In an athlete's professional career, there comes a moment or a season when big questions get asked.
Questions such as 'Is this player going to make it or not?'
Development is never linear. But in our game, it's often thought that your first 50 games are the most difficult when it comes to development. Only then, once you've hit the first milestone, most players start to work out what you can and can't do.
Some players entering their fourth seasons in 2025 have already put significant runs on the boards and laid down markers.
Nick Daicos, at just 21 years old, has claims to be the best player in the game already. Sam Darcy has shown in just his first 28 games that he is the next great key forward in the game. And Jason Horne-Francis has delivered thus far on all the qualities that made him one of the most hyped No.1 draft picks.
Others are on the runway too. A pair of Saints in Mitch Owens and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera are leading the charge of the young group at Moorabbin. Jye Amiss and Mac Andrew are coming as part of that next group of key position superstars. Finn Callaghan and Connor Macdonald have emerged as top-line talents at their clubs for the next generation. And then there's Kai Lohmann, who cemented his place as a young superstar on the rise with a breakout season and grand final performance, which sent him rocketing up the charts amongst the best small forwards in the game.
But with all the hits and up-and-coming superstars, some are still treading water and finding their way, including some from the very top of their class.
Here we name four members of the 2021 AFL Draft who are at a critical juncture in their young careers.
2. Jesse Motlop
The opportunity facing Jesse Motlop this year is a big one. The title of being the number one small forward at Carlton is there for the taking.
Motlop has shown glimpses and flashes of what he can be thus far in his 42 games. Yet, he's only kicked 40 goals in this time, and only 13 times has he kicked multiple goals in a game.
This time last year, all the buzz was about how strong a summer Motlop was having on the pre-season track and how a big year was on the horizon. All for it to come tumbling down in the second pre-season game against Melbourne when he stubbed his toe, which started his spiral.
A strained hamstring while rehabbing delayed his start to the season even further, restricting the small forward to just seven games in 2024, including the final against Brisbane.
This year, the messaging is all the same. Motlop has been a standout on the training track, buzzing about in the match simulation and hitting PBs in the running. To the eye, it looks as if he's put on some extra muscle and filled into his body a little more.
It makes 2025, his fourth season, a big one for Motlop, with the lingering question of 'What type of player does he want to be?'
He's shown he's a far better player than his season average of 7.7 disposals, 2.1 tackles and 0.9 goals a game reads.
Out of contract at season's end, it adds another element to the Jesse Motlop narrative for 2025.
