Ranking The Top 10 Acquisitions For The 2022 AFL Season
These are the players that could have the biggest influence for their new club.
With the 2022 AFL Premiership Season just over 20 days' away, we take a look at the ten players who'll be lining up for new clubs this season and rank how important they'll be in their new clubs' line-up.
10. Peter Ladhams - Sydney
Playing as second-fiddle to Scott Lycett at Port Adelaide, Ladhams should find more senior ruck opportunities at his new home in Sydney. Ladhams, 23, has also shown he can bob up and kick a goal when playing forward, having booted multiple majors on six occasions, including a career-best three against GWS in 2021.
09. Jake Kelly - Essendon
The former Adelaide defender should be a handy inclusion for the Bombers. The retirement of Cale Hooker and the uncertainty surrounding Michael Hurley's future further highlights how welcome Kelly will be in 2022. He was a reliable defender during his time at the Crows and was a part of their 2017 Grand Final side where he had 20 disposals and six marks. The mid-sized defender will provide additional quality for Jayden Laverde, Jordan Ridley, Mason Redman and James Stewart to benefit from.
08. Jonathan Ceglar - Geelong
Geelong's ruck department has been a long-standing issue but the addition of Ceglar should provide some welcome relief and support for Rhys Stanley. The arrival of Ceglar also allows the likes of Mark Blicavs and Esava Ratugolea to be more settled and stay in one part of the ground, rather than being thrust into the role as Stanley's back-up.
07. Sam Petrevski-Seton - West Coast
The former number six pick arrives at the Eagles from Carlton with plenty to prove. He failed to realise his full potential at the Blues, but with nearly 100 games under his belt, West Coast are optimistic that he'll be able to go to the next level given they plan to use his ball skills through the midfield and not as a defender as he was for much of his time at Carlton.
06. George Hewitt - Carlton
The hard-nosed former Swans midfielder was a mainstay in their engine room for years and the Blues have picked up an incredibly reliable player in Hewitt. He's still only 25 and adds depth to Carlton's midfield with his ability to play a negating role while also winning his own footy two big bonuses for the Blues heading into 2022.
05. Patrick Lipinski - Collingwood
Given the depth of the Western Bulldogs midfield, it was only a matter of time before a player of Lipinski's talents looked for opportunities elsewhere. He racked up numbers at VFL level and at any other club would've broken the door with how hard he was banging it down so expect him to line up for the Pies midfield in round one.
04. Luke Dunstan - Melbourne
Already boasting arguably the competition's best midfield, the reigning premiers added to their stocks with the acquisition Dunstan from St. Kilda. After managing just one game in the first 10 rounds of the 2021 season for the Saints, Dunstan went on a career-best tear, gathering 11 Brownlow votes in his next six games and finishing the year with an average of 25 disposals. He'll be a good insurance policy for the Dees should one of their midfield guns go down and with age and experience on his side (26 and 116 games), the Saints' loss is Melbourne's gain.
03. Hugh Greenwood - North Melbourne
The former Adelaide and Gold Coast midfielder was the shock acquisition of the off-season. He was delisted by the Suns for list-management reasons with the promising of being re-drafted weeks later but this is when North Melbourne swooped. The Roos added Greenwood in the hopes of bringing a hard body into their midfield brigade to aid their youngsters and fans can expect the Tasmanian to add exactly that in his first season donning the blue and white hoops.
02. Robbie Tarrant - Richmond
A long-standing member of the North Melbourne defence, the Tigers added Tarrant in the hopes of covering for retired stars Bachar Houli and David Astbury. Aside from a scary medical issue in March, which required a tumour to be removed from his kidney and forced him to miss the first half of the season, Tarrant missed just six games in the previous six seasons meaning the Tigers have secured an incredibly reliable and talented defender.
01. Adam Cerra - Carlton
At 22 and having just completed his best season at AFL level to date, Cerra is coming into the prime of his career, which is great news for the Blues. The former number five draft pick will add plenty of support for Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh. He averaged 23 touches a game this year, including career-best hauls of 33 and 30 and was ranked in the top six at Fremantle for clearances and contested possessions.
Featured Image Credit: Carlton Football Club
Ryan Rosendale