Dang (born in South Sudan) and Khamis (born in Sudan) are both 2018 draft prospects,while Jiath and Boakye will be eligible for next year's draft. Of Ghanaian heritage,Boakye - whose mother Cecilia Yeboah is a health sciences supervisor at Australian Catholic University - has been living in Queensland in recent months,having joined the Gold Coast Suns'academy.

Dang,from the Murray Bushrangers,and Khamis,from the Western Jets,will be eligible to join Richmond and the Western Bulldogs'"Next Generation"academies respectively. If those clubs aid their player's development sufficiently,they will be approved to receive draft concessions similar to those available to clubs in NSW and Queensland,in accordance with rules rolled out by the AFL when they unveiled the academies early this year.

Ethiopian Jiath - a running half-back - has been boarding at Xavier College this year,but comes from Morwell,which is Hawthorn's"Next Generation"zone. The Hawks could receive an exemption to draft Jiath with a discount next year if they invest in his development. Jiath's father Stephen - a Nazarene Church minister - told Fairfax Media that the Hawks had shown preliminary interest in his son.

Changkuoth,who has been playing for the TAC Cup's Gippsland Power - said his parents had endured hardship before arriving in Australia in 1998.