The AFL mid-season draft kicks off tonight, which will see state league players realise their AFL dream by being drafted to an AFL club half-way through the season.
AFL clubs need to have an open list spot in order to draft a player, meaning clubs need to move long-term injured or recently retired players to the inactive list in order to free up list spots for the mid-season draft.
Initially introduced in 1990, the mid-season draft has been a thing of the past for the AFL, who scrapped the draft in 1993.
It wasn't until 2019 where the AFL reintroduced the draft, before going into hiatus again in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic and coming back in 2021.
There have been some great players to come out of the two mid-season drafts so far, with players showing great promise at the top level.
Before the third edition of the AFL mid-season draft kicks off tonight, check out the 10 best players who have come through the draft since 2019 down below.
6. Ryan Gardner (Western Bulldogs)ย
Gardner has developed into a key piece of the Western Bulldogs defence, with him and Alex Keath poising as the two pillars in the defensive 50 for Luke Beveridge's side.
Taken with pick six in the 2019 mid-season draft, the Tasmanian native has exceeded expectations in the AFL since being delisted by Geelong in 2018.
Defender
Disposals
Marks
Rebound50s
Gardner was initially drafted by Geelong in 2015 but didn't manage a game at senior level, but the Bulldogs gave him a chance and he has become a reliable key defender in the competition, playing 32 games with them so far.
Currently averaging a career-high 10.1 disposals and 4.8 marks per game in 2022, Gardner plays his role well and locks down opposition key forwards, whilst holding down a spot in one of the best sides in the competition, which is why he ranks higher on this list.
