THE TELSTRA AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft is coming up, so can your club pluck a diamond from the rough?
In honour of the upcoming rookie draft on Tuesday, May 26, AFL.com.au's Riley Ranks looks back across the recent history of the mid-season initiative - which was re-introduced in 2019 - and looks at which player has been the best to be plucked from across the state leagues.
8) JAMES PEATLING – Pick 8, 2021
James Peatling was overlooked in two drafts after progressing through the Giants Academy, went on to the club's VFL list, then eventually earned his chance midway through 2021. He hasn't looked back. He played 45 games for Adam Kingsley, but could never crack a full-time midfield spot, so left at the end of his contract in 2024. Having courted interest from Adelaide, Melbourne, West Coast, Collingwood, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs, Peatling chose a move to the Crows and has performed strongly ever since. He's averaging a career-high 20.6 disposals and 4.5 clearances this year.
7) MAX HALL – Pick 4, 2024
Who can forget the four-week stretch midway through last season where Max Hall was the highest rated player in the AFL? It culminated in the breakout game against Hawthorn where Hall had 27 disposals and three goals and is enough to get him on this list. Recruited from Box Hill's VFL program, the dangerous forward-half midfielder has continued his rise in 2026 and earned more recognition when he racked up 26 disposals and kicked four goals against Melbourne in round one. Kept it going across the weekend with another 26 disposals and two goals. Looks a genuine player.
6) COOPER SHARMAN – Pick 21, 2021
Another player overlooked by the Giants Academy in his draft year, Cooper Sharman went to the SANFL with Woodville-West Torrens before eventually earning his chance at St Kilda. Having been trialled down back, he's since emerged as a proper key forward and has become a key piece in the side's attack. Sharman has kicked 93 goals from 80 games, including a career-best 34-goal campaign last season that was punctuated by his four majors in a big win against Fremantle. It's been enough to recently earn him a two-year contract extension at the Saints, ensuring his future until at least 2028.
5) JOHN NOBLE – Pick 14, 2019
It was a good stretch for the maiden mid-season draft, with John Noble joining Collingwood the pick after Richmond selected Marlion Pickett. The running defender has become a reliable half-back option, playing 112 games for the Pies after joining. However, having been left out of their finals campaigns for both their premiership year in 2023 and again in 2024, Noble left for Gold Coast. He's played another 35 matches for Damien Hardwick at the Suns, combining well in tandem with Daniel Rioli as the side's primary ball movers out of the backline. Not bad for someone plucked out of the SANFL aged 22, having dominated across recent seasons for West Adelaide.
4) SAM DURHAM – Pick 9, 2021
From being a skinny outside player with Richmond's VFL program, to one of the best inside ball winners in the competition and a future Essendon captain. It's been quite the rise for Sam Durham. He made an instant impact at the Bombers, with his influence growing with each passing week across his 101 matches for the side. With successive top three finishes in Essendon's best and fairests across the last couple of seasons, the respect Durham has internally at the Bombers was reflected when he was added to the club's leadership group for this season and handed a contract through to 2032.
3) MASSIMO D'AMBROSIO – Pick 3, 2022
It's crazy to think that Massimo D'Ambrosio wasn't really used at Essendon, where he managed only 16 games across 18 months after joining at the mid-season draft before being traded Hawthorn for virtually nothing ahead of its 2024 campaign. At the Hawks, he's become one of the best wingers in the competition and was even named in an extended All-Australian squad following his first season at the club. An elite left-foot kick with footy smarts in abundance, D'Ambrosio has improved drastically after earning his spot on a list through Richmond's VFL program.
2) MARLION PICKETT – Pick 13, 2019
One of the best stories in recent AFL history. Marlion Pickett was a two-time best and fairest with South Fremantle in the WAFL when he joined Richmond as a 27-year-old at the mid-season draft. He claimed a VFL flag, impressing so much in the reserves' decider that he was picked for his debut in the AFL Grand Final the following week. In doing so, he became the first player in 67 years to make their senior debut on Grand Final day. The rest is history. Pickett starred, kicking a dream first goal at the MCG on the biggest day of all, and was also a crucial piece in the side's 2020 premiership victory as well. He departed the club after 2024 with 91 memorable games under his belt.
1) JAI NEWCOMBE – Pick 2, 2021
What a rise for Jai Newcombe. Having dominated with Box Hill's VFL program, where a certain Sam Mitchell was his coach in 2021, Hawthorn selected him with the second pick in the mid-season draft and watched him flourish into one of the best contested midfielders in the entire competition. Newcombe made the All-Australian squad in 2023 and looks destined to go one step further and make the actual side this season, while he was a best and fairest winner at the club in 2024. It culminated in him being named co-captain alongside James Sicily this year, just months after penning a deal with the Hawks through until 2032. Far and away the mid-season draft's big success story.
