The future has arrived at Arden Street, with five North Melbourne youngsters being selected in the 2024 AFL Players’ Association’s 22Under22 squad, presented by Snaffle.

Paul Curtis, Colby McKercher, Tom Powell, Harry Sheezel and George Wardlaw headline for the Kangaroos who are the most represented club this year.

Hot on their heels are Hawthorn and Fremantle, with a foursome from each club vying for a spot in the final team.

The 40-person squad is assembled by St Kilda champion Leigh Montagna as Chair of Selectors, with support from the AFL Players’ Association and Champion Data.

From an individual perspective, Docker Luke Jackson is pushing for his fourth selection, having made the cut in the past three consecutive seasons, while Nick Daicos can make it three selections in as many years, which included being named the final team captain in 2023.

Signaling a changing of the guard as well as the strength of the competition’s next generation of stars, this season’s cohort includes 25 players making their debut in the initial squad.

The AFLPA is proud to partner with Snaffle as the major partner of the 22Under22 competition.

Online store Snaffle is a major partner of the AFLPA. Snaffle offers a huge range of big brand products, from consumer tech and appliances to furniture and leisure products. The big difference to other stores is consumers have the option to pay for products in bite-sized payments over one, two or three years.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 40-PERSON SQUAD AND SUBMIT YOUR TEAM

Montagna said it was a challenge to narrow the squad to a group of 40.

“There is some incredible talent coming up through the ranks,” he said. “It’ll be a tough task now for fans to pick their best 22.”

“This squad is full of future best and fairest winners, All-Australians and MVP winners. A strength of our game is how a group of talented and dedicated youngsters can have a material impact on the competition so early in their careers.

“The future of the game is undoubtedly in safe hands.”

For a player to be eligible for selection in the squad, they must be 22 and under for the entirety of the season (including Grand Final day – September 28) and have played a minimum of 12 games throughout the 2024 season.

Fans will decide the final 22Under22 team, with voting now open at vote.22under22.com.au for seven days from August 8 to August 14.

This year’s 22Under22 final line up will be announced on August 21 via the AFLPA’s website and social media channels.

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