Luke McGuane
Obviously not in such a strong team at the moment but he plays his role for the Tigers to the best of his ability. He's probably a little undersized but plays against some of the big forwards and does a good job.
Daniel Merrett
A strong defender at the Brisbane Lions. He is pretty quick for a big guy and rarely gets beaten in a one-on-one. Recruited from the Southport Sharks, Merrett was best known for his trademark spoils.
Gavin Urquhart
Only in his third year of footy but Gavin has shown some promise at North Melbourne. He is a creative footballer who provides a lot of run off half-back.
HALF-BACKS
Courtenay Dempsey
Recruited from Morningside, Dempsey tends to play off his man a little bit. He reads his opponent very well and gives the Bombers a lot of dash off half-back.
Tom Williams
He's a promising young player at the Western Bulldogs. Obviously he's going to grow into that position and become a pretty good player for them.
Sam Gilbert
A tall defender who reads the game really well. He is a really strong mark and can match up on forwards of all sizes. His run from defence is very important to the Saints.
CENTRES
Josh Drummond
Drummond has a raking left foot kick that is very precise. A versatile player who can play back, push forward or play on a wing, which is where I think he is best suited.
Jason Akermanis
Aker's a champion of the game who's played a lot of footy. He grew up in Victoria but moved to Queensland at a young age and was eventually picked up by the Brisbane Bears from Mayne Football Club. He was a great player at the Bears/Lions and that has carried on at the Western Bulldogs.
Andrew Raines
Another one drafted from my club, the Southport Sharks. Definitely a player to look out for in the future as he always seems to find the footy and has good pace and endurance.
HALF-FORWARDS
Mitch Hahn
A strong-bodied player with the Western Bulldogs who just does what he has to do during a game. Can pop up and kick goals when needed and has good leadership qualities.
Nick Riewoldt
He is one of the best players in the competition at the moment. The 2009 All-Australian captain has great endurance and leads the team by example. He is just an amazing player.
Brad Miller
Born in Tasmania but moved to Queensland where he was drafted to Melbourne from Mt Gravatt Football Club. He is a good lead with a great set of hands. Miller has good endurance and is one of the leaders at the Demons.
FORWARDS
Ricky Petterd
Petterd is a player on the rise at Melbourne. He’s playing a good role up forward for them and was one of their best players when we beat them by a point in round two.
Kurt Tippett
Kurt is a promising key position player, who had a great year in 2009. He is a couple of years older than me so I didn’t get the chance to play with him at Southport, but I’ve played against him and he is definitely a great player in the making.
Michael Osborne
From Labrador, Osborne is such a versatile player. He played in Hawthorn's premiership and has a strong, mature body and is a good user of the footy.
FOLLOWERS
David Hale
An important player at North Melbourne, Hale is from the Broadbeach Football Club and has the ability to go forward and kick goals and is strong around the footy.
David Armitage
Armitage has taken Luke Ball’s spot in the team at the Saints. He knows how to win the ball and dishes it out well to his teammates. He is a good player who will be given more of a chance this year.
Jarrod Harbrow
A small, evasive footballer who grew up in Cairns, Harbrow has a good left foot kick and is quick off the mark. He is a very hard worker at the Western Bulldogs.
INTERCHANGE
Claye Beams
I had to put my younger brother in there. He's a rookie at Brisbane and hopefully in time he can earn himself a spot in their senior side. He plays a little bit like me in that he can play inside and outside and has pretty good skills.
Jamie Charman
Jamie has been around the Lions for a while now. He is a good back-up ruckman in my side who can push forward and kick goals. He's an aggressive player who can take a good mark.
Josh Thomas
I’ve put my teammate Josh Thomas in my best 22 even though he hasn’t played a senior game yet. A very promising player picked up in last year’s draft from Broadbeach. Has good foot skills and will be one to watch.
Rohan Bail
Bail is another up and coming player at Melbourne. He is a hard runner who hails from Mt Gravatt footy club. He is a good decision maker and disposes of the ball well.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
