There's nothing quite like finals footy.
This time of year offers a chance at immortality and glory for a handful of the competition's best. Perhaps just as importantly, it offers a chance at icon status for a rare few who appear pre-destined for the bright lights.
Every club has players primed to explode in September, we know who to keep an eye on this year, it's one of the joys of the business end of the season, seeing individuals embrace the spotlight and elevate their game.
One of the other joys is seeing a young player come of age and have an impact. The entire point of rebuilds and the draft is to see the next generation flourish, to put a club on their back and inspire their teammates to go the extra mile.
We marvelled at Nick Daicos' impressive finals campaign in his debut season (where he averaged 24.3 disposals and 5 rebound 50's per game) and at Marcus Bontempelli's phenomenal finals series in 2016 where, in just his third year, he dominated the finals, winning a best and fairest in a premiership season.
His team mate Bailey Smith, in just his third year, was immense in 2021, putting together four games of the highest quality, including an unforgettable Semi-Final against the Lions where he had 27 disposals and kicked 3 goals. Slotting the match-winner from deep in the pocket earned him instant icon status, if not that, then his celebration certainly did.
As with every Finals series, this year's provides us plenty of candidates who can shape the fortunes of an entire club. To help narrow down the field, we've opted to go for players who have played under 50 AFL games, yet may just be built for September.
6. Port Adelaide - Jason Horne-Francis
Who else? It's crazy to think how much has been said about Jason Horne-Francis and much of it has not touched on the fact that he is a very, very good player in the making. Already no stranger to the spotlight, there's no doubting he will feel he is destined for September action.
With no shortage of confidence and an ability to devastate for periods at the stoppages, his aggressive and explosive style of play will be an asset in the heat of finals football. His only knock being that, for the moment, he is not yet as consistent as he could be. However, being in just his second season, it's easy to forgive that.
His second year in the AFL has been a marked improvement on his first, playing 22 games and averaging 17.6 disposals, 2.9 tackles, 4.9 clearances and 3.7 inside 50's per game. His stoppage work is incredibly damaging, leave him unattended or loosely-checked at your own peril.
The former number one draft pick is used to plenty of attention and September will take that to a new level, with footy fans everywhere keenly watching to see how he handles the pressure-cooker atmosphere. There's plenty to suggest he is made for the big stage and should he fire, this Power resurgence could go all the way to the last Saturday in September.
