Four of the top seven in our Rookie Rankings have swapped spots after Round 9's events, with the top three remaining the same for another week.
An Eagles tackling machine has jumped two spots, while two Blues have both fallen in our rankings after Carlton's loss to the Bulldogs.
An unprecedented five players earned honourable mentions for the weekend, with Sun Bailey Humphrey, Demon Jacob van Rooyen and Hawk Seamus Mitchell all pressing for top seven spots after strong performances.
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,ย Finn Callaghanย andย Jye Amissย are ineligible, having already played anย AFL match prior to Round 1, 2023.ย
Round 8 Honourable Mentions
Bailey Humphrey (Gold Coast)
Seamus Mitchell (Hawthorn)
Josh Weddle (Hawthorn)
Jacob van Rooyen (Melbourne)
Arthur Jones (Western Bulldogs)
2. Will Ashcroft (-)
It was another performance where Ashcroft effortlessly handled the task of elite level football, coming up against Essendon's talented midfield tandem and only strengthening his case for top spot in our Rookie Rankings.
The Lions' prized father-son young gun ended the night with 28 disposals, seven marks, four clearances and four tackles in the seven-goal win over the Bombers to rank among Brisbane's top performers.
Ashcroft's Round 9 efforts see the midfielder's season averages rise to 22.7 disposals, 3.7 clearances and 3.4 marks for the season.
Midfield
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
The Lions will face state rivals Gold Coast at the Gabba on Saturday night, with Ashcroft a chance to take out the Marcus Ashcroft Medal - named after his father for the player seen best afield in the QClash.
