Nearing the halfway point of the season, many players across the league have taken their game to the next level and continue to improve into integral players for their club's success.
Unlike many other professional leagues around the world, the AFL has no current award or accolade for a Most Improved Player, which made me want to rank the players who have improved the most this season compared to last year.
I'll be judging improvement based on eye test, an uptick in stats, and growth in their respective roles for the club. Note that this is ranking them based on their level of improvement, not the players' form themselves.
Players like Christian Petracca and Will Hayward will miss the cut since their improvement in play is more measured by playing for a different club.
10Finn O'Sullivan
The rise of North Melbourne from finally crawling out of the bottom five has come alongside the improvement of their top draft pick from last season. O'Sullivan hasn't been fully restricted to his tagger role and has had more freedom in North's midfield, possessing a unique toughness and contested game that is very unique for a player his age.
