans manager John Longmire has surely not forgotten astir the young gun.

"It's not easy, I've been connected the different broadside of that speech arsenic a player. It's not an casual happening to do," Longmire said of the axing.

"He is simply a terrific young subordinate with a large aboriginal up of him. We made the determination due to the fact that we thought that was the champion line-up for tomorrow. Very pugnacious for him, but he's a large kid and helium volition bounce backmost bigger and better."