It’s February which means fans and coaches alike are pouring over their list, sorting out best 22s and working out bolters who could break into the mix.
We’ve gone through all 18 teams and picked out a midfielder who we believe could have that breakout season.
This could mean they go from good to very good, very good to elite, or simply from the fringes into the best 22. Not all breakouts are created equally.
See our picks below:
Lachlan Sholl
One youngster that stood out in 2020 was Lachlan Sholl. He mixed his time between half-back and wing, and produced some quality performances, highlighted by his 24-disposal, two-goal showing against Carlton in Round 17.
Now entering his third year in the system, the lightly built Rising Star nominee should be afforded enough opportunity to play regularly under coach Matthew Nicks.
The Crows have a number of players who can operate off half-back, namely Rory Laird, Brodie Smith and Wayne Milera, and if they opt to play Sholl in a more advanced role closer to the action, it may allow him to flourish.
The Victorian, whose key attribute is his running power, has just eight games of senior experience to call on, but if he can add some strength to his frame, he could establish himself as a quality player in 2021.
Andrew Slevison
Zac Bailey
After taking a step forward in 2020 and earning a top ten finish in the Lions’ best and Fairest count, Zac Bailey should consolidate himself as a high impact, ball-winning midfielder in 2021.
Bailey has electrifying pace and an eye for goal, which has seen him used in a variety of roles both around stoppages and inside 50.
Now coming into his fourth season at the top level, Bailey can expect a heavier dose of midfield minutes and his numbers and output should spike with that.
The Northern Territory product's line-breaking ability looks set to give Chris Fagan’s engine room another string to its bow.
Lachlan Geleit
Sam Walsh
Sam Walsh? Break out? He broke the record for disposals by a rookie and backed it up with (likely) winning Carlton’s best and fairest in his second year and taking Mark of the Year? Surely he’s already broken out?
Walsh has another gear to go to this year and it comes from a full pre-season training as an on-baller.
The 20-year-old spent 2020 playing on the wing in a role he excelled in thanks to his tank.
He finished the year playing on-ball and has now made the full switch this off-season.
The results of the switch have already been a little scary, with Walsh kicking three goals and completely dominating Carlton’s recent intra-club game through the middle.
Expect to see Walsh make the leap to Carlton’s second most important on-baller this year behind Patrick Cripps and it will be interesting to see how he develops next to Zac Williams.
Nic Negrepontis
Brayden Sier
The obvious choice for Collingwood, Sier will feel the expectation to break out this season after the Pies traded away ball-magnet Adam Treloar.
For the first time in his career, Sier will be expected to play every week, and should start to add consistency to the flashes of ability he’s shown in his 21 AFL games to date.
A midfielder with clean hands, composure and a big body, the 23-year-old should become a centrepiece for coach Nathan Buckley to build around at stoppages.
Sier should take a major leap forward next season if he can string games together and solidify his position as Collingwood’s inside ball-winner.
Lachlan Geleit
Kyle Langford
Langford has all the tools to become one of Essendon’s most important players and 2021 looms as a crucial year for the 24-year-old.
After a highly impressive 2020 campaign, which saw Langford finish fourth in the club’s best and fairest, where Ben Rutten opts to play him remains the subject of much intrigue.
Used in a hybrid forward-midfield role last year, there’s no doubt Langford has the potential and attributes to become the midfielder that Essendon has desperately craved.
With the Bombers expected to debut top draft pick Archie Perkins earlier in the year - who should play across the forward line as well as in midfield - Langford could spend more time in the middle this year and continue his strong form on the back of a very strong 2020 campaign.
Laurence Rosen
Luke Valente
The 32nd pick in the 2018 National Draft is yet to debut at AFL level, having dealt with ongoing groin issues.
However, the inside midfielder has put those concerns behind him and is ready to break into this Dockers side.
Spending the end of 2020 and the off-season break back home in South Australia, Valente has had the opportunity to get himself fully fit.
Coach Justin Longmuir has often spoken bullishly about the 20-year-old and sees a role for him in Fremantle’s midfield.
The Dockers have a number of young midfielders who could go to another level in 2021, but a win for Valente would be earning a regular game and finding his feet at the level.
Nic Negrepontis
Sam Simpson
Sam Simpson showed flashes of brilliance for Geelong last year, but has several more gears to find and could very well do that in a star-studded Cats outfit.
Still just 22, Simpson played nine of his 15 career games last year, with his form warranting a spot in Geelong’s Grand Final side.
But after a taste of football at the highest level, Simpson will be looking to lock down a spot on the wing, even more so considering Isaac Smith's arrival from Hawthorn.
He’s shown he belongs at AFL level, but with the Cats only strengthening their list during the off-season, Simpson will need a breakout campaign to keep a regular spot in the side in 2021.
Laurence Rosen
Noah Anderson
Noah Anderson has quickly become a key member of Gold Coast’s emerging young midfield.
Anderson, selected by the Suns with pick No.2 in the 2019 draft, averaged 16.5 disposals, three inside 50s and just over two clearances per match last season, and you feel he has another level to go to.
The 19-year-old got better as the year went on, notching 20-plus touches in five of his last six games, culminating in a second-place finish in the Rising Star award.
After finishing last season strongly, Anderson will look to carry that momentum into the 2021 season as he and partner-in-crime Matt Rowell look to propel the Suns to a maiden finals berth.
Alex Zaia
Tom Green
After six games in his debut season, the platform is there for Tom Green to force his way into Leon Cameron’s calculations.
A young man in a mature body, Green possesses some key attributes required to become a quality inside midfielder.
