Pie back in pole position, Saint makes maiden appearance: AFL Rookie Rankings

We're nearing the halfway mark of the season and our Rookie Rankings continue to shift at the top.

The Round 10 results have seen another change in pole position, while a young Saint has broken into the top six for the first time this season, taking the placing of an injured Docker.

A young Tiger has further risen in our rankings, while a Bomber had arguably his worst performance of the season.

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 2022 season will not be considered.

I.e. players like Jai Newcombe, Jake Bowey, Corey Durdin and Sam De Koning are ineligible. 

VIEW: ROUND 9 RANKINGS

Round 10 Honourable Mentions

Ben Hobbs (Essendon)
10 disposals, two goals, three tackles, 90% disposal efficiency

A tough night for the Bombers, but their young draftee stood tall on several occasions to be their only multiple goalkicker.

Jake Soligo (Adelaide)
19 disposals, one goal, eight contested possessions

A strong performance for the young Crow, playing forward and linking up in multiple avenues to goal.

Sam Butler (Hawthorn)
Nine disposals, two goals, five score involvements

A memorable first win in the brown and gold for Butler, booting two goals as the Hawks claimed the upset of the weekend with a win over Brisbane in Tasmania.

Marcus Windhager (NEW)

Windhager makes his maiden appearance in our Rookie Rankings in place of Docker Nathan O'Drsicoll, who's sideline for the coming month with a foot injury and has now missed the past two rounds.

Following on from an impressive medical sub stint last week against Geelong, the St Kilda youngster was handed a starting gig against the Crows and once again didn't look out of place in the top flight.

Ended his night with 15 touches, four score involvements and three clearances. It's not a stat line to write home about, but consecutive strong outings have landed Windhager a few runs on the board.

Will face North Melbourne this week in what may be an opportune chance to add to his growing rookie campaign and further ascend his place in our standings.

Sam Hayes (-)

The Port Adelaide ruckman notched up another 35 hit-outs to bring his season average above 30 taps per game.

Coming up against a smaller Geelong outfit was certainly a benefit for Hayes, who tussled with in-form Cat Mark Blicavs and was admirable in his efforts.

Also recorded 10 touches, five clearances, a disposal efficiency of 90% along with seven hit-outs to advantage.

Port Adelaide and Hayes will turn their attention to the Bombers on Sunday, with a matchup against Sam Draper sure to test the Power youngster.

Jason Horne-Francis (-1)

Made his return from injury against the reigning premiers on Saturday, showing plenty of grit and fight as a hard-nosed onballer for the Roos.

Was once again among North Melbourne's top clearance and contested possession winners, collecting four and 10 respectively.

Amassed 17 possessions, laid three tackles and booted a goal whoile matching the physicality of Melbourne's star-studded midfield.

Will likely line up against an improving St Kilda engine room next week, with a bout against fellow contested ball-winner Marcus Windhager on the cards.

Josh Gibcus (+1)

Has continued to stand tall in defence, playing a relied-upon role for Damien Hardwick both on the back foot and with ball-in-hand.

Was given some relief with the return of senior lockdown defender Robbie tarrant, with Gibcus lining up on Aaron Francis for most of the night and limiting the Bomber to just four disposals.

The teenaged Tiger collected 12 disposals, seven intercepts, seven contested possessions and only lost one contested one-on-one encounter against Essendon.

The Tigers will head top Sydney this week for their clash with the Swans, with Gibcus closing his game on the top two of our rankings.

Nic Martin (-1)

Had perhaps his most disappointing performance to date, at times finding himself isolated away from the contest in a wide role on the sizeable MCG turf.

Still managed to collect 19 disposals, but was often limited in impact as Richmond applied waves of pressure on Essendon's midfield pack.

The margin between Martin and the top spot is minuscule, but a lowly outing in Round 10 has seen the Bombers' bargain recruit fall from the mantle.

With Essendon hungry for a win, Martin has the chance to bounce back into top place when the Dons travel to South Australia to face the Power on Sunday.

Nick Daicos (+1)

Consistency has been key for the Magpies' young gun, who once again played his role and finds himself back in pole position.

Daicos has rekindled his best brand of football in returning to a half-back flank, using his precision passing and ability to win the ball to the betterment of his side.

Added 23 disposals to his season tally, while also recording six contested possessions, three clearances, six intercepts and went at a disposal efficiency of 73.9 in the wet.

Facing arch-rivals Carlton in Round 11, Daicos will return to the big stage as he looks to defend his No.1 placing in our Rookie Rankings.