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)
Here is the fourth edition (20-11) of our top 50 AFLย players right now...
20 - Chad Warner
The 'Chad' will garner the attention of a top-five player in the competition as long as he remains unsigned beyond next season. While he's not at that level yet, his 2024 campaign was a giant leap in the right direction.
He kicked 35 goals for the season as a midfielder and went through patches of the season looking like a dad toying with schoolyard kids.
He was rewarded with All-Australian recognition and looked to be bringing this form to an eventual premiership run after his inspired fourth-quarter performance in Sydney's thrilling Qualifying Final victory over GWS.
Unfortunately, the Grand Final defeat put a sour final note on the entire 2024 campaign for Sydney, with Warner's contract now under the microscope heading into 2025.
19 - Jason Horne-Francis
After only his third season, Horne-Francis clearly looks like the generational talent that will lead the Power through their next period of success, even with Zak Butters and Connor Rozee roaming through the same midfield.
Not only was he their most explosive midfielder in 2024, he was also their best forward, kicking 27 goals for the season, including clutch majors, often finding himself in one-on-one contests inside 50 and winning most of them.
Should his growth at Alberton continue in its current projection, this 21-year-old could shoot into the top 10 of this list and find himself a genuine Brownlow contender in 2025.
18 - Harry Sheezel
Sheezel's career in the AFL so far is taking on a similar mould to fellow youngster Nick Daicos, albeit on a bottom-dwelling team.
He displayed some unicorn traits in 2024, impacting games on every positional line, roaming off half-back, competing in the middle, or thriving as a key target up forward, the kid can do it all.
His 29.8 disposal average in 2024 is clearly impressive, but his statistical production doesn't do justice to his impact on this North Melbourne side.
He is a match-winner and a ship-steadier who operates with Pendlebury-like composure and will be a top-tier AFL player for the next 15 years.
17 - Harris Andrews
Arguably robbed of an All-Australian spot in 2024, Harris Andrews was still one of the highest achievers in the league this season, earning premiership captaincy honours in Brisbane's Grand Final triumph over Sydney.
Without much key defensive help in Brisbane's backline and a preseason injury to recruit Tom Doedee, Andrews managed to hold the fort in all 26 games of the Lions' season, ranking a-top the league for one-percenters and intercepts.
Standing 202cm and carrying a near-100kg frame, he not only prohibits the impact of opposing key forwards but dominates the aerial game himself.
With the addition of Doedee next season and a healthier return for Jack Payne, the co-captain may thrive even more, roaming as a primary interceptor with extra support.
16 - Caleb Serong
Caleb Serong continued his rise toward the top of the midfielder tree in 2024, putting together another All-Australian and best and fairest worthy season as part of one of the best midfield trios in the competition alongside Andrew Brayshaw and Hayden Young.
He added goal-kicking to his repertoire this season, booting a career-high 11 majors with more in store for future seasons, presumably.
He also polled 28 Brownlow votes, enough to take home Charlie in most seasons and a stunning feat regardless of the final result.
He does everything well as a midfielder but is most prolific as a clearance winner with his sharp hands in tight congestion. He should work well in tandem with incoming recruit Shai Bolton, who will thrive on the outside of contests, with Serong feeding the footy his way at stoppages.
15 - Charlie Curnow
A down year for Charlie Curnow still saw him boot 57 goals and challenge for the Coleman Medal until the final rounds of the season.
If he's merely close to his best, he is still one of the three scariest inside 50 matchups in the competition, boasting some of the best hands in the league and the best contested marking craft of any key forward.
He is usually pinpoint in front of goal also, though he struggled to find the same accuracy in 2024, with about 42% of his scoring shots being minor scores, compared to 35% last season.
His record in finals holds him back from entering the top 10 but leaves the door ajar for his entry, pending a potentially deep run for the Blues in 2025.
14 - James Sicily
The Hawthorn skipper proved himself to be a genuine dual threat as a key position player this season, controlling matches as an interceptor and rolling forward to become a match-winner when needed.
He did it on numerous occasions this season and almost won a semi-final off his own boot as a result, the week after destroying Luke Beveridge's forward line with a dominant display in defence.
Hawthorn looks destined to rise into premiership contention as early as next season, and Sicily is the driving force behind the on-field performance.
A deep finals run combined with an All-Australian worthy season for Sicily may shoot his reputation even further up these rankings.
13 - Errol Gulden
Errol Gulden continued his rise to the elite tier of AFL talent with another stellar 2024 campaign, proving once again to be one of the game's hardest runners and most effective kicks.
Coming off a fourth-place finish in the Brownlow in 2023, Gulden earned a second consecutive All-Australian selection and helped lead the charge alongside Isaac Heeney to Sydney's Grand Final appearance.
Despite a bitter end to the season with the Grand Final loss to Brisbaneโand Gulden's own lapses in defensive coverageโhis form across the year speaks volumes about his rising influence on the game.
A Grand Final win and standout performance may have vaulted Gulden into the top 10 on this list, but as it stands, he's firmly on the path to becoming one of Sydney's all-time greats.
12 - Jeremy Cameron
While clearly not the best player in the competition anymore - as was widely agreed on following 2022 - Cameron put together another All-Australian campaign and showed glimpses of 'best in the comp' material for much of the season, including his nine-goal haul in round 24 against West Coast.
His 64 goals for the season fell just one shy of his 2022 tally in the same amount of games, but his impact further up the ground seems to increase every season, this year averaging a career-high 16.3 disposals while also setting personal bests for clearances and rebound 50s.
He polled 16 Brownlow votes and kicked one of the best finals goals in recent memory during Geelong Qualifying Final trouncing of Port Adelaide, displaying his typical knack for the miraculous in September.
Approaching 32 at the start of next season, hopefully, we're in for a couple more seasons of vintage 'Jezza'.
11 - Zak Butters
Still the clear-cut toughest player in the competition, as voted by his peers two years running, Butters is building a stunning career at Alberton as a 180cm inside midfielder.
The 24-year-old crashes contests like no other and dashes away from congestion better than just about anyone.
He would be one of the first players picked in a fantasy draft by every coach in the league due largely to his courage and tenacity, leading by example on the field.
There is no better example of this than his efforts in Port Adelaide's thrilling semi-final victory over Hawthorn, where a hampered Zak Butters - dealing with crook ribs - laid eight bone-crunching tackles, reaffirming his toughness after being subbed out the week prior.
Unfortunately, Butters' relatively lacklustre finals series prevents his ranking from reaching the top 10, though there is every chance of reversing the poor finals record in 2025.
