With the 2024 season in the rear-view mirror, it's time to list the cream of the crop of AFLย talent.
We've compiled a list of the top 50 players in the competition, assessing each candidate on a subjective mix of their 2024 production, career pedigree and future projections.
Ranking an exclusive list ofย AFL stars has never been more difficult. Each team is littered with candidates on all lines, and different players press their case for All-Australian recognition every week.
A plethora of genuine stars have not even made the cut inside the top 50, a handful of names have been included despite interrupted campaigns, while a few have been featured ahead of their time.
SEE:ย TOP 50 AFTER 2024 (50-41)
SEE: TOP 50 AFTER 2024 (40-31)
SEE: TOP 50 AFTER 2024 (30-21)
SEE: TOP 50 AFTER 2024 (20-11)
Here is the final edition (10-1) of our top 50 AFLย players right now...
1. Marcus Bontempelli
Yet to win a Brownlow in his career or reach the premiership pinnacle since 2016, Marcus Bontempelli still reigns supreme as the best player in the game.
There is no skill in the game that 'The Bont' doesn't do at an elite level, he is a 194cm midfielder who dominates inside the contest, outside the contest, in the air, at ground level, forward or back.
Accordingly, he ranks as one of the league's best contested possession winners, inside 50 kickers, scoring contributors and tacklers. He is a notably proficient contested marker, capable of roaming forward as a key target or holding down the fort as a defensively-minded midfielder.
In 2024, he added a sixth best and fairest, a sixth All-Australian (with captaincy honours), a third Leigh Matthews AFLPA MVP and an AFLPA Best Captain Award, adding to a prolific cabinet of performance and leadership honours that makes him the greatest Bulldog history.
