Five of the seven spots in Zero Hanger's Rookie Rankings have moved, with a North Melbourne youngster making his first appearance for the year.
Roo Finn O'Sullivan has come into the order in place of St Kilda's Max Hall, who had a quieter week against the Western Bulldogs.
Essendon's Zak Johnson might be one more solid game away from breaking into our Rookie Rankings, while West Coast's Tom McCarthy put in one of the best performances of the year for any first-year player in his debut showing.
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.Â
Round 14 Honourable Mentions
Matt Carroll (Carlton) - 16 disposals, 305 metres gained, 6 intercept possessions
Tom McCarthy (West Coast) -Â 31 disposals, 9 intercept possessions, 1 goal assist
Zak Johnson (Essendon) - 29 disposals, 8 marks, 459 metres gained
Bo Allan (West Coast) - 14 disposals, 4 marks, 5 contested possessions
1Levi Ashcroft (-)
It wasn't a glowing performance from Ashcroft over the weekend, but as has been the case in recent weeks, he has enough runs on the board to hold the No.1 spot in our rankings.
The Lions midfielder still managed 11 disposals and three marks in Saturday's loss to GWS, with the teenager at times having to go one-on-one with GWS tall Harry Himmelberg out on the wing.
A matchup with the Cats on their home deck will be a stage for Ashcroft to return to his best form as the other six rookies look to close the gap.
Midfield
Disposals
Clearances
Marks
A bye will follow for the Lions before we hit the home stretch of our rookie race.
