All the talk at this time of year has surrounded the new recruits your club has brought through the doors, but what about the ‘new recruits’ already inside?
These are the players who were not factors in 2021 for various reasons, but could be big factors in 2022.
Whether it’s a serious injury, greater opportunities or a new role opening up, these are the players at all 18 clubs who will be greatly welcomed back in 2022.
Wayne Milera
Many in the footy world have been waiting some time for Wayne Milera to deliver.
He was primed to step up this year when a positional shift from half-back to midfield was floated, but ruptured his patella tendon in pre-season and missed all of 2021.
The 24-year-old has endured a wretched run of late, playing just two games in 2020 due to a stress fracture in his foot.
There is no denying Milera’s talent. He just needs some luck in getting on the park and showcasing why the Crows have rated him so highly since he joined the club via the 2015 draft.
His return will be similar to the inclusion of a brand new recruit in an Adelaide side that is developing and in need of added quality.
Andrew Slevison
Cam Rayner
Dynamic midfielder/forward Cam Rayner missed the entire 2021 season after suffering an ACL injury in a pre-season game against Gold Coast.
At 22, he’s at the point of his career where he could really break out, and he’ll almost feel like a new recruit having not played since 2020.
With an ability to play spurts in the centre and also hit the scoreboard, Rayner could well be a missing link that helps the Lions progress further in finals in 2022.
Next season might be the year he lives up to his number one pick status, keep an eye on him over the next 12 months.
Lachlan Geleit
Charlie Curnow
Charlie Curnow getting through a month of footy unscathed to close out 2021 is the best thing that happened to Carlton last season. Period.
He showed glimpses of his endless talent, while hopefully regaining confidence in his body after ongoing knee issues.
Assuming he gets a full pre-season under his belt, Curnow’s presence alongside Harry McKay reshapes Carlton’s forward line and provides opposing defences with a serious headache.
Curnow and McKay have barely played in the same side since being drafted together in 2015 and it will be interesting to see how Michael Voss and Ash Hansen craft the Blues’ forward 50 next year.
Nic Negrepontis
Stay up to date with all the latest news from SEN. Sign up HERE.
Jeremy Howe
High-flying defender Jeremy Howe only managed eight games in 2021 due to a significant hamstring injury, but he’s set to be fit and firing for the upcoming pre-season.
Having missed the majority of 2020 with a knee injury, Collingwood fans will feel like they haven’t seen Howe consistently since they were a premiership threat, and they’ll be hoping he can help them push back up the ladder.
His intercepting ability and football smarts in the backline are critical for the Pies alongside Jordan Roughead and Darcy Moore, and he’s a walk-up starter if he’s fit and ready to go.
If his injuries haven’t cost him any of his renowned athleticism, Howe could make Collingwood one of the competition’s most vaunted defensive units once more.
Lachlan Geleit
Jye Caldwell
Jye Caldwell arrived at Essendon with plenty of fanfare but unfortunately, his 2021 season was cruelled by a serious hamstring injury which wiped out most of his campaign.
After sustaining the injury against Port Adelaide in Round 2, the talented midfielder made a return in Essendon’s Elimination Final loss and had 14 touches, six inside 50s and four tackles in his first game back after five months on the sidelines.
Still just 21, he showed why many at the club are so bullish about what he can do in the coming years.
With a full pre-season under his belt, Caldwell could add a completely different dynamic to Essendon’s emerging midfield in 2022 if he can stay fit.
Laurence Rosen
Joel Hamling and Alex Pearce
Fremantle will be hoping they can finally get their key defensive stocks on the park together in 2022. Alex Pearce made his return after missing all of 2020 and played 10 games, but was once again sidelined with knee and concussion issues.
Joel Hamling meanwhile played in Round 1, his first game since 2019, but was hit with a serious ankle injury and never made his way back into the side.
The Dockers are hopeful that late-season surgery will see Hamling ready for Round 1 and if Freo is going to make a rise up the ladder, they need their key pillars in place. Fremantle is due some injury luck.
Nic Negrepontis
Francis Evans and Sam Simpson
The Cats had a very healthy list in 2021, taking them all the way to the Preliminary Finals.
