19 players made the 44-man All-Australian team for the first time in 2024, suggesting they took their game to the next level.
So, who could be primed to do the same in 2025?
In no particular order, here are 10 players who have the opportunity to take the next big step over the coming 12 months.
The Bulldogs' NGA product has been thereabouts for a few years now after struggling to make an impact in his first couple of years at the Dogs. People anticipated he could be the next Buddy Franklin but he has only ever shown that potential at times throughout his career.
Last season was a good sign for the forward, who kicked 43 goals and led the Bulldogs in that statistic. At times he looked like a genuine key forward who could break open a pack and take a contested mark, which is starting to happen more consistently.
He converted just 55% of his shots at goal and if he can fix these goalkicking woes, even just marginally, it will have an immediate impact on the stat sheet.
For Ugle-Hagan to take the next step he would need to kick 50+ goals and look to make an All-Australian team to boot.
The 23-year-old half-back flanker really hit his straps this year, seeing a jump in all key statistics. Rivers was the Dees' first choice to fill the hole in their midfield that Christian Petracca left when he went down halfway through the season.
Rivers will likely slot right into the back six once again when Petracca returns next season but they have seemingly unearthed a replacement for Clayton Oliver should he too need replacing at some stage.
The purple patch of form that Rivers found towards the end of the season will hopefully carry over into next season regardless of which position he plays in. An All-Australian season might be asking a bit too much of a jump from Rivers but it would be no surprise to see him rise to a new level next season in a Nick Blakey-type of role, rebounding off half-back as a damaging distributor.
The departure of Matt Owies from Carlton leaves a small forward hole in the Blues team that Jesse Motlop seems primed to fill. Motlop has played three seasons in the league with the latest being undeniably his least efficient.
In 2023 it seemed as though he was set to take the next step into 2024 but he only managed to kick six goals in six games. But with Owies gone, he will be the focal point at ground level to clean up Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay's crumbs.
Motlop managed 24 goals in 2023, so to see him reach 35-45 goals in 2025 shouldn't be out of the question if he can stay healthy. But equally as important is that he needs to be able to apply forward pressure. Too often opposing teams did not feel the heat playing against the Blues, especially when transitioning out of defence.
As the Lions search for their replacement for the early retirement of Joe Daniher the answer could be right in front of them. They are big shoes to fill for a player in his second year, but kicking 24 goals in 19 games in 2024 suggests that Morris has a very high ceiling.
There is a possibility that with Daniher in the team it gave somebody like Morris room to move, and with Daniher now gone Morris presumably takes the opposing team's second-best defender.
But if Morris is able to fight through the extra attention, he has the potential to jump straight past Eric Hipwood and become the Lion's number one forward sooner rather than later.
Arguably the biggest move of the 2024 trade period, Smith going to Geelong opens up so many options for him to blow past what his production was at the Bulldogs.
It is no secret that Smith was not happy with the amount of midfield time he was receiving under Luke Beveridge and it seems quite clear that those issues will be resolved at the Cats.
Playing a majority of midfield minutes in a team where he will now likely be the best ball-winner should do wonders for his game. Depending on how he comes back from his ACL injury, if Smith can do some of the things he did for the Bulldogs on a more regular basis at the Cats, there is no telling how much he will be able to improve in this environment.
Throughout his career, it has become clear that Max King's output depends on how long he can stay healthy. The one season he played more than 20 games was the one season he managed to kick more than 50 goals.
If King manages to stay healthy for the 2025 season it is reasonable to assume that he will improve out of sight from his output in 2024. Plus, with Tim Membrey departing the Saints, it clears the forward line for King to become the absolute focal point of their system.
The one worry is that if King continues trending as he did last season, his goalkicking issues could even still prevent him from reaching the 50-goal mark, regardless of whether he stays healthy.
For everything to fall into place for King, he would need to maintain good health and address his goalkicking problems. If he does, he's in for a big season.
It was only McKercher's first year in the league so it is only natural that he should improve from here, but the level at which he played suggests that he could become a prolific force in the league next season.
He averaged just under 24 disposals a game playing off half-back, an addition to the team that allowed not only McKercher to thrive but also helped allow young star Harry Sheezel to move off half-back and increase his centre bounce attendances from 5% in 2023 to 31% in 2024.
His confidence will grow and his game with it, and if the Kangaroos can move up the ladder and not face as many heavy defeats as they did last season, McKercher's impact will be felt.
The Roos have locked down a reliable midfield group and the forward line is shaping up nicely. If McKercher can help spearhead the defence it may be the final piece of the puzzle for North.
Starved of midfield opportunity at GWS, Perryman's move to Collingwood opens up a number of opportunities for the 25-year-old to slot in and star for the Pies. The Collingwood midfield is ageing and has had injury troubles, so the addition of Perryman should add some consistency.
Alongside Nick Daicos, Perryman should find himself as a regular midfielder and add some stability to the group. It will allow him to win more of the ball and see his average of 18 disposals a game significantly increase.
Since he entered the league in 2022, Finn Callaghan's output has been steadily improving. But 2024 really saw him turn heads as a big-bodied powerful midfielder and it seems as though he is really coming into his own in the league.
Callaghan is on the cusp of becoming a star and last season was a telling sign that he is almost there. His contract will expire at the end of 2025, and with the Saints supposedly looming, he is primed to become one of the biggest improvers for the next season and will gain an equal amount of attention.
Macrae was a player who had clearly fallen out of favour with Luke Beveridge, starting as the sub four times over his 19 games and playing significantly fewer midfield minutes than what he is used to.
Macrae was once an elite ball winner and is a three-time All Australian, but his lack of pace just clearly did not fit what the Bulldogs were trying to achieve.
His move to St Kilda should allow him to flourish once again. He is only 30 years old and should have some good years left in him, even showing signs of form in his last season at the Dogs with a 30-disposal game.
It seems unlikely that St Kilda would recruit a player like Macrae to play out of position as he was doing with the Dogs, so expect his impact to rise along with his midfield minutes.