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
4Tom McCarthy (-1)
Unfortunately for Tom McCarthy, he's fallen off the podium in the final week of the season as the Swans' midfield depth comfortably outclassed him and the rest of the Eagles' inexperienced group, with McCarthy recording a season-low 17 disposals and zero clearances.
In saying that, however, the fact that McCarthy's season-low disposal count is still that high speaks to his impressive ball-winning abilities. In 10 matches, his 23.6 disposals per game lead all rookies this year, and his season-low 17 disposals is a number elite midfielder and winger Levi Ashcroft has failed to register on five occasions this season.
Additionally, McCarthy ranks 24th in the AFL for metres gained per game (minimum 10 games played). He's already in the upper echelon of AFL talent in that respect, which is a wild thing to contemplate considering he was taken in the mid-season draft a couple of months ago.
In a dismal one-win season, McCarthy's promise is something Eagles fans can certainly hold onto entering 2026.
