Pies’ next-gen brother of a gun; second-year Hawk hype builds: Breakout pick at every AFL club

Each year, there’s always one player at each club who takes the next step in their career.

Be it raw talents who have yet to fully reach their potential or guns in waiting who haven’t been given opportunity in the senior side, there are reasons for hope for some of the game’s brightest prospects.

Foxfooty.com.au assesses the player from each club poised to break out in 2024.

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ADELAIDE

Riley Thilthorpe

It often takes key position players a while to fully realise their potential and grow into their frame. Thilthorpe had plenty of exposure to senior football in 2023, playing in 21 games. Still, he only managed 18 goals, far below a key forward’s expected output. The 202cm forward should take the next step in 2024 and add significantly to that goal tally. With Taylor Walker still demanding the opposition’s best defender and Darcy Fogarty also chipping in, Thilthorpe should look to take advantage of his match-ups and show greater glimpses of the spearhead many think he’ll become and what saw him drafted with the second pick back in 2020.

BRISBANE LIONS

Kai Lohmann

Lets be honest: It’s going to be very hard to be a breakout player at a club that is already firing on all cylinders. Still, Kai Lohmann looms as someone who can make a play at becoming that player in 2024, having recommitted to the club on a new deal despite rival interest and continuing to develop. He’s learning off fellow small forward Charlie Cameron and should get a crack at things at some point during the year. His 2023 was brought to an end by a broken collarbone, but the 20-year-old has plenty to show. It’s just about getting a look in during the year.

CARLTON

Jesse Motlop

Motlop arguably broke out in 2023 with his 21 matches and 24 goals, but there’s still the sense he’s barely scratched the surface of what he’s capable of. He’s still just 20 years of age and showed in the semi-final against Melbourne he was capable of performing on the big stage, kicking a couple of goals and looking lively in the forward 50. He’s had moments where his forward pressure was in the elite category, but keeping that level up consistently is the challenge. It’s arguably the hardest position to play in the game, but Motlop could further entrench himself in the small forward ranks in 2024.

COLLINGWOOD

Finlay Macrae

The departure of Taylor Adams opens up a spot in the midfield and Finlay Macrae has been the one poised to pounce on an opportunity to get more senior game time. Macrae managed just the one senior game in 2023 and has played 12 overall since being drafted in 2020. He has built his game in the VFL and his lack of time in the senior side isn’t due to a lack of effort. The 21-year-old is ready for his crack in the big time and may finally have his opening. The Pies’ midfield has been rock solid under Craig McRae but some more young blood coming through the ranks helps them keep an eye toward the future and Macrae would fill that need. Reef McInnes is another to watch, with his dynamic play a weapon the Pies may rely upon at some point in the season.

ESSENDON

Jye Caldwell

Caldwell had a consistent season in 2023 but he can still reach another level in 2024 and help propel the Bombers forward. The mid-forward’s attributes have been on display at stages of his career so far, and he brought up the 50-game milestone after some injury-interrupted seasons in the early days of his career. Now 23, the former pick No.11 has put together back-to-back seasons of at least 20 senior games. If the Bombers are to improve in 2024, it’s players like Caldwell who need to up the ante and take the next step as players.

FREMANTLE

Jeremy Sharp

Sharp’s potential was enough that Damien Hardwick tried to convince him to stay at the Suns, but a fresh start at Fremantle could be just what he needs to re-establish himself among AFL ranks. Will Brodie is a testament to what can happen for an ex-Sun given more senior opportunity at the Dockers. By all reports Sharp has had an impressive pre-season, so he’s put himself in the box seat for more senior game time. If he performs, he could add to a Dockers midfield that has at times looked like it’s crying out for a bit more bite. At 22 years of age he’s developed enough that he should be looking to take the next step as an AFL footballer.

GEELONG CATS

Tanner Bruhn

It will be just the fourth season in the AFL for Tanner Bruhn but he showed enough in his first year at Geelong to suggest a breakout season isn’t far away. Despite his mild-mannered persona, Bruhn showed an encouraging amount of grit in the contest when deployed in the middle for the Cats in 2023. With a healthy degree of turnover in the engine room set to come for the Cats this year and beyond, Bruhn should get even more chances to prove his worth as a former pick No.12. Judging by what he showed last year, he looks up for the challenge.

GOLD COAST SUNS

Bailey Humphrey

Humphrey got a lot of senior game time in 2023, which has set him up to take the next step in 2024. He signed a four-year contract extension to take him through until the end of 2028, showing how much faith the Suns have in what he can become. The mid-forward has a lot to offer and should get even more midfield exposure this season to announce himself as a genuine gun of the future. Pick No.6 in the 2022 draft, he has plenty to offer.

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY

Finn Callaghan

There are huge wraps on Callaghan, who played regular senior football in 2023 but has another level to go to in 2024 and beyond. The former No.3 pick is gradually building his frame and working his way into games, averaging a tick over 20 disposals last season. That number is expected to rise significantly this season as he takes the next step in his career and adds to an already star-studded midfield brigade at the Giants. The hype around him was significant when he was drafted and we should see him start to realise some of that potential in 2024.

