AFL Finals player rankings: Every Adelaide Crow and Western Bulldog player ranked 1-46

Throughout the 2026 AFL Finals series, Zero Hanger will rank the game of each player based on their impact on the result.

The Adelaide Crows were under immense pressure to win this elimination final, after a straight-sets exit last September.

They were unflinching at the coalface, withstanding spirited surges from the Dogs, and in so doing, exorcised a lot of last season's demons.

The Bulldogs have often been maligned for the discrepancy between their best players and their weakest links - and that's how it played out again tonight, with 12 of the match's 15 lowest disposal tallies belonging to Sons of the West.

Here's how Zero Hanger saw this one.

1. Josh Worrell (Adelaide) - Played the game of his LIFE, notching 19 disposals and 11 intercept possessions in the first half alone. Continued in that same vein in the second half, finishing the match with 34 disposals, and an AFL record 19 intercept possessions.
2. Izak Rankine (Adelaide) - Had a serious case of leather poisoning in the contest's early sledding. Looked very much at home on a stage he was infamously absent from last season. Had more influence in the second half, to truly announce himself as a magnet who will shape this month's proceedings. A mercurial finish was the cream on Nicks' cake.
3. Wayne Milera (Adelaide) - Fresh from his first All-Australian blazer, Milera cleaned up numerous messes in defensive 50, and had moments of exceptional ball use, evidenced by his hit up of Izak Rankine for the second half's first goal.
4. Ed Richards (Western Bulldogs) - Customarily busy, in both directions, was the fiery-headed superstar. Most metres gained in the first half, with a major to boot. Kicked his second to tie the ball game in the last, did the Kennel's second-fiddle superstar. Special player.
5. Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs) - Appeared frustrated by Dan Curtin's attention early, but this Rolls Royce of a footballer was never going to be held for all four frames. Imposed his will in the second term, notching seven touches, three clearances and and a pair of score involvements in that stanza alone, before doing his best to don the cape in the last, grabbing five clearances and five score involvements in a lone hand, when it mattered most.
6. Riley Thilthorpe (Adelaide) - Had “man against boys” moments, but had just as many head-scratching moments, until the final term. Morphed into the ‘Thilseeker' of last season, kicking a clutch major from distance, and causing headaches everywhere. His ruck relief was important, too.
7. Josh Rachele (Adelaide) - The barometric small was hardly sighted early, but, as is the case with the game's best smalls, Adelaide's number eight did not need much of an invitation to insert himself. A classy finish in the second term announced him as a factor under Adelaide Oval's lights. Finished with three, and relished the stage.
8. Brayden Cook (Adelaide) - Showed absolutely zero signs of being overawed in the first half of  first final, having not been selected for either of the Crows' two matches last year. Classy skills, scoreboard impact, and a cool head. Make no mistake, the Crows have found one here, but will look to stay involved for longer next week, after having just three touches in the final term.

   

9. Jordan Dawson (Adelaide) - The competition's best captain was implored by commentators to find a way into the match, with his 13 first-half disposals having far less impact than the landscape has come to expect from the versatile star. Got busy after the main break, having more influence.
10. Bailey Williams (Western Bulldogs) - Unflinching in the contest, and clean by foot, Williams did what he so often does, as a consistent 7/10 performer, with some moments of real bravery in the last.

    

