Opening Round is etching ever closer as we hit the second half of our top 50 players list of 2024. This week we're looking through spots 30-21.

Rather than naming the best performers of 2023 or the top players entering Opening Round, this list will look at the best players currently with some projections as to how they may rank at the end of the year.

Many established stars made the cut in our last edition but may have been ranked lower than expected.

As we reach the cream of the crop in the top 30, the scope of talent in our league becomes glaringly apparent, with a host of top tier All-Australians and even Brownlow contenders featuring outside the top 20.

PART I: BEST PLAYERS OF 2024 (50-41)
PART II: BEST PLAYERS OF 2024 (40-31)

6. 25 - Zach Merrett

Zach Merrett is putting together the resume as one of the great Bomber midfielders of the century behind James Hird and Jobe Watson, but with no team success to show for it.

He has averaged over 25 disposals every year since 2016 and racked up 127 Brownlow votes in this period.

It's hard to pinpoint a career-best year for the Bombers captain given his consistency, but 2023 was not far off.

AFL Rd 13 - Essendon v Richmond
DARWIN, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 22: Zach Merrett of the Bombers kicks the ball during the round 13 AFL match between the Essendon Bombers and the Richmond Tigers at TIO Stadium on August 22, 2020 in Darwin, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

He seemingly adds a new layer to his game with every season, fine-tuning any weaknesses that exist.

He has grown into one of the competition's most prolific ball winners, smoothest users and tenacious tacklers. Fans can expect this to continue in 2024 regardless of Essendon's performance as a whole.