Looking back on the closest round of football since 1970, it is clear many difference makers in the thrillers were off-season recruits, some players playing pivotal roles in clutch moments.
A Cat has returned to the pinnacle after another staggering display, while a Kangaroos veteran is rising up the ranks as North Melbourne secured a draw with the reigning premiers.
Who's making the most impact in their new colours? Welcome to the weekly ranking of the Recruit of the Year contenders for 2025, with Round 9 giving us plenty to consider.
In Adelaide's thrilling Showdown 57 win over the Power, Neal-Bullen would not have stood out as one of the superstars on the ground, but he played his role efficiently.
His efforts at the heat of the contest were great, winning 10 contested possessions out of his 15 disposals, one of the highest contested possession rates on the ground. He also laid seven tackles, a season high, highlighting his defensive work rate. Neal-Bullen's presence up forward continues to be felt this season for the Crows, as he kicked another goal to add to his season tally of nine, keeping him on pace to be a goal per game player for the first time since 2020.
A massive fixture lies ahead for the Crows with Collingwood on the cards next week. If they're to win and officially assert themselves as a flag contender, the little details of Neal-Bullen's game that starred in the Showdown must continue.
Shai Bolton's rollercoaster season has continued, following up a dismal Round 8 display with a superstar-like performance that Docker fans will be hoping to see more regularly from their key recruit.
Against the Magpies, Bolton put together his best game of 2025 thus far, tallying a season-high 28 disposals, 14 being contested, in addition to seven inside 50s and a game-high nine clearances. Justin Longmuir threw him into 52% of centre bounces, a key move after Hayden Young's hamstring injury, and Bolton thrived there, winning four clearances in that area.
He contributed another six score involvements on Thursday night too, nothing spectacular by his standards, but he still ranks second behind Andrew Brayshaw in score involvement percentage this season at 31.5%, also the 10th highest rate in the entire league.
While the result ultimately did not go Fremantle's way, Bolton's impact has now been seen in a plethora of roles this season, whether it's in front of goal or within the contest. The Dockers must see that more often if they're to play in September this year, let alone upset GWS at Engie Stadium next weekend.
Luke Parker had his fingerprints all over the Kangaroos' Tasmanian stunner against Brisbane, helping reel the deficit in to secure a thrilling draw. His presence was felt all over the ground as North Melbourne look to have learned from mistakes that cost them any premiership points against Essendon the week prior, with his leadership becoming a clear intangible at Arden Street.
Parker's 23 disposals were immense, creating six inside 50s and two rebound 50s from them. His pressure at the contest remains elite in spite of his age, his eight tackles and nine ground ball gets leading the Roos in this match. Add into the mix eight clearances and six score involvements too, plus a crucial goal in the fourth quarter, it's easy to see why he's beginning to ascend these power rankings.
Only Paul Curtis contributes to scores more regularly for North Melbourne in 2025, with Parker's impact on this young side increasingly visible in his absence. Ahead of a major battle with Richmond next week, Parker and North will have their eyes firmly set on winning all four points for the second time this season.
Hawthorn have held their opponents to 65 points or fewer for the fourth time this season as Josh Battle was once again elite, working in tandem with the rest of the Hawks' back six for a perfect afternoon against Melbourne.
Battle's five spoils ensured the Dees' key forward issues continued, with Jacob van Rooyen failing to produce more than one shot at goal. Battle was also quick to generate an attack, spurring three inside 50s from his 15 disposals. Only Adelaide's Mark Keane, Melbourne's Steven May and West Coast's Jeremy McGovern average more rebound 50s per game as a key defender (minimum five games played).
There's a tall task ahead of the Hawks and Battle, taking on the Suns in Darwin, where the likes of Ben King and Ben Long have been firing on all cylinders. With how Battle's been playing, however, Hawthorn will be backing themselves in to break Gold Coast's streak in the NT.
Carlton held Jack Macrae decently well on Friday night, hence his slip in our Recruit Rankings, but his importance to St Kilda's withering Finals dreams is impossible to ignore.
Macrae notched another 23 disposals this weekend and was involved in five scores but couldn't get the same result in the contest as he did in St Kilda's boilover win against Fremantle, collecting just two clearances, one tackle and nine contested possessions against the Blues, all season lows.
If the Saints are to continue to prove people wrong in 2025, they need to find ways to get Macrae more involved in matches like this, because without his efforts, they fall short across the board, with their 33 clearances and 109 contested possessions on Friday night well below their season average.
Gold Coast's winning streak in Darwin now sits at seven as John Noble put forth one of the most efficient games of the year. The half-back's 23 disposals, 21 being effective, sliced through the Bulldogs' defensive setup, resulting in three rebound 50s and five inside 50s being generated off Noble's boot. He found the goals again too and was involved in five scores, increasing his season average to 4.4, which leads the Suns' defensive core.
Defensively, Noble was terrific, finishing with eight intercept possessions and two intercept marks out of his four for the game. While the Dogs charged late and gave the Suns an almighty scare, it was Noble's goal 15 minutes into the final frame that made the difference in the end.
Noble's addition to Hardwick's system has been a slam dunk and it's hard to imagine his play faltering anytime soon.
It feels slightly cruel to knock Kennedy off his perch considering the impact he had for the Bulldogs on Saturday night, but it is clear his role has reduced slightly since the Bulldogs' midfield returned to full strength.
Despite that, Kennedy's form has hardly dropped, now becoming a forward nightmare for the opposition, kicking three first-half goals against Gold Coast, the most he's scored in a single game since 2019. Presenting up on half-forward enabled him to take a season high seven marks too, and he still possessed the same hunger at the contest that made him so important for the Dogs midfield while without Bontempelli, his seven tackles only outdone by Liberatore's ten.
While the Bulldogs will rue their missed opportunities late, Kennedy's play has become paramount to their success, so much so that it's hard to imagine where they'd be without him.
Geelong played in another thrilling contest on Sunday but have come out on the loser's end this time around. Despite that, Bailey Smith has firmly established himself as the recruit of the year thus far and will undoubtedly now be in conversations for the All-Australian side.
35, 34, 29, 28, 35. Those are the disposal counts for Smith in his last five games. His rise to superstardom is truly unprecedented considering the severity of his injury that had ruled him out of AFL action for over a year.
No one even comes close to Smith in terms of metres gained per game either, averaging 655.8. Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson ranks second, averaging 534.2 metres gained per game. That is an astonishing gap that truly highlights Smith's dominance when the footy is at his disposal.
The irregularity in his efficiency doesn't even matter when he's giving Geelong every chance to go forward by hitting the contest hard and winning it consistently. It's wild to think that he was pushed out of the Bulldogs' midfield before his injury when there was all of this untapped potential.
Ultimately, Geelong brings out the best in Smith and Smith brings out the best in Geelong. While another loss to GWS at home will sting for a while, they have every chance to rebound against Port Adelaide with him in the lineup. It's a feisty clash of two titanic midfields brewing, but Smith's capabilities will certainly give Geelong every chance to come home with four premiership points.
