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.
4Justin McInerney
All-Australian talk hasn't been met without many mentioning the name of Justin McInerney and what he has done for Sydney so far. In the absence of Errol Gulden, McInerney has stepped up and kept his side among the competition's elite, with his staggering kicking ability and composure being a bright spot that complements Sydney's passage play brilliantly.
