Crow breaks into top six as Saint moves up the order: AFL Rookie Rankings – Round 4

The opening month of the 2023 AFL season has provided us with plenty to consider for our Rookie Rankings, with the results from Round 4 seeing another change to the top six.

While the leading four names have held their place, a young Hawks midfielder falls out of the order as Adelaide's new young defender leaps into sixth.

That change has seen an exciting Saint move into fifth overall ahead of Gather Round, where we'll see the top two in our rankings go head-to-head.

Criteria: For our Rookie Rankings, we are selecting 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 prior to the 2023 season will not be considered.

I.e. Rising Star eligible players such as Sam Darcy, Finn Callaghan and Jye Amiss are ineligible, having already played an AFL match prior to Round 1, 2023. 

Note: The order of our Rookie Rankings will expand to seven players after Round 6.

Round 4 honourable mentions:
Lachie Cowan (Carlton)
Ned Moyle (Gold Coast)
Judd McVee (Melbourne)
Alwyn Davey (Essendon)

SEE: Rookie Rankings after Round 3

Max Michalanney (NEW)

The Crows' father-son selection finds himself in our top six for the first time this year after building a sturdy case for a call-up.

Michalanney has proven to be a mainstay in Adelaide's backline as an aerial threat, recording another three intercept marks and a total of 10 intercept possessions in his side's win over Fremantle.

The teenager ranks in the top 25 in the competition for both of those metrics and looms as a promising defender for the Crows' long-term plans.

With the tall task of facing Carlton's attacking tandem on the horizon for Michalanney, the young Crow will be tested as the likes of Cameron Mackenzie, Jacob van Rooyen and Lachie Cowan look to break into our rankings.

Mattaes Phillipou (+1)

Continuing to hold a key-position role in St Kilda's attack, the fourth-gamer was again a pivotal piece in Ross Lyon's plans to face the Suns.

Phillipou booted his fifth goal for the season while recording a career-high 18 possessions on Saturday night to go along with four tackles, four inside 50s, four score involvements and three intercept possessions in the win.

The energetic Saint shoots up our Rookie Rankings order as young Hawk Cameron Mackenzie makes way after a tough outing against Geelong on Monday.

Phillipou and the Saints face their biggest challenge yet this year when they go head-to-head with Collingwood to conclude Gather Round on Sunday.

Oliver Hollands (-)

Another consistent performance for the Blues winger, who was once again the player to cover the most distance in Carlton's match, taking the title in all four results to start the season.

Hollands posted 15 disposals for a team-high return of 440 metres gained, proving to be an influential presence out wide as Michael Voss looked to the teenager in the absence of Blake Acres and Sam Walsh.

That Blues duo are both in the mix to return to Carlton's side this week, but Hollands' spot is unlikely to come into question at selection.

The Blues will face Adelaide at Gather Round this week for what will be another tough test as they look to extend their unbeaten run.

Reuben Ginbey (-)

Arguably the most difficult performance for the young Eagles bull, who was forced to take on a bigger workload in the absence of his star teammates against a well-oiled Melbourne machine.

Ginbey came away from the game with 14 disposals, five tackles and three clearances to his name as fatigue looked to take its toll on the teenager late into the outing.

The big-bodied onballer has plenty of runs on the board to hold his spot in third place in our Rookie Rankings, having led the league in tackles up until this past weekend. His tally of five tackles keeps him among the top five in the AFL for the metric after the opening month.

Eagles coach Adam Simpson stated he may need to manage Ginbey's minutes after a heavy first four games, with the young West Coast ball-winner potentially missing this week's trip to Adelaide to face Geelong.

Will Ashcroft (-)

The inside midfielder was the Lions' leading disposal winner on their way to handing Collingwood their first loss of the season, collecting 26 possessions on Thursday night.

Ashcroft would also come away from the 33-point win with five clearances, six inside 50s, five score involvements and 11 contested possessions to his name.

A balanced effort for the father-son gun, who has only strengthened his spot in second place, but still has some catching up to do to claim top spot.

A matchup against North Melbourne and Harry Sheezel at Gather Round this week could see Ashcroft close the gap on Sheezel at top spot.

Harry Sheezel (-)

Another 37 possessions for the young Roo sees him not only hold his place atop our rankings with some comfort but also amass a V/AFL record for the most disposals from any player's first four games at 127.

Starting his career in defence has been a big plus for Sheezel and North Melbourne, who have looked to rely on the teenager as their go-to outlet from their defensive 50.

The AJAX product again moved the ball at over 80 per cent efficiency in his side's defeat to Carlton, while also collecting eight contested possessions and five marks for his efforts.

Sheezel will face his former Sandringham and Vic Metro teammate in Will Ashcrfot this week, a match that may see the gap between first and second in our Rookie Rankings open wider should the young Roo continue to dominate.