Will Ashcroft – Will is a natural leader and a driven athlete who helps guide his younger brother Levi, in the hope he too will one day get drafted. Through Will, we explore the intense nature of the footballing industry where young kids are forced to grow up in a hurry and assume the life of professional athletes. As Will’s season grows from strength to strength, he faces a tough decision between nominating for the open draft and being selected by any club or nominating the Brisbane as a father-son selection, the team his father Marcus played over 300 games for. Along with his burning desire to achieve his footballing dreams, Will is focused on developing a health and wellbeing program, aimed at providing better resources to other young kids who may one day find themselves in the same shoes as Will.
Channy Mitchell – Channy is an extremely talented indigenous artist from Red Cliffs just outside Mildura, who is also striving to get picked up by an AFLW club in the 2022 draft. One of three twins, Channy hails from a large family with her mum Leane and uncle Marty being a tireless support for her, regularly taking her on the twelve-hour round trip from Mildura to Melbourne in order for Channy to train and play football. As she juggles her football commitments as well as her part-time job at Target, Channy’s profile in the art world continues to grow with a surging demand for her work. With the world at her fingertips, the thought of leaving home is a daunting challenge, but one she must overcome.
Yasmin Duursma – With her older brother Xavier already an established young star at Port Adelaide, Yas certainly has large shoes to follow which is exactly what she plans on doing in 2022. Hailing from the small town of Foster in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Yas is entering the final year of school and plans on studying Marine Biology in Adelaide and play for the same team as her older brother. Whilst Yas’s lofty goals are crystal clear, she must face the burden of living up to her own high standards and the reality of potentially falling short. This is compounded when Yas contracts Covid early in the season, putting her behind the pack in her draft year.
Alwyn Davey Jr – Sons of Alwyn Davey Sr, Alwyn Jr and his twin brother Jayden are tied to Essendon under the father-son rule. Hailing from Darwin, the talented indigenous duo are boarding at Xavier College in Melbourne. Whether on the football field or in the classroom, Alwyn Jr has an infectious personality that lights up the room. With his parents based in Darwin, Alwyn Jr must take on more of a nurturing role as his twin brother Jayden recovers from knee surgery and his younger brother Alijah and cousin Waylon joins them at the Xavier boarding house.
Jayden Davey – Jayden faces a dramatically different path to his twin brother, having re-injured his knee and undergoing a second ACL reconstruction at the tender age of 18. By his own admission, Jayden was ill-prepared the first time around and failed to rehab his knee properly, a mistake he certainly doesn’t plan on making this year. Whilst there will be no stone left unturned for Jayden in his recovery, the injury has been a stark reminder on how fragile a sporting career really is and he is acutely aware of the need to set up his life outside of football. Deepest of all though, is his love for his brother Alwyn Jr and supporting him achieve their shared dream of getting drafted to the club their Dad played for.
