As the 2025 AFL season nears, there will be players training ferociously throughout pre-season to perhaps finally break loose from the shackles of years of average performances and officially reach their potential.
Perhaps it's a top draft pick finally coming of age, as Mac Andrew and Tom De Koning showed glimpses of in 2024.
Or maybe it's a player nearing the age of their prime who has teetered on the edge of mediocrity for a while but finally excelled at the top flight. Think Tristan Xerri and Jake Waterman.
Last year, the hype around the potential of De Koning and Ben King ultimately delivered, while players such as Paddy Dow failed yet again to reach their potential estimated in their draft year.
A club's success is often off the back of unheralded players having surprisingly good years.
Hawthorn was fortunate to be on the end of multiple players enjoying breakout seasons in 2024, including first-time All-Australian Dylan Moore, trade recruit Massimo D'Ambrosio and veteran Sam Frost.
Likewise, premiers Brisbane enjoyed the sudden emergence of Kai Lohmann and the eventual fruition of Callum Ah Chee and Ryan Lester's potential.
Those clubs that struggled found their players with glimpses of stardom did not reach their potential. Max King was on and off the field with injuries which again hurt St Kilda's finals chances, while the ineptness of Collingwood's young talent failed to fill the holes of out-of-form veterans, resulting in a failed flag defence for the Pies.
So ahead of the new season, we've named eight players who will be desperate to have a breakout year to either save their career or propel their club further up the ladder in 2025.
Josh Ward
Ward, likewise to Callaghan, seems to be on the cusp of reaching his draft potential. Viewed as a Sam Walsh prototype in his draft year, Ward has displayed occasions of mass disposals, but his impact has not been as significant as his draft comparison.
The 21-year-old had a down year in 2024 too, averaging six fewer disposals than 2023. His elimination final selection paid dividends when replacing the injured Will Day, but his semi-final performance was one of his poorer outings for the year.
A top-five pick, Ward should be a consistent member of Hawthorn's midfield but has found himself dropped multiple times since his debut in 2022, often making way for the likes of Day, Jai Newcombe and James Worpel.
Similar to Robertson, Ward will need to produce a consistent breakout year to earn a regular spot in the side in 2024, as he tussles with talented teammates for a selection in the middle. With Finn Maginess and Cam McKenzie also viable options for Sam Mitchell, Ward will need to capture form from his Talent League days, where he averaged over 30 disposals per game, to hold a spot in Hawthorn's best 23.
