The off-season is a time for optimism and the unknown – before we know which players will rise out of nowhere to become household names.
From top prospects living up to the billing, to the known names ready to lift a level, each team from premier to wooden spooner has reasons to get excited.
Foxfooty.com.au nominates a contender to be every AFL club’s 2023 breakout star.
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Crows clinch thriller against Cats | 00:57
ADELAIDE CROWS
Fisher McAsey
McAsey admitted he had discussions about moving to a Victorian club this off-season, which is crazy to think given he was just three years ago taken with pick No.6 by the Crows. He played 10 games in 2020 but hasn’t seen senior game time since. Coach Matthew Nicks has urged for patience regarding McAsey’s development, but said in August the key position prospect has “started working really hard on his footy”. Whatever the case behind closed doors, McAsey will be 22 when the season gets underway in 2023 and is due for another prolonged run in the senior side. If he truly has upped the ante like Nicks has said, there should be a lot to get excited about by the time next season is done.
BRISBANE LIONS
Cameron Rayner
He has been in the breakout category for several years and never truly solidified himself as a bonafide star of the competition, but the signs were there in his comeback season in 2022 after 2021 was written off with an ACL injury. His round 22 performance against St Kilda, in which he kicked three last-quarter goals to get his side over the line, was a glimpse of the game breaker he can become. The hope is he does it on a more regular basis. He’ll have one of the best midfield-forwards in the game to learn off in Josh Dunkley, while Lachie Neale also continues to lead the way. The pieces are there, now it’s up for Rayner to put them all together as he enters his age 24 year.
Lions continue dominance with big win | 00:50
CARLTON
Caleb Marchbank
Blues fans have long bemoaned the amount of injuries their best 22 has suffered and Marchbank may well be the poster boy when it comes to that. His first senior game in nearly three years came back in June, but he then saw a specialist and had a lateral meniscus tear confirmed. Encouragingly, he returned in round 21 and played the final three games of the season. Marchbank and the Blues will be hoping that proves a springboard for an injury-free 2023 pre-season, because if it is he is primed to thrive in Carlton’s back six. Drafted in 2014 with pick No.6, Marchbank has managed just 52 games. He’ll be 26 years of age by the time next season starts and Carlton fans would be crossing everything that he finally gets a prolonged run to show his talent.
COLLINGWOOD
Ash Johnson
Johnson already feels like a mainstay of the Collingwood side, but it’s easy to forget he only made his AFL debut in round 18. He effectively kept Ollie Henry out of the senior side and now with Henry gone is even more of a lock to play every week. It took him seven years to finally play his first AFL game and it’s a testament to his work throughout that time that he thrived from the first moment he stepped on the field. One could look at his late-season flurry as the prelude to what’s to come. At 25, he is ready-made and about to get a whole lot more exposure to the top level. If he puts a full year together, he’ll be a goal kicking force for the Pies.
ESSENDON
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher
Mason Redman had a great season in Essendon’s back six and Zerk-Thatcher may be due for a breakout of his own after a strong finish to the year. The 24-year-old played a couple of great games to finish the season and if he can build his frame in the upcoming pre-season he could be a breakout gun in Brad Scott’s first year at the helm. He has been much-maligned at times and was regularly stuck at VFL level prior to this season, but played the last eight games of the year. He’s well placed to go to another level next year.
AFL backs Fagan and Clarkson return | 01:40
FREMANTLE
Jye Amiss
Fremantle have been calling out for a forward to step up and fill the big shoes left by Matthew Pavlich since his 2016 retirement. And after just three AFL games, young West Aussie Jye Amiss looks like he could be that player. The 19-year-old country boy is a first round pick and impressed on debut against North Melbourne, kicking two goals. But it was the sheer determination in the months that followed that had leaders at the club stand up and take notice. Amiss’ season looked done when he suffered a shocking kidney injury in the WAFL that landed him on the operating table. But the teen refused to concede his year was done and he fought back to play in both Freo finals this season. He’s got good height at 196cm, great hands and a smooth kicking action. With Rory Lobb gone, there’s a role in that attack end waiting for Amiss to claim it.
GEELONG CATS
Max Holmes
The grand final heartbreak tale, Max Holmes, is set to comeback hungrier in season 2023 after missing the Cats’ premiership success. Twelve games in his debut season, Holmes backed it up with an impressive 18 games this year – playing every game from Round 15 onwards before his preliminary final injury devastation. As the son of a dual Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Geelong were impressed by Holmes’ athleticism and his elite running ability – and had to jump up the draft to secure him in 2020. Expect Holmes to bounce back from coach Chris Scott’s “brutal” grand final call.
GOLD COAST SUNS
Elijah Hollands
The former pick No.7 played five straight senior games to end the season this year and looked great on the wing, kicking two goals on debut in the Q-Clash. He’s a player oozing potential and is just now starting to show it following an ACL injury in his draft year of 2020. That coupled with the challenges of Covid has left him with no shortage of roadblocks to work through, but he appears to be on the other side of that now and is set to star next season and beyond.
Suns keep finals hopes alive | 01:00
GWS GIANTS
Finn Callaghan
Tom Green had his breakout year in the midfield in 2022, now it’s Callaghan’s turn. He’ll turn 20 early next year and his talent is huge having been taken with pick No.3 in the 2021 draft. He got his eye in at AFL level with five consecutive games, but his time in the senior side ended once Leon Cameron departed and Mark McVeigh came in. With Adam Kingsley now at the helm, there has been a clear focus on rejuvenating the club and focusing on the draft and youth. The biggest factor in Callaghan’s rise however may be the departures of Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper. That has opened up plenty of room in the midfield and Callaghan should have a front-row seat to show his wares next season.
