What do the names Lewis Taylor, Christian Salem, Matt Scharenberg, Josh Kelly and James Aish mean to you?
Some will have followed this year’s crop of draft hopefuls fairly closely, and will know that those listed above are likely to be selected in the first round of November’s National Draft. But most people won’t recognise the names at all.
It’s amazing to think this time a year ago the names Oliver Wines, Brad Crouch, Jaeger O’Meara and Nick Vlastuin had the same sort of ring to them. They were a group of mostly unknown 18-year-olds with bright futures, who had not yet made a name for themselves in the AFL.
It’s taken just 23 weeks for them to establish themselves as regular contributors at AFL level. Each has built a reputation as a rising star of the competition and has become a household name amongst footy supporters.
The four aforementioned players are amongst the 18 nominated for the AFL Players’ Association’s ‘Best First Year Player’ Award, which will be announced at the 2013 Be the Influence AFL Players’ MVP Awards on September 10.
A host of other teenage stars – such as Lachie Whitfield, Troy Menzel, Sam Mayes and Taylor Garner – have also been nominated.
But unlike the AFL’s ‘Rising Star’ Award, the ‘Best First Year Player’ Award has no age criteria. This has meant mature-age recruits such as Brett Goodes, Nick Kommer, Sam Dwyer, Jack Hannath, Dane Rampe and Matt Jones have also been recognised for their debut 2013 seasons.
Each new recruit’s journey is different, and the ‘Best First Year Player’ Award recognises this.
The likes of Jackson Thurlow and Jed Anderson have played just four games each, but the fact they’ve managed to break into the Geelong and Hawthorn sides, respectively, in their debut seasons is an enormous achievement, which has been duly awarded with a nomination.
Similarly, the seasons of St Kilda’s Nathan Wright and West Coast’s Adam Carter have been noted by their clubs and supporters, but rarely acknowledged elsewhere, as their clubs have endured disappointing seasons.
The 18 players nominated for the ‘Best First Year Player’ Award have travelled vastly different journeys to arrive in the AFL – something only those within the game can truly appreciate. It’s fitting that teammates were asked to vote on a nominee to represent their club, and the players will again vote to decide the winner of the ‘Best First Year Player’.
While some nominees will be given the chance to impact this year’s finals series, others will have to wait a little longer. They all share a bright future, and while they emerge as the next generation of superstars, the future of the game itself looks to be in very good hands.