West Perth will be hoping AFL recruiters turned a blind eye to talented forward Jasper Scaife as the mid-season draft looms.

The Falcons have seemingly unearthed the perfect partner to three-time Bernie Naylor medallist Tyler Keitel in the 20-year-old.

Recruiters watched on as Scaife booted three goals and was vibrant around the grounds as an aerobic forward in West Perth’s 10.9 (69) to 8.17 (65) loss to Subiaco at Sullivan Logistics Stadium.

The 197cm, 85kg forward finished with 11 disposals, six marks and five inside 50s to go with his three goals that has taken his season tally to eight from his first three league games.

This year’s mid-season rookie draft is set to be held between rounds 11 and 12 of the AFL season on Wednesday, May 29.

It gives Scaife another four games to impress before the draft, including a clash against West Coast in round seven.

Former mid-season draftee Jack Mayo could also be on his way to a second chance at the AFL after producing a best-on-ground performance for the Lions in the win.

The athletic forward kicked two goals from 23 disposals and seven marks to continue his impressive start to the season.

Mayo was on St Kilda’s list after being taken in the 2019 mid-season draft, but his time at the Saints was ruined by an ACL injury among others.

The 24-year-old returned to the Lions to play in their 2021 premiership before another ACL injury hampered his career.

But Mayo has barely skipped a beat since and has begun the 2024 season as one of the most dominant big men in the competition.

Subiaco coach Beau Wardman praised Mayo’s ability to move from the wing back to the forward line to start the season.

“Fitting back into the forward line was going to take some time, but over the past few weeks his competitiveness and lead up to the ball has been strong,” Wardman said.

“He’s been a natural forward when he was playing colts. We moved him to the wing off injury with less exposure to contests and get his confidence up. He’s a good runner and thought that would suit his game.

“Given some time and another pre-season he’s been able to slot back into that forward line and showed what he’s capable of in there.”

Subiaco will now prepare to take on the winless Claremont, while West Perth have the bye.