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
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.
Is likely to continue to slide after suffering a foot injury last week and faces at least a month on the sidelines due to the setback.
A return date is likely to come after the Dockers' Round 14 bye, which precedes a tough run of games against the Blues, Power, Saints, Swans, Tigers, Demons and Dogs.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
Should O'Driscoll return to his best once his recuperation is concluded, there's little doubt we'll see the young wingman back in our rankings at the latter end of the year.
The Port Adelaide ruckman makes his first appearance in our rankings after a string of strong performances and honourable mentions.
In Round 9, the 22-year-old had the tough task of matching it with Kangaroos veteran Todd Goldstein, where he recorded 33 hit-outs - eight more than his direct opponent.
Hayes also recorded a game-high seven hit-outs to advantage, along with three clearances from his eight disposals.
Ruck
Hit Outs
Disposals
Tackles
The Power won the centre clearances count 15-9 thanks to some of the service Hayes was able to hand his midfielders, with the Port Adelaide big man adding to an impressive debut season.
The Ferntree Gully product will likely eye Round 10's contest with Geelong as another chance to ascend his stocks for 2022.
Missed his side's Round 9 win over the Hawks due to AFL health and safety protocols, but has runs on the board that have kept him high in our rankings.
Hit a formidable stride of form following his break in Round 5 and will hope to see a similar result come to fruition after missing out on the weekend's action.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
Should Gibcus be cleared to play in Round 10, he'll line up in the blockbuster Dreamtime clash on Saturday night and could be tasked with the job on in-form forward Peter Wright.
Another rookie who was absent from Round 9, with the Roos' young gun understood to be battling hamstring soreness.
Fingers crossed Horne-Francis isn't sidelined for another week, with the Roos needing every key player on the field on Saturday as they face the undefeated reigning premiers in Melbourne.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
Like Gibcus, Horne-Francis has enough stock from the opening eight rounds to hold his place among the top selections in our Rookie Rankings.
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.
Defender
Marks
Disposals
Rebound50s
The match will be another chance for Daicos to potentially regain his place atop our rankings, having been dethroned last week.
The Bombers' young gun holds his place at No.1 despite a disappointing evening for Essendon at the SCG in Round 9.
Martin recorded a season-low 15 disposals against the Swans, which is no mean feat for a first-year player. Martin was able to remain prolific in the Bombers' attacking ball movement, recording five score involvements and three clearances for the game.
The Western Australian also used the ball with a disposal efficiency of 86.7%, while also impacting the scoreboard with a stellar goal on his left foot from distance.
Defender
Marks
Disposals
Goals
The athletic midfield-forward will be feeling Daicos breathing down his neck after Round 9 and will see Saturday's clash with the Tigers at the MCG as a big stage to cement his place as No.1.