A Melbourne young gun has continued his sharp rise in our Rookie Rankings, with the Tigers' top pick and a consistent Brisbane midfielder out in front.
This week's rankings have seen two teenagers rise up the order while a fellow 2024 draftee falls two places, with three others holding onto the rungs they held last week.
Honourable mentions have been handed out to a St Kilda forward, an Essendon mature-ager and a Roos small forward.
Selection Criteria: Zero Hanger's Rookie Rankings ONLY consider players who have made their debut this season. Other players who may still be eligible for a Rising Star nomination but have already made their debut before the 2025 season will not be considered. I.e. Rising Star eligible players such as Nate Caddy, Dan Curtin and Connor O'Sullivan are ineligible, having already played an AFL match before Opening Round, 2025. Suspension does not make a player ineligible for our Rookie Rankings.Â
Round 9 Honourable Mentions
Max Hall (St Kilda) - 14 disposals, 4 tackles, 1 goal
Saad El-Hawli (Essendon) - 21 disposals, 1 goal, 6 marks
Jacob Konstanty (North Melbourne) - 12 disposals, 1 goal, 5 tackles
2. Sam Lalor (+1)
The No.1 draft pick was again a solid contributor in a win for the Tigers, who claimed their third victory of 2025.
Lalor amassed 15 possessions, four tackles, seven contested possessions, four clearances, four score involvements and a goal assist in the narrow victory over West Coast.
The performance adds to an up and down year so far for the Richmond young gun, but his ups have been arguably better than anyone's from his draft class.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
The young midfield-forward could have another big say in Round 10, with Richmond a chance to make it successive wins when they face North Melbourne on Sunday.
