Having come through the NAB League pathway with the Murray Bushrangers, Wangaratta's Joe Richards has catapulted himself onto the AFL Draft scene as a mature-ager. The 22-year-old, a school teacher by trade, was the sole draft combine invitee plucked out of local football this year, having impressed in the Ovens & Murray League. He was best afield in the interleague match, has taken out his third best and fairest with the Magpies, and is developing at a great rate.

The speedy small midfielder is a strong runner, blending his explosive pace with a high work rate to produce productive run-and-carry into attack. He's a player with weapons, possessing handy skills and a decent mark for a player his size, compounding the impact he has with ball in hand.

Richards is the type who hurts the opposition, having booted 29 goals in 11 games for Wangaratta this year. He burst onto the scene with a remarkable bag of 11 back in just his third senior game, and has gone on to establish himself as one of the competition's premier players. He shapes up slightly undersized for a pure midfielder, but has applicable traits to other roles and may make the unconventional leap all the way to top level football.