In the most wildly unpredictable season in years, not every player is cut out to have a breakout campaign.
These 10 rising stars have managed to weather hubs, empty stadiums, and shortened quarters to emerge as the most improved players in the competition so far.
Christian Petracca
Christian Petraccaโs full-time move to the midfield has reaped rewards for Simon Goodwin's side. Heโs put in a number of team-leading performances, but none more so than last Sundayโs effort against Hawthorn, which saw him tally 29 disposals (16 contested), a goal and an incredible 14 score involvements.
We always knew he had the talent, but this is finally the year itโs all come together for the 2014 draftโs number two pick. While Shane Crawford may have jumped the gun, Petraccaโs 2020 is the definition of a breakout year.
Tim English
The young ruckman looked horribly out of his depth in Round 1, monstered by one of the best ruckman in the game Brodie Grundy. But, like his side, English has more than bounced back to announce himself as one of the best young ruckman going around. Last Friday night's performance against Essendon earned rave reviews from former greats, with former teammate Bob Murphy declaring him โthe heir apparent to Brodie Grundy and Max Gawnโ.
Hugh Greenwood
If Hugh Greenwood โwere younger and quickerโ he might still be at the Adelaide Crows. Thankfully for Greenwood and the Gold Coast Suns, heโs not. While his vindicating performance against his former side might have been the headline-grabber, Greenwood has been a bull for the Suns all season. He ranks first in the league tackles and contested possessions and third in clearances. Still a bit old and a bit slow, though, right?
Andrew McGrath
McGrath has steadily improved since his 2017 Rising Star campaign, but perhaps not as fast as some were demanding after his brilliant debut season. That is until this year, when he was finally injected into the Bombersโ midfield - and he has looked from the outset a natural inside midfielder. For Bombers great Tim Watson, he is โas explosive as the top couple per cent of players in the competitionโ.
Dan Butler
Dan Butler has proved the bargain basement pickup of the year for the Saints. Like Greenwood, his most satisfying performance was against his former club, where he kicked three goals, had seven score involvements, and secured the maximum coaches' votes from both his coach and his old boss Dimma. But the goalsneak is far more than that: his frenetic forward-half pressure has been pivotal to the Saints, and he leads the comp for most tackles inside 50.
Jy Simpkin
In what is looming as a dark year for the Kangaroos, 22-year-old Jy Simpkin has been a shining llight. Already a mainstay of the Kangaroosโ best 22, Simpkin has gone up a notch in 2020, adding an average of 3.4 more disposals (and with 20% less game time), and surging into the leagueโs top ten for score involvements.
Thatโs mightily impressive for a team struggling to score in the first place. With midfield leaders Jack Ziebell and Ben Cunnington under injury clouds, Simpkin is the young man the rest of his teammates will look to as they try and turn their season around.
Jack Steele
The tough, combative midfielder has been a consistent performer for the Saints since he arrived at the club, but he has taken his game up a level in 2020. He needs to remain instrumental if the Saints are to make finals. His Round 5 lockdown of superstar Patrick Cripps (Steele amassed 29 disposals and 9 tackles himself) has proven he can almost singlehandedly decide the outcome of games himself.
Jacob Weitering
The highly-touted former No. 1 pick struggled early at times in his career to live up to the huge expectations. But he has found a home in defence in recent times, tallying an impressive list of high-profile scalps in 2020 so far. If this is to be a new era for the Blues, Weitering could be the defensive lynchpin Carlton needs to make them a finals success.
Bailey Smith
After a very good debut season, Bailey Smith has kicked things into an even higher gear in 2020, shining in a star-studded midfield alongside Marcus Bontempelli and Jackson Macrae. What a draft 2018 was โ and what a testament to Smith that, all things considered, heโs had as much on-field impact as any other member of his class.
Jordan Ridley
After playing just nine games prior to this season, Ridley has cemented himself in the Bombersโ back six and looks every bit the archetypal defender of this new generation. The youngster ranks in the leagueโs top ten for total marks, including contested marks and rebound 50s. As every game passes, he increasingly looks like a steal at pick 22 in the 2016 draft.