HAWTHORN

Cam Mackenzie

Fox Footy analyst David King was struck by the output of Mackenzie at pre-season training recently and it lines up with the hype around the 20-year-old midfielder. Mackenzie looks to have gotten even fitter over the off-season and looks like being one of the Hawks to watch in 2024. He was dropped from the senior side by Sam Mitchell early in the season but responded well and looks to have raised the bar for himself heading into his sophomore year. He already came into the AFL as a ready-made operator so he’s ahead of a lot of his contemporaries, but he doesn’t seem to be resting on his laurels judging by his pre-season.

MELBOURNE

Caleb Windsor

Melbourne’s line-up is relatively settled, but the hype around Caleb Windsor has grown to considerable levels over the pre-season. Last year’s No.7 pick has shown some very promising signs in pre-season so far and would be high up the list of players competing for a spot in the senior side if there’s an opening throughout the year. He could have some similar glimpses to Kysaiah Pickett in his debut year, with Pickett showing signs of the player he’d become in some of the 14 games he managed in 2020. The Dees are a side desperate to improve their midfield-forward connection and Windsor looks like he fits that need to an absolute tee.

NORTH MELBOURNE

George Wardlaw

We didn’t get to see enough of Wardlaw in 2023, with injury resulting in just eight senior games for the 2022 pick No.4. He has got some big wraps on him and will find no shortage of game time in a side that is desperately blooding its youngsters to try and work its way back up the ladder. The midfielder should get a very good run at it in 2024 and, injury preventing, should show us why he has generated such big hype from those inside North Melbourne.

PORT ADELAIDE

Mitch Georgiades

He’s already shown a fair bit, but on return from an ACL injury Mitch Georgiades could be poised to soar to a new level in 2024. He spent some time on a wing in Port Adelaide’s recent match simulation, so it could be a hybrid role for the 22-year-old and one he could flourish in. By all reports Georgiades is back to full fitness, with full contact training the last box to be ticked before he returns. He’s kicked 65 goals from his 49 games but the former top 20 pick has had time to recalibrate while on the sidelines and made the decision to recommit to the club despite interest from West Australia. Ivan Soldo and Jordon Sweet add competition in the ruck-forward brigade for Georgiades, but if he makes a wing move it could help him stand apart.

RICHMOND

Josh Gibcus

Gibcus has battled to be fit after showing plenty of potential in his 2022 season, in which he played 18 games, with 2023 being completely written off by hamstring injuries. The former top 10 pick could be a player to build the backline around in 2024 and beyond should he be fit and the 20-year-old is leaving no stone unturned, travelling to Qatar as part of his efforts to get advice on how to get his body right. The Richmond backline was substandard in 2023 and with a new wave of talent coming through under Adem Yze the club needs someone like Gibcus to stand up and announce himself as the next fulcrum the side can build around.

ST KILDA

Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera

There’s already been plenty to like about Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, but he could go to another level in 2024 if given more opportunity up the ground. The Saints have made no secret they’re looking to blood their youth and a move up the ground could give Wanganeen-Milera even more room to grow. Saints fans saw he was more than up for the task in 2023 and that could technically be considered his breakout season, but more time in the middle could show us he’s only just scratched the surface of what he’s capable of. In any case, the Saints have found a gem with their pick No.11 in 2021, it’s just a matter of seeing how good he can be.

SYDNEY SWANS

Hayden McLean

McLean took some significant steps in the backend of last season and looks like the player poised to take control of the forward line now that Lance Franklin has retired. Logan McDonald could be the nomination for the Swans too but he still seems incredibly raw, while Joel Amartey needs to keep fit after persistent hamstring issues. The acquisition of Brodie Grundy means McLean won’t be as necessary in the ruck and can fully devote himself to perfecting his forward craft. If he stays fit and healthy, he should be one that the Swans rely on to have a better 2024 campaign.

WEST COAST EAGLES

Reuben Ginbey

There were some very good signs from Ginbey in his maiden AFL campaign and he looks like he could go to another level in 2024. He won’t struggle to get games given his draft pedigree and where the Eagles are at as a list in general. The big-bodied teen should get more time in the midfield in 2024 and thrive as a result. A lot of the hype will understandably be around Harley Reid, but Ginbey is the one to look out for as he takes the next step in what looks set to be a very impressive career. He spent a lot of time last season running with some of the biggest names of the game and it will do wonders to his own ability to win the footy when he’s unleashed in his own right.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Ryley Sanders

Injury to Bailey Smith has opened the door for Sanders to play an even bigger role than first anticipated in 2024. The hype around the No.6 pick from last year is considerable and his big frame for his age means he’ll be able to handle the hustle and bustle in the engine room when he’s thrown in there. It’s already obvious why North Melbourne pushed hard to get Sanders to the club via the Next Generation Academy. The Dogs have found a good one and he won’t have to wait long to make his mark.