A former Magpie and a second-year small forward could be among the big improvers in 2021, according to Head of Development Gavin Brown.
Chatting to the Footyology website, Brown discussed five players to keep an eye out for this season.
Atu Bosenavulagi
The 20-year-old has impressed in match simulation over the past fortnight, with his speed and ball-use a feature.
“He’s going really well, he played down back in a bit of a practice match and really looked good,” Brown told Footyology.
“But he also, one week before, played forward. He’s just got such crazy speed and power, he’s been training really well too.”
Kyron Hayden
Brilliant forward Eddie Betts was among Hayden's scalps in 2020, before he succumbed to knee soreness late in the year.
Tough as they come, Hayden could be set for more tagging/stopping roles in 2021.
“He was really settling into a medium-to-small back [role] to play on all the really dangerous, zippy small forwards. He was looking really good,” Brown said.
“He’s a very athletic guy, super powerful and … will set the world alight, really. He’s been outstanding at training, he’s super fit, super ripped, kicking the ball really well.
“He’s a beauty, he will no doubt go really well.”
Jack Mahony
The small-forward showed plenty of positive signs in his first season, playing ten games' straight between rounds four and 13.
He looked more comfortable as the year went on, and has returned fitter again in 2021, asserting himself in the match simulation.
“Jack Mahony is another one who’s had a really big pre-season, he’s a really smart player,” Brown said.
“As that medium-to-small forward looks really good, looks really, really sharp, a really good forward-of-the-ball player, very, very clever, high work rate, good defensive attributes, really standing out at the moment.”
Will Walker
Cruelled by injury throughout his career so far, Walker made his long-awaited return in round 10 of 2020.
Remarkably, he managed to cover the most distance of any North player, in any game for the year - 13.7 kilometres.
A clear run on the training track will be huge for Walker going into his fourth season.
“He’s got a bit of a soccer background, he had a real impact when he played … we’ve had some little scratch matches/simulated games and he’s been going really well in them.”
Tristan Xerri
The versatile tall has been a prominent figure in match-simulation, pulling down some big marks, but also showing his capability at ground level.
Four games under his belt in 2020 would have been an invaluable experience in Xerri's development.
“He’s had a really big pre-season … he’s really jumped out of the blocks,” Brown said.
“He’s been going really well, he’s really fit, he’s been running really hard in the drills and he’s clunking a few [marks].
“Hopefully he plays a fair bit of senior footy this year.”
