This weekend's action has seen a new face emerge into our top six Rookie Rankings for the 2022 season, with a young Port Adelaide ruckman making his first appearance.
With several of the season's top rookies were absent from Round 9, little movement ensued among the top, however Crow Josh Rachele has fallen out of the top six after a quiet past month.
Saint Marcus Windhager was emphatic after coming onto the field as the medical sub in the Saints' win over Geelong, while Giant Cooper Hamilton and Bomber Ben Hobbs also earned honourable mentions from the weekend.
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.
VIEW: ROUND 8 RANKINGS
Round 9 Honourable Mentions
Cooper Hamilton (GWS Giants)
19 disposals, 257 metres gained, 84.2 disposal efficiency
A season-high 19 possessions in his third AFL game, with Hamilton continuing to play a hard-nosed defensive role for the Giants. Is contending closely with top draftee Finn Callaghan as the club's best first-year player.
Marcus Windhager (St Kilda)
15 disposals, seven score involvements, 86.7 disposal efficiency
Was arguably the standout rookie of the weekend after starting as the medical sub against the Cats before having a significant impact on the game with just 56% time on ground. Another performance like Saturday's will see Windhager among the top six in our rankings.
Ben Hobbs (Essendon)
17 disposals, one goal, three clearances, five marks
Added to his impressive Round 8 game against the Hawks with another strong outing on the weekend, albeit in a damning loss to the Swans. Has looked to have locked his spot in Ben Rutten's 22.
2. Nick Daicos (-)
The father-son gun continues to impress and is showing no signs of slowing down, recording another 20+ disposal outing against the Bulldogs on Friday night.
Daicos returned to a role at half-back for the Magpies as they search for their fifth win of the season, now outside of the top eight following consecutive losses.
They'll face another tough test on Sunday when they travel to Optus Stadium to face the Dockers, who will be looking to bounce back from their upset loss at the hands of the Suns.
The match will be another chance for Daicos to potentially regain his place atop our rankings, having been dethroned last week.
