Every week we hear about the efforts of great names like Nick Daicos, Christian Petracca, Patrick Cripps and Marcus Bontempelli. However, there are many players who don't necessarily find themselves high on the stats sheet, or their strong performances have gone under the radar for so long.
This season, there have been a host of players who have started off underrated or at the lower end of the best 22 for their teams but have now found themselves as consistent and important performers, starting to earn the recognition of the AFL world.
Nathan Murphy, Jeremy Finlayson, Connor Idun, Kade Chandler and Lewis Young are just a few of the underrated players who have now found themselves as incredibly valuable players.
We've broken down their 2023 seasons and how they are faring.
2. Connor Idun
Connor Idun is another player who had consistent seasons across 2021 and 2022 but has emerged as a key player for GWS in season 2023. Idun has played every game for the Giants this year and stood up when key defenders Nick Haynes and Sam Taylor have been injured.
Idun was a standout for the Giants in their Round 5 win against Hawthorn, finishing the game with 23 disposals, nine marks and four tackles. However, his performance against reigning premiers Geelong at GMHBA is what has earnt him his praise and seen him emerge as a mainstay for the Giants' back six. Idun had a team-high nine intercept possessions, 19 disposals and three tackles to earn six coaches' votes.
Proving that it wasn't a one-off performance, Idun was assigned the match-up on Dustin Martin the following week against Richmond. Idun kept Dusty to 19 disposals and held him goalless, for what was only the third time at that point of the season.
Since then, Idun has continued to improve and has held his place in a GWS team that has now won six games in a row to keep their finals hopes well and truly alive. Idun will have his hands full this weekend when they take on the Western Bulldogs when he comes up against the likes of Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Aaron Naughton.
