The top five from last week's Rookie Rankings has undergone sweeping changes, with a new name taking pole position while another fresh face breaking in.
A young Docker has been usurped for the top spot, while a mature-aged Swan has jumped two places for his Gather Round performance.
Melbourne's Harvey Langford is continuing to build a case for a top-five spot, while No.1 pick Sam Lalor falls out of our rankings due to missing Round 5 through injury and the form of others.
Our Rookie Rankings will extend to a top six after Round 6, with a new rung to be added every half-dozen weeks.
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.
Round 5 Honourable Mentions:
Tom Gross (West Coast) - 18 disposals, four marks, three tackles
Harvey Langford (Melbourne) - 23 disposals, eight contested possessions, three clearances
Max Hall (St Kilda) - 17 disposals, one goal
Finn O'Sullivan (North Melbourne) - 15 disposals, 365 metres gained, 80 per cent disposal efficiency
Tom Hanily (Sydney) - 11 disposals, two goals, 90 per cent efficiency
The Dogs wingman drops from third to fifth while having a solid outing at Norwood Oval on Saturday afternoon, coming away from the 21-point loss with 14 disposals, four marks and a goal.
Five of those possessions were contested as Davidson looked to adapt to the narrow dimensions, while he managed to find space on the transition.
Perhaps due to the performances of others, Davidson dropped a pair of placings in our Rookie Rankings, with the entire top five closely contested.
Davidson will find himself susceptible to falling out of what will become a top six next week, with the aforementioned Langford and Lalor, among others, certainly in the mix to move in.
The Richmond defender gets his breakthrough into our rankings, which has been a long time coming given his consistency across his five games in the yellow and black.
Trainor's past fortnight has been exceptional, with the intercepting backman having a strong day out in the Barossa on Sunday to earn his spot at fourth overall.
The Sandringham Dragons product amassed 22 disposals, 10 marks and over 400 metres gained against the Dockers.
While the Tigers suffered a heavy loss, Trainor remained a balanced operator down back and could benefit from the potential return of Noah Balta this week.
The Swans' mature-ager was again a key mover of the ball out of Dean Cox's defence, going at an efficiency rate of 90 per cent for a return of 466 metres gained.
Bice ended his evening against Collingwood with 21 disposals and seven marks to follow his breakout Round 4 performance, with the pair of performances lifting him onto the podium in our Rookie Rankings.
There looks to be a bit of a jump between third and second; however, with Bice needing a lot to go his way to rise further next week.
Sydney will take on Port Adelaide on Sunday as they return to New South Wales, with Bice likely to maintain his role as an attacking avenue from the back half.
The Fremantle forward falls a spot after claiming the lead two weeks ago, with the form of an old teammate hard to see Reid retain pole position.
Reid only narrowly falls to second, having put forward a dominant start to his maiden season compared to most others from his draft class.
The Pick 17 selection added nine disposals, four clearances, three tackles and a goal to his season tally over the weekend against Richmond.
Fremantle will suit up against Melbourne this coming weekend in what shapes as a chance for Reid to take back the top spot.
The Brisbane father-son gun has been as consistent as many to start his AFL career, with his latest performance against the Western Bulldogs arguably his best.
Ashcroft managed 22 disposals, six marks, eight score involvements, 433 metres gained and a goal on the wing in the comeback win over the Dogs.
The Lions midfielder returns to the top after first holding the lead at the end of Round 2, with his former Sandringham Dragons teammate Reid taking his place in recent weeks.
Brisbane will look to extend their winning ways on Thursday against Collingwood when the Ashcroft brothers take on the Daicos duo of Nick and Josh.
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