The Undroppables. A category of footballer we made up.
The Definition: A fringe or developing AFL player who performed well enough to maintain their spot in the side for the following week.
Across the season, we will be keeping an eye on players who received their opportunity in a side and did enough to lock themselves in for the next round.
Note: We parked this concept during the bye rounds due to an overall lack of weekly nominations.
See our nominations from Round 15 below:
Massimo D’Ambrosio (Essendon)
Essendon mid-season recruit Massimo D’Ambrosio hasn’t wasted any time slotting into the senior team after being taken with pick three just a few weeks ago.
The running defender out of the Western Jets, who has recently been playing in Richmond’s VFL team, only needed one appearance for Essendon’s VFL side before he was rushed into the senior side.
D’Ambrosio made an impressive debut in the win over St Kilda in Round 14, not looking an inch out of place.
He kept his spot in the team for last weekend’s trip to Perth against West Coast.
Averaging 14 touches disposals and three marks, the teenager is virtually guaranteed to play a large portion of the rest of the season considering the club’s current fortunes.
Laurence Rosen
Rhylee West (Western Bulldogs)
Rhylee West has been starved of senior opportunities, playing just 18 games in three-and-a-half seasons.
The Bulldogs father-son is starting to find his feet at AFL level.
West was one of the best players on the ground in the Dogs’ win over Hawthorn on Friday night.
The 21-year-old put in a career-best display finishing with 19 disposals, five tackles, three goals (three behinds) and three goal assists.
With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, West will look to continue his good form in the hope of earning a new deal.
Alex Zaia
Jack Ross (Richmond)
The 21-year-old seems to be used largely as a replacement for any injured Richmond midfielders.
He has been in and out of the team in 2022, but took his chance in Saturday’s narrow loss to Geelong.
He played the first three games of the season, was an unused medi-sub in Round 4, and added a further three games before he was dropped prior to Round 8.
Ross was granted a reprieve in Round 10 before again making way prior to Round 12, but was called up for the Cats clash after some sparkling VFL form and to replace the injured Trent Cotchin.
The former second-round pick had arguably his most accomplished game as a senior Tiger, collecting a season-high 25 disposals, an equal career-high six clearances (two out of the centre), and made good choices by both hand and foot evidenced by his 84% disposal efficiency.
He did, however, fail to lay a tackle which will no doubt be a focus on the track this week.
With Cotchin still sidelined with a cracked collarbone, Ross is a certainty to retain his spot in Damien Hardwick’s 22 for this weekend’s meeting with West Coast.
Andrew Slevison
Dylan Stephens (Sydney)
Dylan Stephens played the best game of his Sydney Swans career on Saturday night.
In just his fourth senior game for the year, Stephens was dynamic.
The 21-year-old amassed a career-best 23 disposals, sixteen of those being kicks, five score involvements and 474 metres gained – impressive numbers that saw him feature in coaches’ votes.
After plying his trade in the reserves last week, Stephens was recalled to the senior side in their dominant Round 15 win over the Saints – dropping him now would be a very harsh call from coach John Longmire.
If the Swans can get more performances out of Stephens as they did on Saturday night, they’ll be a far more dynamic side as they look to consolidate their spot in the top eight.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
Darcy Fogarty (Adelaide)
Darcy Fogarty has enjoyed the best month of footy of his young career over his last four games.
The 22-year-old had never locked in his spot in the Adelaide forward line but is now all but certain to play out the remainder of the season in the seniors, moving above Riley Thilthorpe in the pecking order.
Fogarty has kicked 12 goals over the four weeks and it is his ability to contribute to teammates’ scores and his penetrating kick that now makes him a dangerous proposition for opposition teams.
He combined with Taylor Walker on the weekend to kick 10 of the Crows’ 17 goals in last week’s win over North Melbourne.
If the duo can keep performing at that level, they’ll be dangerous combination during the final two months of the season.
Seb Mottram