Opening Round is etching ever closer as we hit the second half of our top 50 players list of 2024. This week we're looking through spots 30-21.

Rather than naming the best performers of 2023 or the top players entering Opening Round, this list will look at the best players currently with some projections as to how they may rank at the end of the year.

Many established stars made the cut in our last edition but may have been ranked lower than expected.

As we reach the cream of the crop in the top 30, the scope of talent in our league becomes glaringly apparent, with a host of top tier All-Australians and even Brownlow contenders featuring outside the top 20.

PART I: BEST PLAYERS OF 2024 (50-41)
PART II: BEST PLAYERS OF 2024 (40-31)

2. 29 - Jacob Weitering

In typical Blues fashion, Carlton have been hit with more of the annual pre-season injuries that have riddled the club for years and will now have their superstar key defender sidelined for the start of the season.

Fortunately, still five weeks out from Opening Round, Weitering's calf strain shouldn't derail his year completely.

Pending the end of the season, there is potential that he rises up this list significantly if he's part of a Grand Final or premiership run this year at the Blues.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 26: Jacob Weitering of the Blues runs the ball during the round 11 AFL match between Sydney Swans and Carlton Blues at Sydney Cricket Ground, on May 26, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

While still chasing that elusive maiden All-Australian blazer, Weitering is clearly one of the three or five most valuable key defenders in the comp and will be dearly missed in the opening stages of the season.