FOR all the bolters and great surprise packets in each AFL Draft, there remains value at the other end of the scale. The 2023 crop, once touted as a potential super draft, is no different. We’ve identified five sliders who may end up being bargains in the second round and beyond.

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Will Lorenz (Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro)
Midfielder | 186cm | 70kg | 19/02/2005

Like all others on this list, Lorenz came into the 2023 season with good wraps. He only played a single NAB League game, but shot onto the radar late last year with an impressive performance for Vic Metro’s Under 17 side, before starring in the Futures showcase on AFL Grand Final day.

Having cut his teeth as a classy midfielder-forward with poise, agility and a sweet left foot, Lorenz was pegged to play off half-back this year. Consistency has eluded him, though he has shown glimpses of potential and will hope for a strong end to the year.

The knock on him will be his lack of genuine pace or line-breaking ability – both of which were found out under the higher pressure and speed of representative football. His usually sound decision making and skill will only further be tested at the top level. A good run of form may turn things around.

Ashton Moir (Glenelg/South Australia)
Forward | 188cm | 84kg | 15/04/2005

Perhaps the prospect who has suffered the steepest drop in this year’s crop, Moir was touted as a top five talent but is yet to replicate the promise of his bottom-age campaign. Injuries and a lack of confidence have hampered his top-age season, seeing him fall out of favour among the top talents.

Recruiters were once wowed by his athleticism and rare ability to kick equally well off either foot. He could soar for marks and kick set shots on both sides as a forward, with the potential and professionalism to develop himself into a pinch-hitting midfielder or utility in future.

His high-end traits remain, but Moir has been unable to have a major say on many games this year, with a few deficiencies becoming more glaring. That lack of consistency, defensive intent, and ground level presence have been of concern, but his talent is undeniable and arguably first round worthy.

Nathan Philactides (Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro)
Defender | 181cm | 78kg | 10/01/2005

Philactides certainly caught the eye last year as a bottom-ager in Vic Metro’s title-winning Under 18 side. He was also part of Oakleigh’s stacked NAB League team which suffered a shock Wildcard Round loss, but would have been most watchers’ frontrunner for the flag.

His exploits as a run and gun half-back earned him selection in the AFL Academy and some saw him as a genuine top 20 talent. Although he has maintained the same exciting style and boasts outrageously good speed and agility, that kind of valuation has not quite eventuated for the Metro vice-captain.

Ironically, his greatest strengths also lend to his improvement areas. Philactides plays in one very high gear and can run himself into trouble, perhaps needing a touch more composure and the ability to control tempo. He is very much a left-footer too, so has some easily developable things to work on.

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Archer Reid (Gippsland Power/Vic Country)
Key Forward | 203cm | 93kg | 19/09/2005

While there will be consensus around others on this list, Reid is a player who tends to divide recruiters. His draft range is wide, and having come into the year as a top 10 prospect, some have given him the benefit of the doubt as he begins to hit his stride in 2023. He certainly has his fans.

The brother of Essendon’s Zach possesses some great tools for a 203cm player, fitting the mould of new age key position prospects with his agility and overall mobility. He is a high upside type of talent, boasting many of the traits recruiters look for in long-term tall options.

Reid’s downfall this year has come on the back of a seeming lack of confidence. He struggled to impact games and his competitiveness wasn’t quite there, but that is slowly beginning to turn. Over the last few weeks, his intent has improved and he not only getting involved more often, but staying involved.

Cooper Simpson (Dandenong Stingrays/Vic Country)
Midfielder | 182cm | 76kg | 13/02/2005

Rounding out the list with a fifth AFL Academy member out of five, Simpson’s case is a curious one. Recruiters were keen to see him develop in 2023 having been one of the Dandenong Stingrays’ top performers in their run to last year’s NAB League Grand Final.

This year, he was named as co-captain and has been touted internally as a young man with great character. That, and his bottom-age feats have kept him in recruiters’ minds despite a top-age campaign which has lacked the same form and consistency, largely due to injuries.

Simpson returned to the Talent League last week on a wing, but will hope to gradually recapture last year’s magic as a clean and classy midfielder-forward. Should he end the year strongly, he could re-establish himself as a first round candidate, but is arguably outside that range at the moment.