HAWTHORN
Will Day
He played 17 senior games in 2022, but the 21-year-old was moved around a fair bit by Sam Mitchell before eventually finding his feet in the back six. That exposure to different positions on the ground has likely been a calculated move to fast-track his development and have him primed for the years ahead. So many senior departures this off-season has only increased the expectation on the young brigade to step up and help drive the rebuild, with Day a central component of it. His football nous is considerable and as his body continues to develop so too should his football. With his brilliant use of the ball, Day is vital to the side’s counterattacking, high-risk style of play.
MELBOURNE
Jacob van Rooyen
He’ll turn 20 early next year and still has a lot of development to go, but van Rooyen has been banging the door down for senior selection with some brilliant performances in the VFL and if there’s one area the Dees need to improve in, it’s up forward. Brodie Grundy’s arrival does add to the competition for spots, not to mention that of Josh Schache, but van Rooyen has got all the attributes to thrive. His versatility is exceptional and he has played plenty of football even through Covid given he was in West Australia in his draft year, so he has more runs on the board than most his age. The Dees have placed a lot of faith and belief in van Rooyen, so it stands to reason he starts to get his chance in 2023.
NORTH MELBOURNE
Will Phillips
It was another rotten season for Phillips, who contracted glandular fever and was ruled out for the entirety of the 2022 season. He has looked fantastic at his best and the talent of the former pick No.3 is evident. As he enters his 21st year, there is a stack for Roos fans to get excited about. He could well thrive under Alastair Clarkson if he is able to enter 2023 fit and healthy. In the absence of Jason Horne-Francis, Phillips’ talents as a midfielder become even more important in the club’s build.
Roos keep top 4 hopes alive! | 01:15
PORT ADELAIDE
Zak Butters
Is Butters a bit stiff to be in here given he was selected in the All-Australian squad of 40? Possibly. Butters makes this list because his potential is still largely untapped despite the impressive football he played in 2022. The 22-year-old was banged up for a lot of the season and wasn’t able to strut his stuff as much as he would’ve liked. When Ken Hinkley threw he and Connor Rozee into the midfield more regularly, both thrived, but for Butters there seems to be even more room to grow. A former pick No.12, there is a stack more growth in Butters, whose ceiling is mouth-watering. If the Power are to charge up the ladder in 2023, Butters will be a key component.
RICHMOND
Noah Cumberland
Forcing your way into Richmond’s line up and holding that spot has been a tough feat for youngsters in years gone by. But Noah Cumberland showed plenty of class in his nine-game debut season (with one of those as the unused medi sub). After coming into the line up for Round 17, Cumberland held his own in an attack end featuring the likes of Jack Riewoldt and Tom Lynch. Coach Damien Hardwick even praised the 21-year-old as “Leigh Matthews” like, and labelled him “incredible” despite being “a little bit raw”. It’s clear Cumberland has the willingness to learn and work hard at his game, as he’s seen at the club with note-pad in hand. He looms as the likely long-term replacement for Riewoldt beyond 2023.
ST KILDA
Hunter Clark
It’s amazing Hunter Clark was potentially going to head to North Melbourne before the Saints put their foot down and promised to re-invest in their youth. The former pick No.7 has never really managed to string genuinely good football together for a long period of time, with injury so often rearing its head. Last season he broke his jaw, while this season he had an AC injury as well as three fractures to his jaw, nerve damage and dental damage. He cannot get a clean run at it. Ross Lyon’s arrival offers the chance of a fresh start in the upcoming pre-season. If he gets through unscathed, he’s a clear contender for a breakout player at Moorabbin in 2023.
Lyon reveals why he returned to coaching | 00:41
SYDNEY SWANS
Aaron Francis
The Swans revitalised one former high draft pick with a move to defence and a return to the big time, so why can’t they do it again with Francis? Paddy McCartin’s reinvention as a key defender was one of the success stories of 2022 and Francis boasts supreme talent of his own, having been taken with pick No.6 back in 2015. He managed just 54 games in seven season for the Bombers as injury and middling form stopped him from genuinely breaking out as a player. At 25, Francis is entering his peak years as a key position player and should immediately offer plenty to a side that is in the premiership window. We’ve seen players thrive with a fresh start and Francis has all the attributes to do just that.
WEST COAST EAGLES
Campbell Chesser
His debut season was marred by injury and it was a horror one to miss given he would’ve played so much senior football in the struggling Eagles side. Taken with pick No.14 in last year’s draft, Chesser will hopefully have another big pre-season in 2023. His attitude at training is reportedly first-class, while his talent with the ball in hand is clear for all to see. If he’s fit and ready, Adam Simpson will inject him into the senior lineup with haste. His speed is vital to a side that has lacked it in recent years and he is a key part of the future for the side moving forward.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan
He arguably broke out this season but considering the generational talent he was touted as in the lead up to his draft year, there is still plenty more improvement left in the former number one draft pick. He’ll virtually have to improve given the competition for spots as a tall has gotten even greater with the arrival of Rory Lobb. His five-goal performance against Melbourne in round 19 was a glimpse at what he is capable of, but other than that he kicked at least three goals just once, which was in the previous round against St Kilda. He doesn’t need to break games apart every week next year, but with another pre-season and hopefully even more confidence, Ugle-Hagan should be primed to thrive.
