Welcome to Zero Hanger's top 50 player rankings for 2025 - a list based primarily on a player's 2025 production in addition to their career pedigree and future projections.
The bar is as high as ever to impact as an AFL footballer consistently, let alone to a star level. All-Australian discussions are in constant debate as several guns often find themselves snubbed from proper recognition.
Here is the penultimate edition (20-11) of our top 50 AFL players of 2025...
READ: PART 1 (50-41)
READ: PART 2 (40-31)
READ: PART 3 (30-21)
13th - Hugh McCluggage
2024 rank: 33
In the successful premiership defence, perhaps no other Lion made a bigger contribution all year than Hugh McCluggage.
McCluggage finally was rewarded with an All-Australian blazer in 2025 and it's obvious to see why - 27.1 disposals, 6.0 clearances and 7.2 score involvements per game is just scratching the surface of his measurable impact.
His level of stardom was best seen in the 2025 Finals Series, however. After being well and truly frustrated by Geelong tagger Oisin Mullin in the qualifying final, McCluggage exacted revenge in the most dominant way possible three weeks later, wreaking havoc on the Cats midfield and defence with an explosive 26 disposals and four goals to help Brisbane claim the premiership.
