Veteran recruits were the stars of Round 13 as notable additions at the AFL's two largest clubs push themselves into the Power Rankings.
A strong performance from a former Blue tightens their stranglehold on the second rank, while an underwhelming afternoon in the wet has caused a pivotal Sun to slip.
Who's making the most impact in their new colours? Welcome to the weekly rankings of the Recruit of the Year contenders for 2025, with Round 12 giving us plenty to consider.
6. Nick Haynes (NEW)
Another former Giant is going strongly at the moment, with Haynes the latest piece to Carlton's defensive puzzle. In Sunday night's captivating win over Essendon, Haynes played a lockdown role on the Essendon forwards, winning his two defensive one-on-one contests, taking seven intercepts and helping limit the Bombers to just 15 scoring shots.
He also led the way in generating counterattacks from defensive 50, with his six rebound 50s only outdone by Sam Docherty's eight. He also created four inside 50s and took 11 marks, the sixth occasion he's taken at least 10 marks this season. In fact, only Callum Wilkie takes more per game in the entire AFL at 8.9, besting Haynes' 8.7 per game.
Despite being 33 years old and at the tail end of his career, Haynes is still producing defensive masterclasses week in and week out. His 3.2 intercept marks per game rank fifth in the league and are just shy of his career-high average, while his kicking off half-back has never looked stronger.
