Mature-aged draft selections have proven to be fruitful finds throughout the course of recruiting in the AFL, and 2024 could have more diamonds picked from the rough.
Last year alone saw Geelong pluck Werribee star Shaun Mannagh and Western Australian flanker Lawson Humphries at the National Draft, with both players going on to have key roles in the Cats' finals run to end their maiden season at AFL level.
This year's draft pool could offer further mature-aged options, whether that be state league stars, over-age prospects or former AFL-listed names.
Here we list nine of the best mature-aged draft prospects for the 2024 AFL Draft...
9. Flynn Gentile
Position:ย Midfielder
Height:ย 179cm
State:ย Victoria
Club:ย Coburg
Gentile, 21, has been one of the VFL's best young midfielders for the past couple of seasons, often leading the engine room in a struggling Coburg outfit.
This year, Gentile - averaging 26.6 disposals, 6.3 inside 50s, 5.9 clearances and 3.9 tackles per game for the Lions - finished among the finalists for the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal and was named in the VFL Team of the Year.
The young midfielder looms as an astute train-on prospect for an AFL club this coming summer, with Gentile looking ready to prove his worth at the next level.
