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
1Levi Ashcroft (-)
The Brisbane wingman has one hand firmly on the Rookie of the Year title after arguably his best game of the year on Friday night.
His older brother stole the show, but Levi was a constant threat out wide and in attack, recording two goals from his 18 disposals and six marks.
The Lions teenager has slotted into a wide midfield role with ease in his debut campaign, which has impressed given he was drafted as an inside ball-winner.
Midfield
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
Ashcroft will get his second look at a QClash this weekend, this time at Carrara, with his brother, Will, taking out the best-afield award earlier this year, which is named after their dad.
