Opening Round is etching ever closer as we hit the second half of our top 50 players list of 2024. This week we're looking through spots 30-21.

Rather than naming the best performers of 2023 or the top players entering Opening Round, this list will look at the best players currently with some projections as to how they may rank at the end of the year.

Many established stars made the cut in our last edition but may have been ranked lower than expected.

As we reach the cream of the crop in the top 30, the scope of talent in our league becomes glaringly apparent, with a host of top tier All-Australians and even Brownlow contenders featuring outside the top 20.

PART I: BEST PLAYERS OF 2024 (50-41)
PART II: BEST PLAYERS OF 2024 (40-31)

3. 28 - Nick Larkey

North Melbourne's key forward stocks are in good hands for the next five years with former fifth-round draft pick Nick Larkey leading the charge.

The 25-year-old crept up on many last year with a monster season, stunning fans and All-Australian selectors by booting 71 goals on a three-win side cursed with turmoil all season long.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 04: Nick Larkey of the Kangaroos celebrates kicking a goal during the round 12 AFL match between Essendon Bombers and North Melbourne Kangaroos at Marvel Stadium, on June 04, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

With very limited forward-line assistance and with opposition defences knowing exactly where the ball is going inside 50, Larkey's 2023 season even may go down as an underrated campaign, and could be a catalyst for a string of dominant seasons as North Melbourne peg their way back up the ladder.

Hopefully with more weapons forward of centre in the next few years, Larkey will thrive with less opposition attention and potentially more production up the ground, while maintaining his remarkable accuracy in front of goal and providing a damaging aerial presence.