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.
Gold Coast
Christian Petracca
Petracca started the 2026 season like a house on fire and genuinely looked like a Brownlow Medal contender.
In the ex-Demons' first 12 games for the Suns, he accumulated over 20 disposals in each, getting over 25 in seven matches as well as getting over 30 touches twice, all while kicking 18 goals, which included a four-goal haul.
However, he struggled towards the end of the season, playing well below his usual standards.
Petracca's last three games consisted of him getting 16, 14 and 12 disposals, all without a goal. Damien Hardwick couldn't seem to fit him in the star-studded midfield consisting of Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell and Touk Miller, forcing Petracca to play a much larger forward role than probably intended.
The 30-year-old had his second-worst season for total tackles, 46, while averaging lower in disposals, kicks, marks and tackles for the season compared to his career average.
It's still hard to forget he is a Norm Smith Medallist, two-time best and fairest, four-time All-Australian and a premiership player at Melbourne, though. If Hardwick and the Suns can find a way to recapture his form and fit him in the side correctly, he could be the key to get Gold Coast back playing finals footy.
