This weekend's state game between the SANFL and VFL will set the stage for Mid-Season Draft hopefuls and ex-AFL names to make their case in front of AFL scouts just over a month out from this year's mid-year talent intake.
Last year's clash, which saw the South Australians claim a 14-point victory, featured now-AFL-listed quartetย Ben Jepson, Jack Henderson, Harry Boyd and Ned Long, with the latter earning a top-flight reprieve via last year's Mid-Season Draft.
While all of Jepson, Henderson and Boyd were left to wait until the following summer's Supplemental Selection Period, their outings in the showcase game added to career-best campaigns at the state league level that would eventually earn them AFL contracts.
Fellow SSP train-ons Dom Brew, Brayden Crossley and Baynen Lowe also played in the 2024 game.
This year's clash between the VFL and SANFL will again see some of the country's best non-AFL-listed talent flex their value on a higher platform, with some already having AFL experience and others looking to build their case in the hope of a promotion to the top level.
Here we've previewed six of the lesser-known players to keep an eye on during Saturday's game at Barossa Park ahead of the 2025 Mid-Season Draft.
1. Mutaz El Nour (VFL, Richmond)
The Tigers defender was named in the extended squad for last year's state game and this year will get his chance to pull on the Big V in the Barossa.
El Nour has been flagged as a name on the radar of AFL clubs for multiple years now, dating back to his breakout with the Northern Bullants.
The 192cm interceptor's 2025 campaign to date has seen him flourish under new coach Jake Batchelor, with El Nour putting in a stint last weekend against Brisbane's attack that earned him best-a-field plaudits and coaches' votes.
His athleticism and ability to read the ball, coupled with his transition work, will have clubs in need of key defensive reinforcements weighing up El Nour at the end of May.
