11. GAVIN DE NIESE

We can feel a few of you shaking your heads, because De Niese or Niese, whichever he goes by, has entered the realms of Richard Porta or Panos Armenakas in those young guns you hear so much about, before they appear to drift off into the void.

At only 23, Niese still has lofty potential. Whenever you see the club River Plate attached to a young Aussie's resume, ot's easy to go a little weak at the knees.

The former South Melbourne attacking midfielder currently plays in the Portuguese lower-divisions, but he's aiming for bigger and better things.

“(Benfica-based Aussie, Anthony) Carter has shown that it’s possible and you can definitely do it,” he told FTBL last year. “He hasn’t gone to a small club he has gone to the biggest club in Portugal.

“There are definitely eyes out there watching teams like Trofense and it’s just about playing well and getting game time and showing yourself."

He's a clever player with strong technical skills and decent vision, who has the potential to make a very decent player, if he gets consistent football at a high level. 

So far, that's proved difficult however, so for now, he remains one to watch.