Round 3 of the AFL season has continued to prove the importance of the free agency and trade periods, as several off-season recruits have continued to stand out as major game breakers for their respective new teams.
As St Kilda continue to win, their newest midfield hero emerges as the competition's best recruit thus far, while two new names crack into the top eight after stellar performances over the weekend's action.
So, who's making the most impact in their new colours? Welcome to the weekly ranking of the Recruit of the Year contenders for 2025, with Round 3 giving us plenty to consider.
Selection criteria: Only players who were on an AFL playing list at a different club in the prior season will be considered as recruits in these rankings.
1. Jack Macrae (+1)
Three votes, Jack Macrae? It took St Kilda about two and a half quarters, but they eventually crushed the lowly Tigers on Saturday afternoon, and once again, at the centre of it all was star off-season pickup Macrae. Three games in and three 30+ disposal performances later, it is hard to deny the impact of Macrae on the Saints team, especially as he becomes surrounded by more talent each week, with key pieces returning for St Kilda from injuries.
It's not just fantasy stats that have landed Macrae the number one spot. 18 of his 31 disposals against Richmond were contested, his 11 ground ball gets leading the game. He also won a game-high nine clearances, was involved in twelve scores and laid six tackles.
And sure, it could be argued these happened against Richmond, one of the worst teams in the league, but Macrae was arguably better than this against Geelong last week.
His ability to win the football is the best in the league at the moment and actually makes an impact on the scoreboard. While he leads the league in contested possessions and ground ball gets, he is also the only non-forward in the top 10 for forward 50 ground ball gets (fifth with 3.3 per game). This helps explain his ranking as second in the AFL in score involvements per game (9.7), contributing to over a third of St Kilda's scores (36.3%).
Jack Macrae is evidently leading the Saints on an unprecedented march towards September and it's why he now ranks as the best recruit of 2025 so far.
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