“When you’re looking at the next draft out it’s a bit like Christmas time.”

“They’re all wrapped up, they look fantastic under the tree because you’ve concentrated on what their key attributes are, but you haven’t focussed in a lot on their character, their work ethic, and how good they are at improving their deficiencies.

“I just think you’ve got to be careful, the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence and at the moment, next year’s crop are the Christmas presents under the tree all wrapped up nicely with a shiny little bow on them.”

Recruiters beware, the presents under the tree. The words above, from 2022, are credit to Sydney Swans General Manager of List Strategy and Recruitment Kinnear Beatson. He’s a man with experience in the AFL recruiting realm which dates back to 1994 – almost 30 years.

With the trading of current and future picks now not only a possibility, but a prominent consideration within the draft space, future foresight is becoming an increasingly valuable tool. So much so, that clubs delegate scouts to specifically monitor bottom-age talent.

>> Tall talent time: 2023’s strong key position stocks

The 2023 draft crop is shaping as one with waning depth and a dearth of genuine midfield talent at the top-end. More than a year out, that is far from the case for 2024’s lot. A short look at this year’s National Championships, littered with bottom-age midfielders, could tell you as much.

For example, Sid Draper was far and away South Australia’s best player throughout the carnival and was rightly recognised as the state’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). Many believe had he not been rotated for one of four games, that Levi Ashcroft could have done the same for Vic Metro.

The two are not only both brothers of current AFL players, but are also among the raft of promising midfielders who have already made recruiters stand up and take notice. Drafts are often rated on their midfield depth too, making the presents under the tree seem even more enticing.

With it being tall talent time in 2023, next year may be where clubs look to stock up on on-ballers. The Victorian Metropolitan regions look like a particularly happy hunting ground, especially with how their bottom-agers fared amongst heavy rotations.

Along with Ashcroft, big-bodied ball winner Josh Smillie and smooth mover Jagga Smith dominated in game one against South Australia, all enjoying near-permanent midfield minutes. Plenty more names to watch were blooded throughout the championships too.

Recruiters were keen to see Murphy Reid once he got a crack against Western Australia alongside Zak Johnson, while the likes of Jesse Dattoli, Tom Gross, Lucca Grego, and Taj Hotton were also handed debuts, and Nash King was another among the squad.

That’s not to mention a few of the mids who didn’t make the cut. Eastern’s Christian Moraes was arguably the pick of that bunch, and the same can be said for Dandenong Stingrays prospect Harvey Langford in the Vic Country group.

Speaking of, despite the class listed above, Country kid Finn O’Sullivan may well be the pick of the bunch. He proved as much by taking out the Kevin Sheehan Medal at last year’s Under 16 championships, and showcased his well-roundedness during the 2023 Under 18 carnival.

He debuted at the level alongside GWV Rebels bull Sam Lalor, who has drawn comparisons to Dustin Martin, and classy Bendigo left-footer Archer Day-Wicks. All three showed signs, while Cooper Hynes also earned a call-up for game four but struggled to reproduce his Talent League exploits.

Looking around the regions, there could also be a few prospects who currently play in other roles that could find a home in midfield next year. Xavier Lindsay (Gippsland) and Oliver Hannaford (GWV) have already done so from half-back, and Tobie Travaglia (Bendigo) also has potential to make the move.

There is admittedly less depth around the nation, but a few names which will garner attention. Lions Academy prospect Sam Marshall is boarding at Melbourne Grammar and recently earned a VFL berth with Brisbane, having also represented the Allies and Sandringham Dragons this year.

He’s a hard-running type with potential to use his best traits off half-back. Another Queenslander to consider is Leonardo Lombard, from the Gold Coast Suns Academy. Along with Marshall, he was also part of the title-winning Allies squad and can roll forward.

>> Profiled: All 31 members of the title-winning Allies squad

A couple more club-tied talents lie in South Australia, namely the Camporeale twins – Ben and Lucas. One’s a leftie and the other a right-footer, with both Carlton father-son candidates very much chips off the old block given their proficiency on the outside.

They missed out on this year’s Under 18 squad, but Kade Herbert is a bottom-aged midfielder who did feature. So did South Adelaide hard nut Phoenix Hargrave. Over in WA, Austin van der Struyf and Deian Roberts, the latter of whom was in WA’s Under 18 squad this year, may be a couple to jot down.

Though states outside of Victoria are a touch more light on at this stage, that’s not to say there wont be few talls and late bloomers in the offing. In any case, recruiters will have a good mix of midfielders to monitor and will likely have the range to pick specific types with how next year’s group is shaping up.

Still, they must be wary of putting all their eggs in one basket. The class of 2023 was once labelled a potential super draft, whereas now the depth past the first dozen prospects is not so highly rated. They’ll hit the bigtime at year’s end, leaving the next wave of talent to filter through.

Stay tuned to Rookie Me Central, as we begin to narrow in on the ‘draftable’ top-age prospects, before beginning to profile the bottom-agers who could come into clubs’ thinking at this early stage.