However, youngsters Francis Evans and Sam Simpson missed much of the season with injuries and will likely play more senior footy in 2022.
Evans debuted in Round 2 this year, impressing with two goals as a small forward.
He was taken off early the following week with an ankle injury and didn’t return for the season, but Geelong certainly needs some intensity and speed in their forward line, and Evans has both in spades.
Meanwhile, Simpson suffered quad and hamstring injuries in 2022 and played just three games. He is rated by the Cats, having featured in the club’s last three finals in 2020, and can hold his own on the wing with his good ball use.
Seb Mottram
Jarrod Witts and Sam Day
Gold Coast were one of the teams hit hardest by injuries in 2021, and Stuart Dew will be hoping for quick improvement with a healthy list next year.
Co-captain Jarrod Witts was the one player the Suns couldn’t afford to lose this year, and his ACL injury in Round 3 hit hard.
He’s cemented himself as one of the best tap ruckmen in the competition in his five years at the Suns, and his return will benefit the team significantly.
Tall forward Sam Day also sat out much of the season with a knee injury, playing just six games.
His big frame is important for taking the pressure off the young Suns forwards, and his return next year will be a positive for the club’s setup ahead of the footy.
Seb Mottram
Braydon Preuss
The Giants thought they’d addressed their ruck woes prior to this season when they recruited Braydon Preuss from Melbourne.
It’s not like they don’t have big men on their list, in the form of Shane Mumford, Kieren Briggs and Matt Flynn, but they did recruit Preuss to be their number one.
Shoulder surgery on the eve of the season wasn’t ideal. The pectoral issue suffered in May was the nail in the coffin. His first season with GWS was a complete write-off.
With Briggs and Flynn only showing glimpses, and the likelihood of Mumford retiring (again… surely?), the Giants could use some continuity in the ruck position which a fully fit Preuss could provide.
The Giants would also love an injury-free 2022 for Jesse Hogan given their lack of key forward options.
Andrew Slevison
James Sicily
Rookie Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell will be instantly boosted by the return of James Sicily, who missed the entire season having ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in 2020.
Sicily was one of the premier interceptors in the competition before his injury; the Hawks’ shallow stocks necessitated he play as a key defender, standing just 186cm, but he was rarely exposed.
The 26-year-old spent two and a half seasons on the precipice of the All-Australian team, as a top three player in the league for intercepts and metres gained, and top 10 for rebound 50s.
Mitchell will hope to pair the returning Sicily with Denver Grainger-Barras, after the talented key back was limited by a knee injury and concussion to five games in his first season.
Will Day will be hopeful of stringing together a full season too, the young half-back flanker having been limited to five games by ankle injuries last season.
At times it seemed the brown and gold moved to the tempo dictated by Day, as he averaged 19.8 disposals, five marks, 3.6 rebound 50s and 385.3 metres gained.
Nathan John
Adam Tomlinson
Tomlinson’s story was one of the more heart-breaking on-field football moments of 2021, rupturing his ACL in Round 7.
While the Demons went on to break their long premiership drought without the important defender, Tomlinson is poised to return early in the 2022 season and looms as a crucial inclusion for Simon Goodwin’s side as they look to defend their flag.
Whether he can displace Harrison Petty when he does return remains to be seen, but Tomlinson’s inclusion promises to add another dimension to a side that already proved themselves to be the best defensive side in the competition.
Laurence Rosen
Aidan Corr
North Melbourne brought Aidan Corr in from GWS with the idea that he would hold a key defensive post alongside Robbie Tarrant. What eventuated was the breakout of Ben McKay as both Corr and Tarrant missed time with injury.
Tarrant has now moved on and McKay has established himself, but Corr slotting in alongside him will be important for setting the Roos’ foundations down back.
He only played rounds one and two before the injury, but was immediately impressive in the blue and white and showed he was worth the lengthy commitment.
The Kangaroos could surprise a few next year with some injury luck and it starts with a healthy backline, something they did not have for most of 2021.
Nic Negrepontis
Zak Butters
Zak Butters was in good early-season form before injury struck.
