High-flying key forward Aaron Naughton has leapt from No.9 to No.1 in Footyology’s 2017 Redraft. Photo: AFL MEDIA

For today’s “Redraft”, there’s a more contemporary feel as we travel back just five years to 2017.

And despite only taking place half-a-decade ago, the 2017 Redraft already makes for some interesting reading.

Now, of course, this revised top 10 is far from set in stone – after all, many of these players probably aren’t even halfway through or, dare we say, even one-third of the way through their AFL careers.

Treat this as more like a check-in to see how the class of 2017 is faring, because in another five years’ time, their Footyology Redraft might look a whole lot different than it does today.

However, as it stands, an interesting aspect of the revised top 10 is that only four original members have maintained their spots in the top bracket, and only one of those players earned a promotion – Western Bulldogs key forward Aaron Naughton.

In fact, Naughton got promoted all the way up the charts from No.9 to No.1, usurping the original top selection Cam Rayner, who has been squeezed out of the top 10 for now.

But based on how Rayner finished season 2022, after sitting out the entire 2021 campaign due to a ruptured ACL, you wouldn’t bet against him reclaiming a foothold in the revised top 10 in the next couple of years.

However, the man they call the “Astronaught” has climbed his way to the top of the heap, which is extremely fitting considering he is very much at home in the air, becoming one of the competition’s best contested marks in a very short period of time.

Last year he led the AFL in that category, while he also finished in the top five in 2022 (fifth) and 2019 (third).

In just his 25th game, Naughton took nine contested marks against Richmond, just one shy of the all-time record (since the stat has been recorded) that the great Wayne Carey set back in 2000 when he took 10.

Already one of the game’s most exciting forward prospects, if Naughton can fix his at-times wonky goalkicking radar, which has seen him kick 147.108 at a respectable 57.6 per cent accuracy rate, he could quite easily become the league’s most potent attacking weapon.

Coming in at No.2 in the 2017 Redraft is the mature-age recruit who gave new meaning to the phrase “hit the ground running” – Tim Kelly.

Originally selected by Geelong at pick 24, to say Kelly burst on to the scene would be an understatement.

In his first two years with the Cats, he gathered a whopping 1161 touches at an average of 24 in 48 games. He also collected 37 Brownlow Medal votes and finished fifth in the 2019 count with 24, which was the same year he also won his solitary All-Australian jumper.

Given he was playing his footy right under the Eagles’ noses at South Fremantle before being drafted by the Cats, it beggared belief that both West Coast and Fremantle opted against recruiting him.

PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE TO THRIVE BY BECOMING AN OFFICIAL FOOTYOLOGY PATRON. JUST CLICK THIS LINK.

Eventually, the Eagles would get their man, but it would come at a heftier price than they should have originally paid for his services.

At the end of 2019, Kelly requested a trade back to his native WA, and West Coast were the beneficiaries, however it would cost them two-first round picks.

And for most of the first couple of years he was at West Coast, it was looking like a raw deal, because Kelly struggled to reach the dizzying heights of his first two seasons with the Cats.

But despite still being a bit patchy in 2022, Kelly hit back well in what was the club’s worst ever year, to lead by example in most matches during their 20-loss season and finish third in their best-and-fairest.

Rounding out the top three is Fremantle’s young superstar Andrew Brayshaw, who finished equal fourth in the Brownlow this year while also collecting his maiden AFLPA MVP, All-Australian jumper and club best-and-fairest.

Brayshaw had been threatening to produce the sparkling season he did this year for some time, nicely building in each of his first four years before exploding in 2022.

The brilliant midfielder, who was 22 this season, finished fourth in the league for disposals, first for uncontested possessions and eighth for tackles, while also topping the Dockers for disposals, uncontested possessions, tackles and inside-50s – it really was a year to remember.

And given Brayshaw only looks like getting warmed up, it seems as though Naughton will have some serious competition for top spot over the ensuing years.

Completing the top five are another high-flying forward in West Coast’s Liam Ryan and Melbourne’s premiership sharpshooter Bayley Fritsch.

Star GWS defender Sam Taylor moves up to sixth, while dual premiership Richmond utility Liam Baker gets a massive promotion from pick 18 in the rookie draft all the way up to No.7, which is essentially a rise of 90 positions – that’s a huge bargain.

Meanwhile, Docker-turned-Blue Adam Cerra, North Melbourne bull Luke Davies-Uniacke and Baker’s premiership teammate Noah Balta grab the final three spots in the revised top 10.

But when you consider the likes of Rayner, Collingwood forward Brody Mihocek, Melbourne’s flag-winning key backman Harrison Petty, brilliant Brisbane defender Brandon Starcevich, premiership small forwards Gryan Miers and Charlie Spargo, and promising Carlton big man Tom De Koning, are all part of the class of 2017, the ink is still far from dry on this revised top 10, and there could be plenty of shuffling of positions occurring over the next decade.

*Redrafts only consider the first time a player was drafted.