This year's finals series was one of the most exciting in recent years with upsets across the board and a grand final that will forever be talked about as one of the best in history.

But now with it all over, we have the opportunity to reflect on the players that put their foot forward and did their best to lead their team to success.

We saw match-winning performances across the four weeks of finals footy that have cemented these players as big-time players.

With the dust settling, we have selected 23 players that we say were among the best during the 2023 final series.

4. Interchange

I/C: Tom Green (GWS), Blake Acres (Carl), Josh Kelly (GWS), Josh Dunkley (BL)

Does Green get any better? Like seriously, for how young he is, he made some players look second-rate. Green is well and truly the future of the GWS and you can bet his next finals appearance will be one for the ages. Acres got the Blues into the preliminary final but not only did his hair get them there, but his desperation all over the ground showed how much he wanted to win as he booted two match-winning goals. Josh Kelly became a clearance beast for the Giants, one of the reasons why Greene and Hogan both had great finals performances. He will be another important piece of the puzzle next season. Dunkley brought the skills the Lions were looking for in previous work on both sides of the ball, giving the Lions the edge that seemed to be missing.

Substitute: Lachie Whitfield (GWS)

Whitfield was everywhere for the Giants, often being the man to take control of the ball movement. The ball-magnet was a leader for his side, spending approximately 85% on the ground. His delivery inside 50 was also top-shelf to players like Hogan.