Daicos, Warner, Gulden, Ashcroft and Reid, in particular, are also making their mark in the commercial world.
Then there are those narrowly older: Zak Butters (24), Connor Rozee (25), Sam Walsh (24), Luke Davies-Uniacke (25), Bailey Smith (24), Noah Anderson (24) and the exquisitely skilled Izak Rankine (25 in April).
Bailey Smith is one of the best young midfielders in the AFL.Credit: AFL Photos
Meanwhile, Adelaide and Western Bulldogs are home to the two most exciting key forwards in the game, Riley Thilthorpe (22) and Sam Darcy (21), both of whom are 200 centimetres or taller.
They are both incredibly mobile, but what separates them from other emerging talls is their sure and sticky hands, helped by enormous wingspans. Neither is bothered by physicality and each is already a genuine Coleman Medal contender in 2025.
Thilthorpe pulled down eight marks and kicked three goals for the third game in a row to start the season in the Crows’ defeat of North Melbourne, while Darcy shook off Jacob Weitering to also snaffle eight grabs and kick two goals, after a competition-shaking four-goal haul the previous week.
Fremantle ruck-forward Luke Jackson (23), Dockers spearhead Josh Treacy (22), sidelined Bulldog Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Suns interceptor Mac Andrew (21) are the other notable young key-position players mixing with the elite.
Across other positions, players such as Hawthorn small forward Nick Watson (20), silky skilled Saint Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (22), Adelaide defender Max Michalanney (21), Power winger Jase Burgoyne (21), Swan Matt Roberts (21), Brisbane’s Kai Lohmann (21) and Demon Caleb Windsor (19) are already prominent.
Watch for Geelong’s Connor O’Sullivan to become one of the AFL’s top tall defenders in the not-too-distant future as well.
Time for Dees to rethink midfield?
Simon Goodwin has a problem.
Unlike some under-performing clubs, the Demons have a promising crop coming through; from Trent Rivers and Jake Bowey to Caleb Windsor, Judd McVee, Jacob van Rooyen, Harvey Langford, Xavier Lindsay, Matt Jefferson and Koltyn Tholstrup.
Harvey Langford and Jake Bowey (No.17) are two of Melbourne’s most promising young players.Credit: AFL Photos
That core should ensure Melbourne bounces back quickly enough in the coming seasons, even if their 2025 campaign is on life support already at zip and three.
Where Goodwin has an issue is that the Dees’ famed one wood – dominating contested possession and clearance – is seemingly no longer part of their arsenal, even with the midfield band being back together.
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They won contested possession by 17 but lost the clearance count by 12 against GWS in round one (the Giants were missing ruckman Kieren Briggs), but were walloped in both key metrics against North Melbourne (-19 and -12) and Gold Coast (-18 and -16), respectively.
Max Gawn (33 years old), Clayton Oliver (27), Jack Viney (31 in April) and Christian Petracca (29) are still Melbourne’s go-to centre-bounce combination.
However, the club’s stoppage struggles are not necessarily a new development. That quartet were on the field in Alice Springs last June when Fremantle won the first 15 clearances in a 92-point demolition of Goodwin’s men.
Only Petracca was missing when they conceded the opening 10 clearances against the Bulldogs in round 21 last year.
Asked by this masthead after the Kangaroos game whether Gawn, Oliver, Viney and Petracca were still an elite group, Goodwin effectively asked for patience.
Clayton Oliver and his Demons teammates did a lot of chasing on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
“I think we’ve finally got them all back together as one. That’s a starting point for us, and now we work on how we maximise and get better,” Goodwin said.
“But we’ll continue to add to that group as well. We’ve put a fair bit of time into Tom Sparrow, [and] Harvey Langford is someone we’ve brought to our footy club who’s still learning his trade and still understanding what AFL footy is about.
“We’re certainly not finished in there, and we’ve still got a lot of work to do through the middle of the ground, but those guys, we’ve got enormous trust in them that they’re going to get back to their best and operate really well together.”
Langford played his first full AFL game on Saturday, and by the end of the game had attended one more centre bounce than Petracca. The No.6 pick from last year’s draft impressed with 26 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 10 score involvements and six clearances, so Goodwin might have a call to make on his preferred on-ball brigade sooner than he thought.
Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning was a handful for the Bulldogs on Friday night.Credit: Getty Images
Rucking awesome
There is no ruckman in better form than Carlton’s Tom De Koning.
Two years ago, when De Koning’s management was fielding outrageous offers, there was still a degree of difficulty for Carlton in properly evaluating his financial worth. They knew he was athletically gifted and had big-time potential, but the output was still mixed.
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The 25-year-old turned his back on those offers to ink a two-season deal to remain at the Blues, effectively betting on himself to be worth even more by 2025 – and he is again at the centre of a bidding war.
What has changed is De Koning’s standing in the game. The potential word is no longer relevant. If the season stopped now, All-Australian selectors should unanimously pick him as the starting ruckman.
Carlton’s 0-3 start is no reflection on De Koning, who is averaging video-game numbers for a big man of 25 disposals and seven-plus clearances despite going head-to-head with Toby Nankervis, Lloyd Meek and Tim English through the first three rounds.
Pint-sized wizardry
Nick Watson has quickly become a serious weapon in unbeaten Hawthorn’s stunning surge into premiership contention.
Nick Watson is on the fast track to becoming one of the AFL’s best small forwards.Credit: Getty Images
The 20-year-old small forward amassed a career-most 21 disposals – reaching 20 for the first time in his 22nd match – in the Hawks’ 12-point comeback victory over the Giants, to go with 11 contested possessions, five tackles and nine score involvements.
As if his elusiveness is not already enough of a problem for opponents, 170-centimetre Watson seems to have perfected drawing high tackles after previously being frustrated at not receiving them.
He won five free kicks, including three from high tackles in the second half. Lachie Whitfield conceded the first of them, Stephen Coniglio the second (the only contentious one, where Watson exacerbated the contact), then the third came from Harry Himmelberg – although Lachie Ash infringed, too, in the same passage.
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Speaking on Fox Footy afterwards, the cheeky Hawk said: “About time. I’ve missed a few in the past, so thanks to the umps for giving them to me”.
And, as if to mock those who once dared question whether Watson’s lack of height would be a roadblock for him, he out-pointed 195cm Himmelberg to mark at one stage, before winning another free kick when he buried GWS veteran Callan Ward with a front-on-tackle.
The kid’s already a star.
