With players returning from their end-of-season break and getting back into the swing of things for pre-season, the 2027 season slowly keeps getting closer.
Established players will want to dominate training sessions while emerging young stars will want to push their case forward for a round one start.
Each player has something to work on with the season nearing, a lot more than others, and these are the AFL players from each club with the most to prove heading into 2027.
Richmond
Sam Lalor
Injury-riddled first two seasons at Tigerland have halted Lalor's progression as a star in the AFL, but an uninterrupted preseason could be exactly what the young Tiger needs.
Lalor was only able to manage 11 games in his first year in 2025 as hamstring issues prematurely ended his debut season, before suffering a partial Achilles injury during training, forcing him to only play 12 in season 2026.
His upside is there for everyone to see, being able to attend the seven most centre bounces for Richmond this year (168), and proving his ability to go forward, finishing with 13 goals for the season, which included kicking 3.1 against West Coast.
If he can remain uninjured, much like Dan Curtain and Zach Reid, then he has the potential to be one of the most important players for Adam Yze's side in 2027 and beyond.
