For fans of struggling sides, the AFL Draft is as close to Christmas as possible.
Fresh faces act as shiny, new toys, with goodwill and cheer also available in abundance.
While every club has hit the track for their pre-Christmas training period and each of the new boys have filled their lockers with brand new gear, sights have turned to which of this year's draft class has the ability to make an early impact in 2022.
Although plenty of players plucked will need big summers in the gym, there are a handful of precocious talents that already have expectations on their shoulders.
Here are the names that look the most likely to hit the ground running in their debut years.
Ward, the No. 7 overall selection, will likely have no troubles breaking into Hawthorn's first-team right from the get-go.
New Hawks senior coach Sam Mitchell has emphasised a youth movement at Waverly Park, and the persistent rumours throughout the trade period about multiple seasoned Hawks on the chopping block reiterated this point.
Ward is a consistent ball-winner and possesses elite durability and has been compared to Zach Merrett.
