In 2022, the EDFL, thanks to AGA Apprenticeships Plus, will be announcing a Rising Star award for both men's and women's competitions at the end of year awards night.
Eligible players will be aged 21 years or younger at the beginning of 2022, will be playing regular senior football and having a significant impact for their teams.
In the lead up to awards night, the EDFL will release an EDFL Young Guns Report every month as we keep track of our rising superstars this year.
It's been an up and down start to the year for Greenvale in the Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division, but one of the shining lights at the Jets has been Lachlan Hall (19).
After getting a taste for senior football in both the reserves and senior teams at Greenvale throughout 2021, the young defender has held his own to become one of Darren Bewick's most reliable contributors this season.
Playing down back on some of the EDFL's most dangerous forwards, Hall has been able to hold his head high on a number of occasions to play a key role with strong performances coming against Keilor, Strathmore, Maribyrnong Park and Aberfeldie.
In Airport Toyota Women's Premier Division, Keilor are sitting pretty on top of the ladder with Laura Wright (21) just one of many talented youngsters doing fine things down at Joe Brown Oval.
Wright started the season in style with a three-goal best-on-ground effort against Moonee Valley in Round 1 and hasn't slowed down a touch, being named in Brooke Surgeon's bests on five occasions in her six games.
The former Western Jets product has played four VFLW games this season for North Melbourne but with the Kangaroos narrowly missing finals in that competition, the gun midfielder will be able to set her sights on the second half of the EDFL season.
Coming through the Calder Cannons system as an undersized midfielder, Ned Gentile (19) has found his niche as a small goal kicking forward in a dominate Airport West line-up.
With bags of 11 and 10 to his name so far this year, Gentile has put his name up along side some the division's most notable goal kickers.
The Airport West junior currently sits second on the Rookie Me Division One goal kicking table after snagging 29 goals from his seven games, just three majors behind Tullamarine's Shaun McKernan who has featured in all eight fixtures to start the year.
Strathmore are in the hunt again in Airport Toyota Women's Division One, with Chiara Guarino (20) and Georgie Richardson (19) two of the leading players from Bernadette Marantelli's star-studded side.
The lightning fast Guarino has found a knack of hitting the scoreboard from the midfield, slotting 12 goals in her six games to start 2022. A haul of six against Pascoe Vale in Round 3 was her most comprehensive performance as the Mores ran riot at Lebanon Reserve.
Richardson kicked four goals that day but is capable of contributing in all three thirds of the field with the ability to be thrown down back or play as a tall athletic midfielder.
After both receiving Team of the Year honours in 2021, the pair are looking likely for back-to-back honours.
When Josh Covelli departed Burnside Heights in the summer of 2022, the question was asked of where the Bears would find their goals. Jacob Elia (21) had an answer.
The former Aberfeldie junior went seeking more senior opportunity after playing nine reserves games in 2021 and three in the under-23 side that featured in the division two reserves competition.
Elia would find his new home in division two, but this time in the orange and blue of Burnside Heights and as a senior player.
After going goalless in his senior debut against Oak Park in Round 1, Elia has gone on to score a goal in every game he has played, including a haul of four against Hadfield and three against Coburg Districts to take his tally to 12 from six starts.
Emily Gipp (18) leads the Airport Toyota Women's Division Two goal kicking with 17 goals from her five games for Airport West.
A standout performance in Round 1 saw Gipp slot home 11 majors against the Sunbury Kangaroos as the Eagles looked to assert early dominance in the competition.
With the Eagles right in the mix for premiership glory, Gipps' ability to hit the scoreboard is one of the many trump cards Marcus Barclay has on his whiteboard.
