WITH the NAB Cup finally underway, afl.com.au has nominated 25 players we're particularly keen to see take the field in the pre-season competition – emerging stars, established champions and youngsters hopeful of making significant steps towards the big league.

David Armitage (St Kilda)
The dashing Queenslander had big wraps on him when the Saints picked him up ninth overall in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft. The retirement of Robert Harvey leaves a sizable hole in the midfield rotation and while no one is suggesting Armitage can fill those enormous shoes right off the bat, he should see more action as a result giving him ample opportunity to showcase his talents.

Steven Baker (St Kilda)
Baker's contribution to St Kilda's midfield is often over-shadowed by the feats of some of his flashier teammates, but Saints' fans know just how crucial his hardness is to the overall make-up of the team. By all accounts the hard nut tagger has overcome a persistent knee injury and it will be interesting to see whether his extended sabbatical on the sidelines has mellowed him. We hope not.

Travis Boak (Port Adelaide)
Port passed on eventual NAB Rising Star Joel Selwood to take Boak fifth overall in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft, but the club has been delighted by the progress of its young gun. He is likely to spend more time in the engine room this year, where Port fans hope his undoubted class will shine through as he takes his game to the next level.

Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide)
The talented Geelong Falcons midfielder was snapped up 10th overall by Adelaide at the 2007 NAB AFL Draft, in which he was one of the youngest players taken. Dangerfield opted to stay in Geelong in 2008, where he played for his local TAC Cup side. He kicked eight goals for the Falcons in one game and has been compared favourably to club legend Mark Ricciuto. If all that wasn't enough to whip up a frenzy of expectation, the club went ahead and gave the lad the retired great's No.32 guernsey. Good luck!

Alan Didak (Collingwood)
The scrutiny on the freakish goalkicker both will be intense early in 2009 after the off-field dramas that saw him suspended by the club late last season. Didak is no shrinking violet, however, and has shown an ability to thrive in the spotlight in the past. The Pies will need him back to his best quickly if fellow goalsneak Paul Medhurst, who has had an injury-interrupted pre-season, takes a little time to work into the year.

Ryan Griffen (Western Bulldogs)
Adam Cooney was drafted to Whitten Oval as the No.1 selection of the 2003 NAB AFL Draft. A year later, Griffen found his way to the Kennel with the third pick overall. Last season, Cooney had a strong pre-season, stepped up his game and won the Brownlow medal. Will it be a similar story for Griffen just 12 months later?

Scott Gumbleton (Essendon)
Hamstring injuries and a broken collarbone have kept the 2006 No.2 NAB AFL Draft pick to just five AFL games, leaving fans to wonder just when they'll get to see their prized package play alongside Scott Lucas and Matthew Lloyd. The time could be now. 'Gumby' has survived the summer unscathed and could be ready to deliver.

Lachlan Hansen (North Melbourne)
Another key position prospect from the class of 2006 could be set for an explosive year after setting the track alight across the summer. This 20-year-old has also been troubled by injuries in his short career, but with 13 senior games behind him, has given Kangaroo fans something to be excited about.

Paul Hasleby (Fremantle)
Fremantle was dealt a blow this time last year when its prized midfielder was struck down with a season-ending knee injury. This year, the purple haze will be hoping lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place. According to coach Mark Harvey, Hasleby is a chance to make an appearance in the NAB Cup, and remains keen for his talented ball-getter to "get back into the groove of the AFL".

Shaun Higgins (Western Bulldogs)
It's been a big few months for the Dogs' exciting young gun. First, the 20-year-old was selected by retired club great Scott West as the player who should inherit his famous No.7 jumper. Then he was informed by the coaches he'd been elected by his peers to replace West in the seven-man leadership group. After an injury-ravaged 2008 Higgins has given himself a strong base to attack 2009 from, starting next Friday against Essendon.

Chris Judd (Carlton)
The Blues' best and fairest says he is training with no restrictions and looking to run and carry the ball more in 2009. That should have football fans giddy at the prospect of watching Chris Judd in full flight during the NAB Cup.If his new powers can combine with the old, the Carlton skipper's game looks set to be as complete as it has ever been in his 155-game career.

Josh Kennedy (West Coast Eagles)
In his first year at West Coast Josh Kennedy was collecting injuries. The imposing forward played through a shoulder complaint for most of the season and, when a knee injury struck, he hit the operating table in early August. But with that behind him Kennedy is now ready to show why Carlton took him with the No. 4 pick in the 2005 NAB AFL Draft and West Coast made him a non-negotiable inclusion in the Judd trade of 2007.

Hamish McIntosh (North Melbourne)
The Kangaroos' rising star of 2007 was shocked when offered up by coach Dean Laidley during last year's trade week. The 24-year-old will also be looking to bounce back from that setback as well as a knee injury that restricted him to 14 games in 2008. Moving past last year's trade-bait experience and competing with versatile teammates Drew Petrie and David Hale for ruck duties should make McIntosh's NAB Cup campaign revealing.

