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.
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
The mature-aged Swans recruit has steadied after a quieter period, managing to step up in the second half against the Bombers on Saturday.
The dashing defender was a key piece in keeping the game close as the Swans looked to claw themselves back.
Bice ended the game with 17 disposals, four marks and 335 metres gained to bounce back compared to recent weeks.
The Swans return to the Friday night stage for Round 10, hosting Carlton at the SCG as they look to return to the winner's column.
The Tigers rookie had another 18 disposals in Round 9, earning himself a return of 260 metres gained in the win over West Coast.
Trainor recorded four intercept possessions and had five score involvements from the back half in the victory to continue to build his case.
There's a gap between Trainor and the top four runners in our rankings, but the young backman can close that deficit when the Tigers face the Kangaroos in Round 10.
Another quiet week has seen Reid fall further in our rankings, with the Dockers rookie having previously held onto top spot.
The Pick 17 selection was kept to just six touches in Thursday's loss to Collingwood, with only half of those disposals effective.
Reid did manage a goal, which came in the final term as the Dockers eyed a late comeback, with the major seeing the teenager have nine goals in as many games to start his career.
A spot on the podium remains in reach for Reid, who will face GWS at Engie Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Demons young gun has continued his strong rise in our rankings, having knocked on the door for most of the past two months before breaking into the top six last week.
Langford has shot into third spot and narrowly missed out on second place off the back of his 22-disposal, three-goal outing against the Hawks.
The Pick 6 selection also had six score involvements and seven contested possessions as he continues to play a role under Simon Goodwin.
The Demons have a tough task in Round 10, heading up to Brisbane to favcce the Lions on their home deck.
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.
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.
The Lions young gun has remained consistent across his nine appearances this year, with Sunday's draw against North Melbourne no different.
For the sixth time this year, Ashcroft collected at least 20 disposals, while he booted his fourth goal of his career against the Kangaroos in the close encounter.
He also ended his evening with six marks, six contested possessions and six score involvements to continue his strong start.
The Lions will return to the Gabba for Round 10, hosting Melbourne as Ashcroft prepares to face Rookie Rankings riser Harvey Langford.
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="400px" width="1000px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)