The top five from last week's Rookie Rankings has undergone sweeping changes, with a new name taking pole position while another fresh face breaking in.
A young Docker has been usurped for the top spot, while a mature-aged Swan has jumped two places for his Gather Round performance.
Melbourne's Harvey Langford is continuing to build a case for a top-five spot, while No.1 pick Sam Lalor falls out of our rankings due to missing Round 5 through injury and the form of others.
Our Rookie Rankings will extend to a top six after Round 6, with a new rung to be added every half-dozen weeks.
Selection Criteria: Zero Hanger's Rookie Rankings ONLY consider players who have made their debut this season. Other players who may still be eligible for a Rising Star nomination but have already made their debut before the 2025 season will not be considered. I.e. Rising Star eligible players such as Nate Caddy, Dan Curtin and Connor O'Sullivan are ineligible, having already played an AFL match before Opening Round, 2025. Suspension does not make a player ineligible for our Rookie Rankings.
Round 5 Honourable Mentions:
Tom Gross (West Coast) - 18 disposals, four marks, three tackles
Harvey Langford (Melbourne) - 23 disposals, eight contested possessions, three clearances
Max Hall (St Kilda) - 17 disposals, one goal
Finn O'Sullivan (North Melbourne) - 15 disposals, 365 metres gained, 80 per cent disposal efficiency
Tom Hanily (Sydney) - 11 disposals, two goals, 90 per cent efficiency
5. Sam Davidson (-2)
The Dogs wingman drops from third to fifth while having a solid outing at Norwood Oval on Saturday afternoon, coming away from the 21-point loss with 14 disposals, four marks and a goal.
Five of those possessions were contested as Davidson looked to adapt to the narrow dimensions, while he managed to find space on the transition.
Perhaps due to the performances of others, Davidson dropped a pair of placings in our Rookie Rankings, with the entire top five closely contested.
Davidson will find himself susceptible to falling out of what will become a top six next week, with the aforementioned Langford and Lalor, among others, certainly in the mix to move in.