11. Aaron Naughton (Western Bulldogs) - Provided his usual presence in the Dogs' front half, and had the most score involvements on the ground in the first half. A pair of posters prohibited him from finishing any higher.
12. Ben Keays (Adelaide) - Was a big part of withstanding the Dog's territory dominance early. His goalsense was a feature of the contest - two goals went through off his boot, with no need to look at the sticks before he struck them. A big tackle on James O'Donnell with minutes to go in the last surely endeared him further to Crows fans - if that's at all possible.
13. Darcy Fogarty (Adelaide) - A night of moments for “Fog”. After his scrappy soccering major opened proceedings, he wasn't seen again until the last quarter. He missed an opportunity to cover himself in glory after Lewis' quickfire double to open the last, when his famed kicking boots deserted him, but made up for it with the sealer.
14. Taylor Walker (Adelaide) - "Tex's final game in front of his legions of hill-glued admirers started slowly. Just one touch to with nine minutes left on the second quarter's clock, before beating Bailey Williams in a one-on-one and setting up Brayden Cook's second. Had himself a signature moment in the last quarter - a parting gift for the aforementioned legions.
15. James O'Donnell (Western Bulldogs) - Continued his emergence as one of the league's finest interceptors, and had to stand up in Sellwood's unfortunate and late absence. Was strong, but his statline was always going to be outshone by the generational one posted by Josh Worrell.
16. Daniel Curtin (Adelaide) - His commitment to the daunting task of quelling Marcus Bontempelli, particularly early, was impressive.
17. Mark Keane (Adelaide) - Had moments of strength in contested duels, but plenty of moments of umpire-baiting histrionics to boot. Lots to like about his aerial work and relative prolificity for a key back, but his ball use will need to improve before next week, after he had seven clangers for the match, including five - the most on the ground - in the first half.
18. Alex Neal-Bullen (Adelaide) - “Nibbler” worked hard to provide both an outlet in the back half and a conduit in the front half. Crows fans could breathe easy when the ball was in his hands.
19. Jake Soligo (Adelaide) - The nuggety dual threat was the perfect foil for the bigger names in the Crows front half.
20. Luke Nankervis (Adelaide) - 17 at 94% is clean, but his damage was lacking. Nonetheless, can hold his head high.
21. Hugo Hall-Kahan (Adelaide) - A solid contribution from the mid-season pickup, yielding 375 metres gained from his 18 touches.
22. Rhylee West (Western Bulldogs) - Was super early, made the most of a different role around the pill, and, predictably, enjoyed the high pressure atmosphere and increased physicality September lends itself to. Was unsighted after the main change, however.
23. Lachlan McAndrew (Adelaide) - Capped his emergence as the Crows #1 ruckman with a combative and solid performance in the guts.
24. Callum Ah Chee (Adelaide) - Had moments that dripped with the class that characterised his premiership campaigns with the Lions. Has never been a player that needs plenty of touches to impact, and lived that truism again in this one.
25. Will Lewis (Western Bulldogs) - A bit of an ‘almost' night for the former Old Brighton VAFA standout. Some juggling contested mark attempts he'd have loved to stick, and some holding calls that were as obvious as they were silly went against him in the third term. Moved to a negating role on Worrell in the last, kicking the all-important first two goals of the last term, improving his standing in this ranking, considerably.
26. Isaac Cumming (Adelaide) - Not a passenger, per se, but certainly pedestrian.
27. Tim English (Western Bulldogs) - Lost the ruck battle, partly due to the Dogs' coaching staff's tactical decisions. Was left to battle, largely, one-out, against McAndrew and Thilthorpe, and could not do it all himself, with appropriate respect paid to teammate Ryan Gardner's effort, if nothing else.
28. Sam Berry (Adelaide) - The tackling machine lacked his usual intensity without the ball, and had some moments that lacked polish with it.
29. Rory Laird (Adelaide) - Past his best, but still boasts the instincts to find plenty of it. Hardly damaging, but rarely poor by foot. About a 6/10.
30. Bailey Dale (Western Bulldogs) - Uncharacteristically, Dale missed crucial targets by foot in the last term, compounding an already-quiet night for the former All-Australian.
31. Joel Freijah (Western Bulldogs) - “Mini Bont” toiled his way to 24 disposals and a goal, but his ball use left plenty to be desired. Plenty of kicking drills over the summer, one would imagine.

    

32. Cooper Hynes (Western Bulldogs) - Finding it is not Hynes' issue, but his impact needs work. Just a pair of score involvements from his 20 touches prohibit him from finishing any higher.
33. Arthur Jones (Western Buldogs) - Not quite a replication of his Wildcard heroics, but still sound. Was hand-delivered a major (and by extension, a pathway into the contest) in the second term, courtesy of the men in green, playing the pantomime villain to perfection. Jones blew kisses to an irate Adelaide Oval crowd in the aftermath, and slotted a timely, necessary goal to stem the tide of Crows majors late in the second.
34. James Borlase (Adelaide) - A meagre eight touches, but was clean and had no moments that stood out negatively.
35. Max Michalanney (Adelaide) - In a performance emblematic of his sputtering year, the father-son was patchy at best. Kicks out on the full, average defensive positioning, a lack of aerial competitiveness and uncertainty with ball in hand wrote the story of his night.

    

36. Buku Khamis (Western Bulldogs) - Was thrown forward in the last in an attempt to influence proceedings, after just five touches through three terms, but the move bore little fruit, with Khamis missing the lone shot he took.
37. Rory Lobb (Western Bulldogs) - Fought valiantly, and was competitive, particularly early, in his matchup with Riley Thilthorpe. Lobb was, however, dogged by the brainfades and skill errors that have followed him to his third club.
38. Connor Budarick (Western Bulldogs) - Struggled immensely to contain Adelaide's small forwards. Had his colours lowered. A disappointing finish to a year that may just have revived his career.
39. Lachlan Bramble (Western Bulldogs) - A part of the Dog's list's maligned underbelly, the former Hawk was a non-factor.
40. Josh Dolan (Western Bulldogs) - Single-digit touches. A quiet night.
41. Sam Davidson (Western Bulldogs) - Another member of the soft underbelly prohibiting the Dogs from going much further with this iteration of their list.
42. Ryley Sanders (Western Bulldogs) - Bevo needed more from Sanders. Quiet as a church mouse when it mattered most, save for his one goal - the inconsequential final major of the match.
43. Cody Weightman (Western Bulldogs) - Six touches and a behind. A night to forget the beloved pup.
44. Ryan Gardner (Western Bulldogs) - Another quiet week for Gardner nets him a second consecutive bottom-three place in this ranking.
45. Lachlan McNeil (Western Bulldogs) - Thrust into the game late, through no fault of his own, it was always going to be difficult to have an influence. Six touches, three tackles - McNeil can chalk up his outing as cardio, but not much else.
46. Luke Kennedy (Western Bulldogs) - Largely unseen in a brutally contested affair.