COLLINGWOOD and Gold Coast are among clubs circling the brother of Adelaide forward Shane McAdam ahead of next week's NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
Ash Johnson, an explosive 193cm forward, has impressed for Sturt in the SANFL this season with clubs bullish on his potential as an AFL prospect.
The 23-year-old, who hails from remote WA town and renowned football factory Halls Creek, has been overlooked in several NAB AFL Drafts, however clubs believe he has reached a level of maturity to command a spot on a list.
Johnson has been living with McAdam this year in Adelaide and has booted 13 goals from six matches for the Double Blues in 2021, including four against the Crows' reserves in round five.
It is expected both the Pies and the Suns will take two selections to the draft to be held on Wednesday, June 2.
Johnson is also a cousin of Carlton's Sam Petrevski-Seton and Gold Coast's Jy Farrar.
The spring-heeled Johnson has enjoyed a whirlwind football journey, enjoying stints in the WAFL and country Victoria where he played for North Wangaratta in 2017.
He then followed in McAdam's footsteps and moved to South Australia.
Like McAdam in 2017, Johnson played for Adelaide Football League division three side Scotch Old Collegians in 2018 and broke his arm in the side's premiership triumph.
He was signed as a top-up player for the Crows' SANFL side in 2019 but failed to play a game before crossing to Sturt in 2020 and making his debut in June.
Farrar played in the same Scotch Old Collegians' side in 2019 where he caught the eye of Gold Coast recruiters before he was taken at pick No.60 in the NAB AFL Draft.
There are currently five players in the AFL hailing from Halls Creek which is located 500km inland of Broome with a population of around 1500. They include McAdam, Farrar, Petrevski-Seton, Essendon's Irving Mosquito and Melbourne's Toby Bedford.
