An Essendon young gun has made his first appearance in our Rookie Rankings for 2025 following another strong outing in the red and black in Round 19.
He takes Luke Trainor's spot in our top eight, with the other seven rookies in contention holding their spots from last week.
A Carlton defender had his best game in the navy Blue to earn an honourable mention, joining two Tigers and an Eagles midfielder in doing so.
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
Matt Carroll (Carlton) -
Jonty Faull (Richmond) - 11 disposals, 4 marks, 2 goals
Taj Hotton (Richmond) - 16 disposals, 2 tackles, 7 contested possessions
Clay Hall (West Coast) - 19 disposals, 5 tackles, 1 goal
7Tom McCarthy (-)
It was another performance we've come to expect from McCarthy, who tried to hold up his end of the bargain on West Coast's last line.
The Tigers took control of the game in the second half, wth the Eagles' leaky midfielder and struggles on transition too much for their rearguard.
McCarthy did what he could to find an outlet in defence, recording 18 disposals, five marks and 292 metres gained while moving the ball at 83 per cent efficiency.
Defender
Marks
Disposals
Rebound50s
He'll get his first look at a Western Derby this week, which will prove to be another test for the Eagles as they face an in-form Fremantle outfit.
