Several AFL Mid-Season Draft selections loom as options who could play in the second half of the 2026 season after securing list spots on Tuesday night.
The headline selection, Tasmanian Devil-turned-Essendon Bomber Jaxon Artemis, could be one to break through for a debut in the coming weeks given his form at VFL level for the Apple Isle outfit and Essendon's current struggles to start the season.
The Dons have lost young flanker Zak Johnson to a foot injury for the next two months, with the Bombers backman one of 16 players who occupy the Tullamarine casualty ward, which also includes captain Andrew McGrath, who has undergone surgery on a fractured jaw this week.
The pair of absences could have the door ajar for an Artemis debut in the coming weeks.
"He's a player who could add to this group pretty quickly," Craft of the Draft host Mitch Keating said of the Pick 1 selection in this week's Mid-Season Draft club-by-club recap.
"We've seen Archie Roberts take that next step this year, Andrew McGrath has returned to that full-time defender role. Zak Johnson is one they're not going to have for some time through injury, so Jaxon Artemis could be one we see playing this year."
Richmond has faced its own injury battles in 2026, relying on 37 players already this year, seeing their Mid-Season Draft selection, Kye Annand - a 200cm defender from Geelong's VFL program - quickly move into the selection frame.
With the Tigers looking to find more mature bodies to aid their rebuild, Annand could be an asset that slots into a senior role at Punt Road by the end of the current campaign.
"This is a great move in terms of Richmond's list need and with the injuries they've got at the moment," Craft of the Draft analyst Jonty Ralphsmith said.
"He adds to that backline and will help out the likes of Ben Miller, Nick Vlastuin and Nathan Broad, who are such pillars down there. He's a little bit taller than Nathan Broad, but with Broad leaving at the end of the year, rather than getting in another inexperienced player given they've got so much inexperience on that list, is he someone who could come in a little bit quicker, given what form he's shown for Geelong's VFL side?"
Annand's Cats teammate Marcus Herbert is another ready-made recruit, with West Coast swooping on the promising half-back alongside North Adelaide midfielder Oli Francou.
Both Eagles selections add to a recent list focus from West Coast that has aimed to bring in experienced bodies to complement its young list.
"Looking at what they did with their SSP selections, there's a little bit of similarity there," Ralphsmith said of the Eagles' selections.
"They brought in Robertson, Schoenberg and Macrae, who are mature bodies and have got a bit of work behind them. While neither of these players have the AFL experience those three did, there's flexibility there. They've got the ability to play half-back and half-forward, and can go into the midfield as well."
Collingwood acquired a trio of mature-aged players in ruckman Harrison Coe, defender Liam Puncher and forward Mitch Podhajski, all of whom could find a role under Craig McRae amid the Magpies' finals push.
Podhajski could come into a front-half role in the absence of the injured Jamie Elliott, while Coe firms as a supporting option among the club's ruck stocks after Oscar Steene's ACL injury.
"He's not an exact Jamie Elliott replacement, but they had shown interest in him already," Ralphsmith said of Podhajski. "This is a way, an unfortunate way, but a way to get him was Jamie Elliott's ACL injury.
"It'll be interesting to see how much confidence they have with (Coe) coming in this year. 26 years of age, you're drafting someone for the now. Darcy Cameron has been sore at times, so is he someone who can play in the back half of the year as a Darcy Cameron replacement? Or is he someone they see potentially playing alongside Darcy Cameron in a similar vein to what Oscar Steene did?
"I do wonder if he's one who could play alongside Darcy Cameron in the next 12 weeks, plus finals."
The Western Bulldogs were another club to snatch a ruckman at the draft, recruiting 208cm West Adelaide big man Caleb May with their sole selection at Pick 9.
With Tim English sidelined and Rory Lobb preferred over Lachie Smith, May could slot into the second-string ruck role and potentially make his AFL debut in the coming weeks should English remain out of action.
"That was a list that needed to be filled, given there was a hole between Lachie Smith and Tim English in their ruck stocks, which has forced them to play Rory Lobb," Keating added.
"Caleb May is seen as a player pretty much ready to go. Was quite promising for SA in their state game. This is a player we could see play very soon."
