Top eight ravaged by injury, Lion breaks through and Tigers pair earn nods: AFL Rookie Rankings – Round 19

Another Brisbane youngster has made his way into our Rookie Rankings after an up-and-down weekend for this year's class.

Two of the top eight have seen their 2023 seasons brought to premature endings due to injury, while a Roos young gun has fallen out of our rankings due to a setback of his own.

A pair of Tigers have earned nominations for their roles in Saturday's thriller over the Hawks, while a young Blue and Eagles onballer also got HM nods from Round 19.

Round 19 Honourable Mentions:
Sam Banks
Tylar Young
Elijah Hewett
Oliver Hollands

Jaspa Fletcher (NEW)

The Lions' father-son young gun makes his first appearance in our Rookie Rankings off the. back of a Rising Star nomination-winning weekend.

Fletcher recorded 19 possessions, eight marks and six contested possessions in the 11-point win over Geelong to claim the nomination, adding to a string six-week run for the first-round pick.

He takes Roo George Wardlaw's spot in our top eight, with the North Melbourne midfielder currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Fletcher could move further up our rankings as early as this week when the Lions clash with state rivals Gold Coast at Carrara.

Seamus Mitchell (-)

Another steady performance for Mitchell but it came in a disappointing afternoon for the Hawks as they fell to Richmond by one-point after holding a convincing lead.

Mitchell was limited to less than 66% time on ground during the game, suffering a knock and ending the match on the interchange. The young defender still managed to record 15 disposals and five marks against Richmond.

Mitchell could be on the cusp of another leap in our rankings if he puts in a solid Round 20 outing against St Kilda on Sunday.

Judd McVee (-)

After jumping two spots last week, McVee holds his place at sixth overall after a quieter weekend in his side's win over Adelaide.

McVee was tasked with taming Crows small forward Izak Rankine before being assigned to another opponent as the Adelaide recruit started firing in the first half.

McVee managed the nine touches in the win and will be looking to get back to his best as the Demons' leading small lockdown defender.

The Demons clash with Richmond this weekend, where McVee could go directly up against either Dustin Martin or Shai Bolton.

Reuben Ginbey (-)

Ginbey's hamstring injury has forced the top 10 pick to the sidelines for the remainder of the year, with the Eagles rookie taking no part in his side's loss to Carlton on Saturday.

It'll be hard for Ginbey to hold his spot at fifth overall in our rankings for the rest of the season, but he'll be a certainty to sit among the top eight by the end of the year.

Ginbey enjoyed a strong opening year at AFL level amid the Eagles' struggles, adding plenty of defensive grunt to Adam Simpson's midfield.

Max Michalanney (-)

Another rookie who didn't feature in Round 19, with the Crows deciding to rest their young backman for their trip to face Melbourne over the weekend.

The rest is a reward for Michalanney's busy first season with Adelaide, having played in every match prior to Round 19 in his first season.

Expect the father-son selection to return to Matthew Nicks' side for Saturday's Showdown against the Power.

Bailey Humphrey (-)

Sunday's defeat saw Humphrey endure arguably his worst performance of 2023, with the Suns livewire kept to just six disposals in a more attacking role for Steven King.

Humphrey was placed deep in the Suns' forward line and couldn't have the same impact we've come to expect, especially given the 40-point loss to GWS.

Perhaps a move back up the ground this week is on the cards for the Gold Coast draftee fo this week's QClash against the Lions.

Harry Sheezel (-)

Sheezel was back to his ball-winning best in Sunday's clash with St Kilda, finding the pill on 28 occasions in his familiar role at half-back for the Roos.

The young Roos star also managed to record seven marks, five tackles and racked up 647 metres gained for his side.

With five games left in the year, Sheezel has a strong chance to end 2023 on top of our Rookie Rankings.

Will Ashcroft (-)

A cruel blow for our leading rookie, with Ashcroft suffering an ACL injury to see his maiden campaign brought to an abrupt end.

The Lions midfielder has done enough to hold onto top spot for the coming weeks, but the form of Sheezel could see Ashcroft dethroned due to his sidelined stint.

The Brisbane draftee is seen as the Rising Star favourite, but will now face a difficult run to claim the honour.