With salary caps set at $10 million and $13 million across the SuperCoach and AFL Fantasy platforms respectively, filling every position with a premium player is simply not possible.
In order to field a team that both keeps you under the cap and allows you to be competitive, selecting a smattering of rookies is essential.
Obviously, these young names won't make up the bulk of your weekly totals, but should you select the right ones early, your bottom line and your win/loss column will look healthy.
Although we don't know whether any of these names will break through the banner in round one just yet, their pre-season track work has piqued our interest.
These are each club's rated rookies that look primed for early debuts.
West Coast
Zane Trew (MID)
SuperCoach price - $102,400
AFL Fantasy price - $170,000
With an ageing list of champions desperate for one final flag, it appears unlikely that Adam Simpson will give games to his young brigade of draftees early in the year.
With that being said, if this proves not to be the case, keep an eye on Zane Trew's form.
The rookie listed on-baller averaged an immaculate 125 Supercoach points whilst playing for the Swan Districts colts side last season.
Congratulations Zane Trew! Selected by @WestCoastEagles at pick #12 in the Rookie Draft🤩 pic.twitter.com/5SFhaPQa8k
— Swan Districts FC (@SwanDistrictsFC) December 10, 2020
Once again, wait and see, as injuries may prove Trew's only pathway for a debut this year.
