Inarguably the most important line in football is the midfield, where the game's greatest superstars and game-changing talents position themselves.
The most likely position to win the AFL's esteemed awards, from Brownlows to Norm Smiths and club best and fairests, midfielders clean up as they roam the full field.
So, who were the 10 best midfielders in the 2025 AFL season?
Before we delve into the 10 best midfielders, here is a group of players unlucky not to be rewarded with a spot on the list.
Unlucky to miss:
Max Holmes - 26.9 disposals, 6.6 score involvements, 626.6 metres gained
Isaac Heeney - 23.6 disposals, 6.9 score involvements, 11.7 contested possessions
Andrew Brayshaw - 27.0 disposals, 5.0 clearances, 6.7 score involvements
Zach Merrett - 27.8 disposals, 3.9 clearances, 6.1 score involvements
Hugh McCluggage - 27.1 disposals, 6.0 clearances, 7.2 score involvements
Ed Richards - 26.0 disposals, 5.7 clearances, 8.3 score involvements
Tom Green - 29.7 disposals, 8.5 clearances, 7.0 score involvements
1Marcus Bontempelli
If Marcus Bontempelli played a full 23-game season in 2025, there's a good chance he would have won the Brownlow Medal, as the 30-year-old's impact was simply something to marvel at on a weekly basis.
After missing the first five rounds, Bontempelli exploded onto the scene in Round 6, tearing apart a St Kilda side who had been building momentum to that point with 30 disposals, eight clearances and 12 score involvements.
He'd follow that up with six more performances of 30 disposals or more, eight performances recording 10 score involvements or more and became the first player since Gryan Miers in 2023 to average at least 1.5 goal assists per game.
Yet, despite all those sensational figures, Bontempelli's year has flown under the radar somewhat, given the Bulldogs fell short of a finals appearance and the superstar being unable to truly compete in the Brownlow count due to his missed time.
It highlights the level of dominance that has simply come to be expected from the Bulldogs star, and it's something that should not go underappreciated. Hence, Bontempelli heads into 2026 as the AFL's best midfielder.