The Power young gun underwent surgery after injuring his syndesmosis tendon in Round 4 and went under the knife for a second time to repair a nerve issue around his left knee, which further disrupted his recovery.
Butters made his return in Round 17 and featured in Port Adelaide’s finals campaign, but wasn’t quite at his dynamic best after a lengthy injury layoff.
The 21-year-old, who made 12 senior appearances in 2021, gives the Power’s midfield an injection of speed and creativity when fully fit.
Butters was selected in the All-Australian squad of 40 in 2020.
Alex Zaia
Dion Prestia
The 2019 best and fairest has struggled to consistently make an impact over the past two years.
Yes, Dion Prestia helped the Tigers win a third flag in 2020, but he only managed nine games. The same this year.
In 2021 it was the soft tissue curse which struck, with his calves and hamstrings playing up again.
He missed a large portion of the first half of the season, failing to grace the field between Rounds 3 and 11, before playing just four times from Round 15.
Prestia is so vital to Richmond through the middle with his two-way running and clever hands the main features of his game. His contested ball winning ability was also clearly missing.
A full season will help right many of the wrongs the Tigers have experienced in the midfield of late.
Andrew Slevison
Jade Gresham and Ben Paton
Jade Gresham is a key clearance player who has been sorely missed by St Kilda.
Gresham played 11 games in 2020 before missing the back end of the year – including both finals – due to a back injury. The 24-year-old then ruptured his Achilles in Round 3 of this season which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.
Gresham’s return will help address the Saints’ lack of speed through the midfield and give them another goalkicking option.
Young defender Ben Paton missed the entire 2021 season after breaking his leg in an intra-club game in February.
Paton will slot back into St Kilda’s defence and likely take the opposition’s best small forward.
Alex Zaia
Dylan Stephens
Much was made of Sydney youngster Dylan Stephens’ off-season last month, with the question of would he stay or would he go being front of mind for Swans fans.
Thanks partly to the departure of wingman Jordan Dawson, the former top five pick decided to stay put in the Harbour City, and now he’ll look to secure his role in John Longmire’s side.
His talent is unquestionable, and turning 21 before the start of next season, he now should have the tank and the body to stand up to consistent AFL football.
With an ability to play both inside and outside, Stephens presents as a likely option to fill Dawson’s role and make a name for himself in his third year in the system.
Expect him to significantly add to his tally of 14 career games in season 2022.
Lachlan Geleit
Luke Foley
Having been handed his debut in the final round of 2020, Foley added six games to his tally last season, sprinkled throughout the season whenever West Coast needed cover down back.
Drafted as a tall midfielder, the Subiaco product has relished the role behind the ball initially carved out for him in the Eagles’ reserve team.
Foley reads when the opposition intend to take territory, positions to intercept and takes the onus of distributing the ball, with a kick-to-handball ratio of 2.5.
His performance in a stirring home win over Richmond was a highlight, as he recorded 22 disposals, seven marks and five rebound 50s.
At 188cm, the 22-year-old looms as a critical piece in the Eagles’ post-Shannon Hurn and Brad Sheppard future.
West Coast inquired after Western Bulldogs ruckman Jordon Sweet, so there could also be more minutes for ruck-forward Bailey Williams.
Nathan John
Ed Richards
A broken ankle in the pre-season saw Richards on the sidelines until late June, when he was selected to face West Coast in Perth.
The 22-year-old had 16 disposals, crossed the arcs on six occasions, wove through the Eagles’ web and even took a contested mark on key defender Jeremy McGovern.
Richards spent his first handful of games on the half-back flank but has since deputised all over the ground, and his form has fluctuated for the lack of continuity.
On a wing or back flank, he can spray passes left and right to running midfielders, and unpick the opposition press with his guile and sidestep.
With Caleb Daniel drifting up the ground, there will be opportunities for Richards to get back and augment the Bulldogs’ movement in the same way Bailey Dale did.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan flashed forward nous in his five senior and seven reserves games, and should take another leap.
After signing an extension, young ruckman Jordon Sweet should also see more senior minutes in tandem with Tim English.
Nathan John