If things had been slightly different, Brock McLean might not have even been on Carlton's list in 2014. Or 2013, for that matter. Had the Blues been better able to capitalise on their early-season form, he might never have been recalled midway through 2012, resuscitated his career and extended his second AFL life. But if things had been slightly different, McLean would be on the list in 2015, not squeezed out by the likes of Matthew Dick, Mark Whiley, Jason Tutt and David Ellard.

One of the eternal truths about football, is that everyone can do with a bit of luck. That extends to players as it does to clubs. There have been players delisted then re-rookied for contractual reasons who have flourished. Others have been the last ones out the door when there were simply no other candidates for the chop. Injuries, of course, play their part, too. Saint Jayden Attard had been a regular in 2007. He injured his knee in the penultimate round of the year, and was delisted at the end of the following season, never getting his chance for another go.



When looking to pick a team of non-AFL players in 2015, three distinct categories of players emerge. Firstly there are the McLean types, those on a list in 2014 who were moved on for reasons of space, age or the victims of a surplus of players in a given position.



Then there are the state leaguers, but there is diversity in those ranks, too. The likes of Magarey medallist Zane Kirkwood, Sandover Medal winner Aaron Black, and to a lesser extent star SANFL forward Brett Eddy all appear to be the classic state league guns whose papers have been all but stamped in terms of a career at the elite level.



Then there's someone like Bradd Dalziell, who played his fair share of state league football during his time on the Brisbane Lions' and West Coast lists, and even more in 2014 when he dominated for East Fremantle. He is the quintessential in-between player.



Had Daniel Connors been able to maintain off-field discipline, he might not have ended up at Port Melbourne. A midfielder and forward capable of matching it with the best in the AFL, Connors seems consigned to an existence on the suburban grounds of Victoria.



Ben Cavarra could have been in this team a year ago, with Frankston. He won the Dolphins' best and fairest, having claimed the Morrish Medal last year at the Eastern Ranges. it seems height is counting against him, just as it initially did for another diminutive player, Jarryd Blair. Cavarra was considered desperately unlucky by many, and all he can do is continue to plow on in the VFL.



Jake Johansen is this year's Cavarra. Small but dynamic, the South Australian was named in the under-18 All-Australian team, yet was denied a berth on a senior or rookie list in 2015. Others like Daniel Capiron and Francis Watson can be considered stiff, but there are reasons for their omissions too. They are young, though, and the likes of Nathan Drummond and Josh Glenn, both picked up this year after being overlooked previously, can provide hope.



There is one player on this list who does not quite fit into any of the categories. His radiant brilliance cannot be ignored, but he almost certainly will not play in the AFL again, despite his intention to do so. Between 2009 and 2011, few players shone as magnificently as Liam Jurrah. But sadly, circumstances which we still grapple to understand precluded Jurrah for having a fair shot in the AFL. All football can do is seek to cultivate an environment so that a player as dazzling as the Warlpiri Wizard can be celebrated, and not forever a "what if?"





A POSSIBLE NON-AFL TEAM IN 2015

On the outer: Brock McLean. Credit:Pat Scala

FB Daniel Capiron (18, Dandenong Stringrays) Michael Wundke (26, Woodville-West Torrens) Francis Watson (19, Claremont)

HB Kyle Hardingham (26, Essendon) Michael Hartley (21, Coburg) Jared Petrenko (24, Adelaide)

C Jordan Schroder (22, Geelong) Ben Cavarra (18, Frankston) Aaron Black (21, West Perth)

HF Daniel Connors (26, Port Melbourne) Liam Jurrah (26, Tiwi Bombers) Adam Marcon (22, Williamstown)

FF Leroy Jetta (26, Essendon) Brett Eddy (25, South Adelaide) James Polkinghorne (25, Brisbane Lions)

FOL Sam Baulderstone (24, Norwood) Zane Kirkwood (23, Sturt) Brock McLean (28, Carlton)

INT Bradd Dalziell (27, East Fremantle) Jake Johansen (18, Port Adelaide Magpies) Sam Tagliabue (23, Essendon VFL) Chris Cain (27, Port Melbourne)