Brock McLean (Melbourne)
The 2008 pre-season was a shocker for Brock McLean. The Melbourne midfielder was locked up in Europe after a fight and, closer to home, was fined for speeding. But on the football field McLean is a leader and still a strong candidate to take over from recently appointed skipper James McDonald. After an ankle injury ended the 22-year-old's season in round 14 last year, fitness will be another challenge for McLean in this year's NAB Cup.

Cameron Mooney (Geelong)
Two missed shots on goal during last year's grand final are likely to haunt Cameron Mooney for a while. But 2009, starting with the NAB Cup, presents a chance for the key Geelong forward to start making amends. Mooney turned his ill-discipline of 2006 into controlled aggression in 2007, booting 67 goals. Last season wasn't so productive but, after blaming himself for the grand final defeat, expect Mooney to start this year's campaign with a flurry.

Matthew Richardson (Richmond)
Punt Road's cult hero is now the oldest man in the AFL. He's also coming off the best season of his career and even made a dash for last year's Brownlow Medal. For so long Richo has been the poster boy of the Tigers, but the acquisition of Ben Cousins will see him happily share some of the limelight that has followed him throughout his career. The Tigers may just nurse him through the NAB Cup but the competitive Richardson is sure to be seen at some point.

Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn)
Odds are if you boot 75 goals in a season you're the superstar forward of your team. But the NAB Cup will give us a proper look at Hawthorn with Jarryd Roughead as its main man in attack. Coleman Medallist Lance Franklin is expected to miss the entire pre-season campaign through injury and Roughead will have to deal with the opposition's best defender. Will he struggle with being the prime target or thrive in the spotlight?

Steele Sidebottom (Collingwood)
With a name like this you don’t blend into the background easily. But it seems that the Magpies' first-round recruit is more than comfortable with extra attention, kicking 10 goals for the Murray Bushrangers in last year’s TAC Cup grand final. Word from the Lexus Centre is that he has impressed everyone with his efforts over the summer. Wearing the famous No.22, Sidebottom will be one of the most scrutinised players in the Collingwood side.

Rhyce Shaw (Sydney Swans)
The man who vacated Sidebottom's guernsey number has undergone a fresh start to his AFL career: a new club in a new city. The Shaw name has been synonymous with Collingwood for decades and Rhyce's move north would have come with heartache and doubt. But it may just be the best thing for him.

Justin Sherman (Brisbane Lions)
Sherman was seen by many to be the midfielder that would lead the Lions' next generation after finishing runner-up club champion in 2006. Tipped to fill the hole left by ageing pair Michael Voss and Nigel Lappin, the succession hasn't quite gone as planned as Sherman was considered trade bait after a couple of disappointing seasons. He stayed a Lion and at just 22 years still has plenty of time to rebuild his standing, starting with the NAB Cup.

Will Thursfield (Richmond)
Elevated from the rookie list in 2005, Thursfield has exceeded all expectations at Punt Road. Most attention has obviously been focused in one or two other players’ directions this summer but just as crucial to the Tigers’ finals chances in 2009 will be the continued progression of Thursfield. If he can become an A-grade defender and form a solid partnership with Luke McGuane and Kelvin Moore, the Tigers’ September dream is a whole lot closer.

Warren Tredrea (Port Adelaide)
Back in his old No.16 jumper, the former Power skipper is likely to enjoy going out and getting a kick without the extra burden of leading his team. Now 30 and hopefully with his past few injury-riddled seasons behind him, ‘Tredders’ is hoping to show the footy world he can recapture some of his best form – the form that earned him four All-Australian jumpers and three best and fairest awards.

Pat Veszpremi (Sydney Swans)
The Swans drafted Veszpremi a little more than a year ago for a reason – they knew he could hurt teams on the scoreboard. After being drafted in 2007, the former Northern Knight played the final six matches of the season and had at least three shots at goal in every one of those games. This summer, he will have only become fitter and faster again.

Jarrad Waite (Carlton)
Capable at either end of the ground, Waite looks to have found his niche in defence however the NAB Cup will give another indicator as to what Blues’ coach Brett Ratten plans to do with Waite this season. After a stellar 2008, an anchoring role in the young Carlton backline surely beckons. But does Ratten have other plans for his supremely gifted tall this year?

Jack Watts (Melbourne)
Everyone wants to see the No.1 draft pick play. The question is: How long will Demons coach Dean Bailey hold back his prized recruit? Surely, at some stage throughout the NAB Cup, we’ll get to see a glimpse of the young man many at Melbourne believe is the future of the club. Bailey won’t want to rush his budding star’s progress, but the moment Watts takes the field in a Demons jumper there’ll be a tingle of excitement; and not just from Melbourne fans.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.