Demon makes return, Roo drops: AFL Rookie Rankings – Round 17

Our Rookie Rankings are in after Round 17, with a young Demons defender returning to our top eight for the first time since the opening week of the season.

A Sun and Crow have swapped spots for the second week in a row, while a young Roo has fallen one spot after not playing over the weekend.

A Tigers debutant and Saints forward were among those to pick up honourable mentions from Round 17.

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

Round 17 Honourable Mentions:
Sam Banks
Anthony Caminiti
Cooper Harvey

Judd McVee (NEW)

After featuring in our Rookie rankings through the early rounds of the year, McVee makes his way back into our race thanks to his consistency in the red and blue.

The Western Australian has played in all 16 matches so far this season for Simon Goodwin's side, often holding a role ahead of Michael Hibberd and Jake Bowey at half-back.

Known to go head-to-head with some of the opposition's best forward threats, McVee has stood tall in his debut year after biding his time at VFL level prior to 2023.

The Demons and McVee have a monumental match coming up in Round 18 as they host Brisbane at the MCG on Friday night.

George Wardlaw (-1)

The young Roos onballer was managed for his side's trip to Geelong, having played six matches at senior level since his Round 10 debut after building his workloads due to an injury-interrupted past 12 months.

Wardlaw falls one place in our rankings due to his absence on-field, however, a return this week against Hawthorn presents as the prime opportunity for No.4 pick to move back into our top 6.

With a young Hawk now ahead of him in our Rookie Rankings, a strong outing at Marvel Stadium on Sunday will likely see Wardlaw back in the race for a top-five spot.

Seamus Mitchell (+1)

It wasn't the afternoon the Hawks had in mind when they started off slow against the Giants, but Sam Mitchell's side was able to steer themselves back into the fight to fall by just 13 points after a late run for the win.

Mitchell was again at his consistent best across the half-backline for the Hawks, offering his dash and agility to record another 20-disposal performance.

After surpassing Wardlaw for the sixth spot following the weekend's results, Mitchell will now be looking to swoop on a top-five spot when Hawthorn and North Melbourne clash in Round 18.

Reuben Ginbey (-)

Ginbey was unable to have the same impact we've seen from him this year when his side came up against the Lions at the Gabba on Saturday, with Brisbane's engine room dominant from the offset.

The young Eagle managed a dozen disposals (seven contested) to go with three clearances and three tackles in his rotating role through midfield.

Ginbey finds himself with some space between sixth and fourth and looks unlikely to be moving from his current spot for the time being.

Max Michalanney (-1)

Adelaide's promising young defender had his hands full on Sunday as the Crows conceded a plethora of forward 5o entries, with Michalanney needing to tame Bomber Kyle Langford on Sunday afternoon.

With Langford having eight kilograms over Michalanney, the Essendon forward was too strong and explosive for the teenager on his way to booting three goals in a must-win match.

Michalanney has built an impressive debut campaign in taking the scalp of some of the competition's best smaller-to-medium-sized attackers, with his matchup against Langford among the very few efforts that have seen the father-son pick on the losing side of the fight.

The Crows, who are looking to hold their place in the finals race, will welcome GWS to Adelaide Oval this weekend, with Michalanney potentially taking on the challenge of taming Toby Greene.

Bailey Humphrey (+1)

After falling one spot last week, 'The Bear' moves back into the top three for his efforts against Port Adelaide in Round 17.

Humphrey managed 12 touches and a goal against the Power on the road, with the Moe junior again a common feature among Stuart Dew's midfield pack.

The young Sun would end Saturday night with seven contested touches and a nice highlight after running down Brownlow fancy Zak Butters in a gripping tackle.

The Suns return to Carrara this weekend to host St Kilda as they look to remain in race for a place in the top eight.

Harry Sheezel (-)

Sheezel was kept to 15 touches against Geelong in Round 17, with that tally likely to be a season-high for most others from his draft class.

Instead, the game saw Sheezel record his second-lowest haul for possessions from his 16 games so far, with his impact on the proceedings limited due to Geelong's dominance across all three lines of the field.

Currently on a 14-game losing run, North Melbourne has a chance to snap their drought this week when they host the Hawks at Docklands on Sunday.

Will Ashcroft (-)

The Rising Star favourite was arguably Brisbane's best midfielder in their 81-point thumping of the West Coast Eagles, with Ashcroft collecting 28 disposals at an efficiency rate of 96.4%.

The father-son pickup would amass 11 contested possessions, seven tackles and seven clearances in the win, showing his ball-winning acumen in the absence of Josh Dunkley.

The Lions are currently on a four-game winning streak and will have their form tested on Friday when they travel to the MCG to face Melbourne.