While it’s been confirmed Jason Horne-Francis will make his AFL debut this weekend, there remains some uncertainty over who, if any, of his fellow 2021 draftees will take to the field in royal blue and white for Sunday’s clash against Hawthorn.

Josh Goater, Miller Bergman, Paul Curtis, Jackson Archer and 2021 mid-season recruit Jacob Edwards have all been working hard this pre-season, pressing their cases to fulfil a lifelong dream of playing in the AFL.

Kangaroos senior coach David Noble says just because Horne-Francis is the only draftee currently confirmed to be playing, that doesn’t take away from the development of his young peers.

"We had another scoop through the draft this year, so we’re the second or third youngest group … you shouldn’t underestimate our overall collection from what we’ve done from the draft," Noble said.

"We shouldn’t put it all on Jason. He’s a talent, there’s no doubt about that but, crikey, what I’ve seen out of those other five guys as a collective is very impressive. That whole group in its totality has been really eye-catching for our coaching group."

Looking to rise from last season’s bottom-placed finish, the Kangaroos will be looking to implement the results of a strong pre-season as they clash with the Hawks.

While the group, on paper, is young and relatively inexperienced, Noble says the aim this pre-season has been to overcome roadblocks and learn as a group.

"I don’t think it's about how many games you play, it’s about what you learn from each one, and the challenge to continue to grow. We’re pretty comfortable with failing, falling over, learning from it and moving forward quickly," he said.

"Business and sport are filled with plenty of people who have failed quickly and moved on to s till be successful. That’s in our DNA and that’s what we want to do.”

As we approach Round 1 of the AFL Premiership season, the AFLW campaign is rapidly reaching its climax with the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos set to take on Fremantle in a qualifying final this weekend.

Noble has thrown his support behind the club’s women’s program and says he’s keen to see them progress.

"A shoutout to 'Crock' (AFLW senior coach Darren Crocker) and the girls this week, they’re playing a final this week at home. We’d like all our fans and members to come down, 2.10 Saturday," Noble said.

"We wish them all the best and I’m sure that Shinboner spirit will be on display. I’m sure that the girls can get up and get the job done, so come down if you can."