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.
We have accumulated who we believe are the league's best of the best, but before it is unveiled, here is a list of players who just missed the cut:
Unlucky to miss:
Patrick Cripps
Josh Daicos
Nick Vlastuin
Darcy Cameron
Gryan Miers
Touk Miller
George Hewett
Shai Bolton
Josh Worrell
Josh Battle
Here is the first edition (50-41) of our top 50 AFL players right now...
949th - Errol Gulden
2024 rank: 13
Errol Gulden only featured in 10 games for Sydney this year, which has resulted in him just scraping inside the top 50. Still, when the 23-year-old returned to the field in Round 15 from an ankle injury, he quickly proved why he should be considered among the league's elite.
The Swans went 7-3 with Gulden in the lineup, indicating his sensational impact for this team, as he recorded 25 or more disposals in six of those matches, backing up his 2023 and 2024 campaigns, which saw him tally 53 Brownlow Medal votes.
Gulden averaged 26.6 disposals per game at 71.4% efficiency overall, both near career-bests, and was demonstrative on the scoreboard, averaging 6.3 score involvements. Only Isaac Heeney averaged more for the Swans in 2025 (6.9).
You have to wonder how these lists are compiled. What do they look for? Clearly it is the flashy players. Collingwood played in the Preliminary Final despite only having 2 players in the top 50. Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs and Melbourne had, apparently, more of the best players in the competition but couldn’t even make the finals. Go figure.