The 2022 AFL Draft class looks set to become just the second since 2010 to have to wait at least five seasons for its first All Australian selection.
The intake is best remembered for the fact GWS traded up to Pick 1 to secure the services of Aaron Cadman, whose 44 goals last year suggest it was a brilliant call, but injuries have kept him to just seven games so far this season.
"When we traded up to draft him, we understood there was going to be pressure externally about being the number one pick and the player we traded up for. Everyone knows it's going to take time for a young key forward and he wasn't a key forward that was going to come in and be ready straight away." GWS list boss Adrian Caruso told Zero Hanger earlier in the year.
"We never lost faith he could continue to build. I think what we're seeing now is what we hope to see for the next 10 years.
"There's no reason he can't keep doing what he's doing and being that competitive animal key forward who is really good on defence, equally in offence.
"We know he can mark the ball, he's mobile, he can get up the ground, he's a good finisher: he ticks all the boxes. As well as the off-field stuff, we probably underestimate the leadership potential so that was part of the appeal for him."
West Coast's Reuben Ginbey was strongly in contention for All Australian selection before his quad injury on the weekend which will rule him out for most of the second half of the season
It leaves Harry Sheezel as the clear standout player to potentially break the drought this year, but he remains an outside chance despite averaging 30 disposals in an up-and-down North Melbourne lineup.
It's a surprise statistic given how AFL-ready players entering the system are with each passing year, particularly given it was viewed as a top-heavy crop.
Four years on, the crop appears to lack some depth, but Brisbane-tied pair Will Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher played critical roles in the Lions' two premierships, with the former claiming back-to-back Norm Smith Medals.
Bailey Humphrey has attracted big money offers from back home and is a difference-maker, while Cam McKenzie is an underrated asset for Hawthorn.
After Cadman, the Giants capped a strong intake by selecting Darcy Jones, Toby McMullin and Max Gruzewski who have all shown promise where many of the players taken around them haven't developed as expected.
Nick Watson looks likely to become the first member of the 2023 class to be emblazoned with All Australian honours, establishing himself as one of the pre-eminent small forwards in the competition.
With 32 goals in 12 games, Logan Morris is also firmly in contention from that class.
The perennial debate of whether to include specialist wingers in the line-up could dictate whether Harvey Langford gets a spot. While less likely than likely, he is the best chance from the 2024 AFL Draft class.
The only other class to wait such a length for All Australian representation was the 2014 class where Paddy McCartin went Pick 1, with Christian Petracca, Jordan De Goey and Andrew Brayshaw also among top 10 picks. The first All Australian was Harris Andrews in 2019.
