The combination of a 'midfield-heavy' draft class in the AFL Academy program is set to see a number of 2024's best AFL Draft prospects trialled in a range of positions across the course of their draft year.
26 of next season's leading teenagers have been named in the AFL Academy less than 12 months out from the 2024 count, with the squad coming together over the recent weekend as part in their first high-performance camp.
The squad spent time at Geelong, Footscray and Essendon and heard from some of this year's draft selections, including Cats pair Connor O'Sullivan and George Stevens, while also training under Academy coach Tarkyn Lockyer and meeting with AFL clubs ahead of the new year.
The 2024 draft crop is headlined by a promising crop of midfielders, with Brisbane father-son prospect Levi Ashcroft, Oakleigh Chargers trio Finn O'Sullivan, Jagga Smith and Tom Gross, South Australian Sid Draper and Eastern Ranges onballer Josh Smillie among the leading names in consideration.
A majority of the 2024 AFL Academy squad is made up of midfielders, giving Lockyer plenty to consider ahead of the group's reunion in April for their first game against an unnamed VFL side.
Speaking on the strong contingent of midfielders, Lockyer said the program is set to test the versatility of next year's known quantities among the ensemble of midfielders.
"The makeup of the squad is always a little bit disjointed. We don't necessarily pick a team, we pick a squad," Lockyer said.
"We know that there's going to be more players in one position than another sometimes, the thing that we do and offer is an opportunity to show what you can do in another position.
"We know, say, this year's group's got a lot of midfielders. We know that they can play midfield but can they also show that they can play halfback or half-forward and go and bring their skills and their traits to that position on that at that particular time?
"We know that it's gonna be a little bit disjointed and not quite as connected as what they could be on the field. But it's just a really good opportunity for them to experience something and learn from it."
Members from this year's AFL Academy are set to train at a range of AFL clubs over the coming months as part of the program, with as many as 14 clubs already confirmed to add teenagers to their pre-season plans.
The 2023 AFL Academy saw 25 of its 30 squad members land on an AFL list via the recent draft period, including the aforementioned O'Sullivan and Stevens, with matches against Port Adelaide's SANFL side and Carlton's VFL unit giving scouts a close look at the best names on offer in the one place.
Lockyer said while 2024's class boasts a range of "highly talented" prospects, it's worth noting there's no guarantee of being recruited at the end of next year.
"The calibre of this of this group, it's really difficult to compare one group to another... What we know is that they're highly talented, highly motivated, and just love doing what they do," Lockyer added. "We're pretty fortunate to work alongside them for the next 12 months.
"What being in a program like this doesn't do, it doesn't guarantee that they're going to find their way onto an AFL list, but we'd like to think that we give them every opportunity to enhance the talent that they've got.
"They'll get the opportunity obviously to come in for a few camps and play together. But then also get the opportunity to go and train in an AFL Club, which is an amazing experience for them as well."
After years of disrupted pathway programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent impacts at the grassroots level, AFL hopefuls are now seen to be in clear air after an extended period of uncertainty.
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Needing to balance school commitments with state and national-level football programs, prospects for next year who take part in the AFL Academy are able to learn key skills both on and off the field.
"It's wonderful to give every kid the opportunity to be involved in a program like this. It is pretty special," Lockyer said of the program.
"... I think alongside all of the other programs that run in the in the talent pathway, they're doing an amazing job of supporting and setting the players up to be successful.
"What we try to do is not duplicate what they're doing elsewhere. We actually try to give them something a little bit different. The ability to go and train in an AFL environment and learn from that for a week, to live the life of an AFL player, the learnings that each individual will take away from that are probably different for each player.
"Each individual's experience is gonna be different to another. But what we like to think is we're trying to set them up so that when they do get their opportunity, if they get the opportunity, they're absolutely well prepared to step in and thrive in that environment."
