The seventh week of the AFL season saw a number of recruits live up to their pre-season hype as the power rankings begin to take shape.
A new leader has emerged out of the Bulldogs midfield, while three mainstay defenders solidify their positions in the top eight after big weekends.
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 7 giving us plenty to consider.
2. Bailey Smith (-1)
The Cats superstar has been knocked off his perch after two weeks at the top despite putting together another fantastic ball-winning display in Geelong's poor loss to Carlton on Sunday afternoon.
Smith tallied another 29 disposals and kicked an important goal in Geelong's fourth quarter surge, but ultimately his - and Geelong's as a whole - ineffectiveness with foot skills will haunt him and the Cats as they look back on this game, Smith going at 47% kicking efficiency.
His elite work rate keeps him high in the rankings, however, as his 32 pressure acts - 21 being in the defensive half - and nine tackles played a significant role in keeping Geelong in a game where they very easily could have lost by more. It's hard not to love Smith's improvement in this area of his game, ranking tied-ninth amongst midfielders for one-percenters this season and posting career highs in almost every defensive statistical department.
