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
5Finn O'Sullivan (-)
The Roos' Pick 2 selection had a strong performance on Saturday against the Swans despite the loss, looking to offer some dash from defence.
O'Sullivan had 20 touches, nine marks and seven contested possessions, often coming up against a difficult Swans midfield to pierce.
It was a game that showed why O'Sullivan has been thrust into defence to start his career, with the top draft selection looking to alleviate the workload on fellow early picks Harry Sheezel and Colby McKercher.
Defender
Marks
Disposals
Rebound50s
The Roos' hopes of another win don't get easier this weekend with a meeting to come against Geelong on Saturday night.
