One of the favourite pastimes of a football fan is to look at the potential in a player and imagine what they could become in the future. With the 2026 season done, there is now more than four months of fantasising and pondering about what each club and player can do in 2027.
Every season, a player from nowhere makes their mark. This year's version of that was Sydney SSP recruit Jai Serong.
Then there are the young stars ready to emerge as some of the league's best, à la Fremantle's Murphy Reid who claimed his maiden All-Australian at 20.
There are breakout stars to watch, but there are plenty of players who hang in the balance of promising talent and potential but failing to deliver, how will they fare next year?
We at Zero Hanger have listed the 10 players to watch and why in 2027:
Harry Kyle
Sydney won't have Nick Blakey (traded), Callum Mills (ACL) and Harry Cunningham (traded) or possibly veteran Dane Rampe in its backline in 2027.
While that will undoubtedly hurt the Swans, it does leave the door wide open for the highly rated Harry Kyle to make his mark.
The 188cm half-back played 12 games in his debut season this year and showed a lot of dare and dash, possibly proving to be the perfect replacement for Blakey.
Kyle is only 19, so expectations should be adjusted for that, but he has the opportunity to lock down a spot in Sydney's starting 23 in only his second year in the system.
The speedy defender was a highly touted Sydney Academy draft prospect and he will be, in just his second season, an important cog in the Swans' rebounding and counterattacking game.
