The AFL's trade and free agency periods can be make or break windows for clubs as they look to bolster their playing lists for the next year.
In recent years, premierships have been won off the back of an off-season recruit, most notably Bobby Hill, who won the 2023 Norm Smith Medal for Collingwood in his first season at the club after requesting a move from GWS the prior year.
After Round 1, there are already multiple clubs reaping the rewards of their new signings, with several game-changing performances making headlines.
So, who's making the most impact in their new colours? We'll weekly rank the Recruit of the Year contenders for 2025, with Round 1 giving us plenty to consider.
Selection criteria: Only players who were on an AFL playing list at a different club in the prior season will be considered as recruits in these rankings.
6. Tim Membrey
Tim Membrey is the definition of a streaky goalkicker, kicking multiple goals in consecutive games just three times last season, but when he's on, he's almost impossible to slow down.
The Magpies saw the benefits of that as the decade-long Saint produced four of the best in their 91-point rout of the Power on Saturday night.
Whether it was off a step under pressure or a set shot from a tight angle, Membrey couldn't be denied, kicking Collingwood's first three goals of the contest, which opened the floodgates completely.
Collingwood were about average last season when it came to generating marks inside 50, but with the addition of Membrey and a hopefully healthy Dan McStay, the Pies now have serious threats up forward that can punish with dead-eye accuracy.
