The home-and-away season has concluded for 2025, and with it comes the confirmation of Zero Hanger's rookie of the year and the makeup of the remaining seven spots inside the Rookie Rankings.
A couple of changes took place in Round 24 as the final top eight rankings took shape, with the trio on the podium officially locked in.
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.
Honourable mentions:
Cooper Trembath (North Melbourne) - 11 disposals, three goals
Sam Lalor (Richmond) - 12.0 disposals, 4.4 score involvements per game
6Finn O'Sullivan (-)
Finn O'Sullivan had a statistically perfect game as the Kangaroos gave the minor premiers a mighty scare, recording 17 effective disposals from 17 possessions. It was a sensational effort from the budding star, as he also took 10 marks from half-back.
O'Sullivan concludes his rookie campaign of 22 games as North Melbourne's fourth-best ball-user (minimum 10 games played), with a disposal efficiency of 82.5 per cent. Among players aged 21 or younger, that rate ranks second in the AFL, behind Fremantle's Joshua Draper, who admittedly only averages 7.8 disposals per game. O'Sullivan has racked up over 14 per game and hasn't recorded fewer than 15 in his last seven matches.
North Melbourne fans will probably leave this season disappointed, with just five wins on the board and a measly 16th-place finish. However, with their young guns flashing promise more and more often, like O'Sullivan, there's still plenty to be excited about.