He showed glimpses of his bullocking best in his handful of appearances, highlighted by a 30-possession (22 handballs), 21-contested possession game against Melbourne in Round 17.
The Giants have class in the form of Stephen Coniglio, Lachie Whitfield and Josh Kelly, and grunt provided by Jacob Hopper, but Green can further strengthen that group by bringing his contested ball-winning ability to the engine room.
Andrew Slevison
Finn Maginness
Much hyped father-son selection Finn Maginness played just the one game for the Hawks in his debut season in 2020, in the penultimate game of the season against the Western Bulldogs.
There was no denying his talent and he was probably typical of those players who suffered from not having high-standard weekly state league footy. It took some time for him to get used to the running patterns and the game plan that the coaching staff were after.
But the departure of Isaac Smith and Tom Scully opens up places in the midfield and Maginness who has had an exceptional summer has a spot in Hawthorn’s round one team there for the taking.
The upcoming trial games against the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne will be critical, given there is competition for spots.
Ash Browne
Ed Langdon
Melbourne’s off-season push to sign unrestricted free agent Isaac Smith signalled their intention to bolster their wing stocks.
He eventually made the move to Geelong instead and it’s up to Langdon now to raise his game and become the A-grade winger the Dees are crying out for.
Playing every game in his debut season for the club last year, Langdon averaged 20 touches and was a running machine – but where he can no doubt improve is his contested possession rate where he only averaged six per match in 2020.
Langdon has proven to be a shrewd signing for Melbourne, but there’s another gear for him to go as a winger with the ability to win his own ball.
Laurence Rosen
Luke Davies-Uniacke
As 2020 unfolded, we saw moments that reminded us just why Luke Davies-Uniacke was a top five pick in the 2017 National Draft.
The 21-year-old has the ability to explode from stoppages, but has begun to find his feet at the top level and is winning more of the ball.
He broke the 20-disposal barrier four times in the second half of the 2020 season and if that becomes a consistent marker this season, taking into account longer quarters, he could quickly become a real weapon for the Kangaroos.
By all accounts, he has had a strong pre-season and impressed in recent match simulation training. The rebuilding Roos will give him every opportunity to succeed.
Nic Negrepontis
Kane Farrell
Kane Farrell has shown glimpses of his potential during his three seasons at Port Adelaide.
Farrell added 11 games in 2020, the most he has registered in a single season, playing predominantly on a wing where his penetrative left foot was utilised further up the ground.
With 23 games under his belt, the challenge now for the 21-year-old is cementing a regular spot in 2021.
Farrell averages nine disposals per game across his career, so finding more of the ball and getting to more contests through improved fitness levels would take his game to new heights.
Alex Zaia
Jack Ross
The reigning premiership midfield is often difficult to break into, let alone an on-ball brigade that has delivered three flags in four years.
That is exactly the challenge Jack Ross faces in 2021.
The 20-year-old has produced some quality in his 14 games to date, but he requires increased consistency to be more of a central figure.
Continuity is critical for a developing youngster and if he is afforded opportunities early in the season, he must grasp them in order to win his spot alongside the likes of Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Dion Prestia, Shane Edwards and last year’s breakout midfielder Shai Bolton.
Time spent with that group of players will allow him to flourish into a fine senior footballer.
Andrew Slevison
Hunter Clark
Hunter Clark looks set for more midfield minutes this year.
Clark excited St Kilda fans with his poise and classy ball use across half-back, but looked equally adept when deployed through the midfield towards the end of last season.
He collected 17 disposals, six inside 50s and a season-high 382 metres gained in last year’s semi-final loss to Richmond, proving his worth against one of the competition's best midfields.
The 21-year-old’s polish and coolness in traffic gives the Saints another quality midfield rotation and has all the tools to successfully graduate into a permanent on-baller.
One to watch in 2021.
Alex Zaia
Justin McInerney
While only ten games into his career, Justin McInerney showed enough in the back half of the 2020 season to potentially take a big step forward in 2021.
McInerney enters 2021 in his third season, and with added size and strength, presents a tough match-up combined with his lightning pace.
The 20-year-old was often used in a half-forward role last season, but still averaged almost 14 disposals a game in shortened quarters.
With added midfield minutes and full-length games in 2021, McInerney should see those numbers increase, while providing coach John Longmire with a clean and crafty option.
Lachlan Geleit
Jarrod Brander
Drafted as a key forward, Jarrod Brander bargained his way into the Eagles’ first team with a new role on the wing.
The 21-year-old played a career-best eight games, impressing most in Round 13 with 16 disposals, five entries, four rebound 50s and two goal assists in a win over GWS.
Cracks emerged in the powerful West Coast midfield last year, with skipper Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo and Jack Redden each succumbing to injury. Players who would fold in from a wing went inside permanently, and the fringes of the list were called up.
Brander has given himself a platform to cement his place opposite accumulator Andrew Gaff, carry on the Eagles’ legacy of stretching the ground with height, and lessen Adam Simpson’s dependence on his ageing on-ballers.
Nathan John
Bailey Smith
Bailey Smith is an incandescent talent not yet in complete mastery of his powers.
At just 19 he featured regularly at centre bounces, averaged 21.2 disposals, 3.6 entries and 3.4 clearances in shortened quarters, and equipped a sure but slow Dogs midfield with another dimension.
However, his booming kick, searing acceleration, positioning and vision could often appear out of sync. With more experience, Smith will a better gauge of how much time he has with the ball, understand when to pull a kick and when to be selfish.
The time Smith deduces he has to make those snap decisions will stretch out. His game will nestle among the elite if that can be achieved.
Nathan John