There are 9 days to go until the 2018 Toyota AFL premiership season kicks off.
We’ll be counting down the days with Julius Marlow and today we highlight the most exciting ‘New Arrivals’ in the AFL.
Julius Marlow's Top 9 New Arrivals
1. Paddy Dow – Carlton
Impressed greatly in the Blues’ win over St Kilda with 13 possessions and two goals. Looks assured with ball in hand, providing much-needed run and carry through midfield. His impact diminished slightly in the win over Hawthorn, mainly due to his decreased game time, but we can understand why Blues supporters are so excited about Dow ahead of the 2018 season proper.
2. Nick Coffield – St Kilda
The number 8 draft pick has started superbly for the Saints. 20 touches against Carlton and a further 17 in the loss to Melbourne. His poise and efficient ball use have him first in line to replace the retired Leigh Montagna across half-back.
3. Luke Davies-Uniacke - North Melbourne
The highly-touted midfielder has already shown exactly why the Kangaroos used pick 4 on him. Opened up the JLT Series with 12 possessions against the Demons, including eight contested, before improving his output to 16 against a hard-bodied Richmond midfield. Will plenty of footy for the Roos in 2018.
4. Liam Ryan – West Coast Eagles
An exciting highlight reel in the making! High-Flyin’ Liam Ryan turned heads in the WAFL last season and from his JLT debut for the Eagles, is planning on producing more of the same in the AFL. Booted a goal, and although he only had seven possessions, laid three tackles while looking menacing in the air. Was also effective in the heavy loss to Fremantle with another goal and 13 touches plus a huge bump which flattened Ed Langdon.
5. Andrew Brayshaw – Fremantle
Drafted by the Dockers with pick 2 and they quickly made their intentions clear by securing him to a two-year contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2021. Started the vindication process with 16 touches and six tackles in the narrow loss to Adelaide. Backed that up with 19 possessions, 10 contested, and nine tackles in the big win over the Eagles to give himself every conceivable chance of making Ross Lyon’s 22 for Round 1.
6. Cam Rayner – Brisbane
The classy number one draft pick was quiet in his first hit out against Sydney, picking up just five disposals, but improved greatly in his second JLT game for the Lions. He had 13 touches, three clearances, 10 tackles and two shots on goal which he unfortunately missed. Expect further improvement from Rayner the more he plays!
7. Darcy Fogarty – Adelaide
The South Australian managed just one kick (for one goal) in his opening JLT match against Freo but took a giant stride towards a Round 1 berth with a superb effort in the loss to Port Adelaide. Fogarty kicked three goals, had 14 possessions and looked dangerous on the lead with eight marks, adding further strength and quality to the already stacked Crows forward line.
8. Aaron Naughton – Western Bulldogs
Key defender who went at nine in the national draft. Started impressively for the Doggies in their JLT win over Hawthorn with 13 possessions, six of which were contested, and five marks. Played on the likes of Jack Gunston and Jarryd Roughead, giving him a real taste for senior football. Backed up that performance with another 13 touches (five contested) and eight marks in the loss to Collingwood on Saturday.
9. Charlie Constable – Geelong
Began life in the blue and white hoops in imposing fashion with 22 possessions in the big loss to the Suns. 16 handballs, four tackles and 11 contested possessions indicates he is not afraid to get his hands dirty. Added a further 18 touches and eight marks to his impressive pre-season in Sunday’s loss to the Bombers, at times deputising for the injured Patrick Dangerfield in the middle of the ground.
They are the 9 most exciting new additions to the AFL. Check out Julius Marlow’s new additions here!