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...
747th - Tom Stewart
2024 rank: 10
Tom Stewart had a down year by his standards in 2025, which resulted in a significant drop from his 2024 heights. Yet, he still excelled when in possession of the Sherrin, recording an equal league best kicking efficiency of 89 per cent (minimum of 15 games played).
Just a few more accurate kicks and Stewart would have recorded just the second season of kicking efficiency above 90 per cent since 2012, still only achieved by Jordan Ridley in 2023.
However, despite fewer possessions than previous seasons, averaging just 18.6 disposals per game, Stewart recorded 2.2 score launches per game, the most since his premiership season in 2022.
In fact, two-thirds of Stewart's score involvements come from chains he started, highlighting his position deep in Geelong's defence and how effective he is at generating scoring opportunities from there. It's an underrated facet of his game, considering just how dominant he is as a loose defender inside the back 50-metre arc.
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.