ESPN: The 50 best AFL players heading into season 2025

[poita 3,941]

Beating Robbo to the punch, ESPN have released their list:

The 50 best AFL players heading into season 2025

Petracca at 5 and Gawn at 21, but no other Demons. Cripps at 1, followed by Bontempelli and Daicos. More Kangaroos than Demons on the list. 

Discuss.

[ManDee 7,390]

No Oliver, why? (Petracca is at 5 - both not great last season - injury) If consistently using the last 3 years data Oliver should  be in the 50.

Surprised no Stephen May.

[Roost it far 10,021]

Just goes to show how bad we were last year. Given we won 11 games with a tougher draw, a half strength Oliver, no Petracca after KB and May and Lever having injury impacted seasons. Thats why I’m so bullish this year. At the end of this season it’s not unrealistic to expect Gawn, Petracca, Oliver, May and potentially Fritsch to be in the top 50. Add the next gen and we’re good to go.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 11,054]

Happy to keep being underrated. 

Amazing how fickle these comentators and so-called experts are though.

As mentioned, don't see how May isn't up there.  Viney would be the other I'd include based on his last season.

[Pipefitter 2,225]

Gees Max Gawn is underrated. There were some games last year where I sat back In wonder thinking good luck going with him when he is in this mood. 

[rjay 25,413]

So...lets not debate the list too much.

...but how about a question.

Who would you take if you had the choice of any player in the AFL now?

Would Cripps be your number one pick?

He wouldn't be mine but I need some think time as to who would be.

[Demonstone 23,536]

14 minutes ago, rjay said:

Who would you take if you had the choice of any player in the AFL now?

Curnow would be enticing, but I couldn't go past Bontempelli.

[Roost it far 10,021]

22 minutes ago, rjay said:

So...lets not debate the list too much.

...but how about a question.

Who would you take if you had the choice of any player in the AFL now?

Would Cripps be your number one pick?

He wouldn't be mine but I need some think time as to who would be.

The Bont then Trac

[whatwhat say what 23,776]

1 hour ago, poita said:

Beating Robbo to the punch, ESPN have released their list:

https://www.espn.com.au/afl/story/_/id/42099098/afl-top-50-best-afl-players-season-2025-cripps-bontempelli-daicos-petracca

Petracca at 5 and Gawn at 21, but no other Demons. Cripps at 1, followed by Bontempelli and Daicos. More Kangaroos than Demons on the list. 

Discuss.

the slobbster got the flick at the end of 2024

the only person who should ever make this sort of list is mike sheahan, and after his retirement many moons ago the whole concept should have been binned

[seventyfour 1,248]

What the list looks like at the end of the year is more important. If you ran this again in September based on the 2025 season, with Petracca at 5, Gawn at 21 and Oliver in top 50, we'll be playing finals.

If you expanded this list to 100, the 51-100 range is where we could shine this year. Pickett, Viney, Rivers, May, Lever, Langdon and Fritsch could all easily be in the top 100.

[rjay 25,413]

1 hour ago, Demonstone said:

Curnow would be enticing, but I couldn't go past Bontempelli.

 

56 minutes ago, Roost it far said:

The Bont then Trac

I'm leaning towards Bont as well.

Curnow would be a good get for our list but even then imagine Bont with Trac...

[picket fence 18,150]

3 hours ago, poita said:

Beating Robbo to the punch, ESPN have released their list:

The 50 best AFL players heading into season 2025

Petracca at 5 and Gawn at 21, but no other Demons. Cripps at 1, followed by Bontempelli and Daicos. More Kangaroos than Demons on the list. 

Discuss.

No Clarry Choo Choo?? If Is it solely based on last year fair enough, but Clarry was still better than Degoey or Brett Daniels!

Edited February 26 by picket fence

[spirit of norm smith 16,677]

Seriously… Oliver shunted!!  Sam Walsh had an average 2024 and still makes the list. Ffs.  Media loves the “big” clubs !! 
🤮🤮🤮🤮

[Lord Travis 10,817]

3 hours ago, rjay said:

So...lets not debate the list too much.

...but how about a question.

Who would you take if you had the choice of any player in the AFL now?

Would Cripps be your number one pick?

He wouldn't be mine but I need some think time as to who would be.

Cripps probably wouldn't even be top 10 for me. Great ball winner, but his influence on matches is often far overhyped and I don't believe he's a very good leader either. Bontempelli is basically better in every facet bar pure inside contest work, and it's a mystery bigger than the Bermuda Triangle how Cripps has two Brownlows and Bont has zilch.

If I had to pick a player to build a team around, I'd be tossing up between Bont or deciding on the best key position player. 

[whatwhat say what 23,776]

1 hour ago, Lord Travis said:

Cripps probably wouldn't even be top 10 for me. Great ball winner, but his influence on matches is often far overhyped and I don't believe he's a very good leader either. Bontempelli is basically better in every facet bar pure inside contest work, and it's a mystery bigger than the Bermuda Triangle how Cripps has two Brownlows and Bont has zilch.

If I had to pick a player to build a team around, I'd be tossing up between Bont or deciding on the best key position player. 

i can name 5 dees alone i'd take before cripps - gawn, trac, oliver, may, pickett

[illbarto 436]

Surely Max is number one pick on anyone's list? There's plenty of midfielders that people can shuffle around all they like. "In and under", "midfield bull", "inside", outside", boring. 

There is only one absolutely unique player in the AFL and that's Max Gawn.

[binman 44,788]

5 hours ago, rjay said:

So...lets not debate the list too much.

...but how about a question.

Who would you take if you had the choice of any player in the AFL now?

Would Cripps be your number one pick?

He wouldn't be mine but I need some think time as to who would be.

Nibbla.

[DeelightfulPlay 2,721]

1 hour ago, binman said:

Nibbla.

He's gone straight to the pool room at the Crows (ie their leadership group) 😭

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 11,054]

8 hours ago, Lord Travis said:

Cripps probably wouldn't even be top 10 for me. Great ball winner, but his influence on matches is often far overhyped and I don't believe he's a very good leader either. Bontempelli is basically better in every facet bar pure inside contest work, and it's a mystery bigger than the Bermuda Triangle how Cripps has two Brownlows and Bont has zilch.

If I had to pick a player to build a team around, I'd be tossing up between Bont or deciding on the best key position player. 

Perhaps he'd not be my top pick, but I'd still have him.  Have always had an amount of respect for him as he does seem to be a fairly honest, hard working player.  Broken down a number of times from carrying all of Carlton on his back.

Would definitely have the Bont as No.1 though.  Ironically Adam Trelor tallied more Brownlow votes last year (shows what a sham of an award that is).  Not that I don't rate Trelor, just don't think he's in quite the same league as the Bont.

Beyond that, I'd have Harley Reid for future potential and as some smokies, I also have a bit of a soft spot for Callum Ah Chee, Oscar McInerney, Keidean Coleman and Kai Lohmann of the Lions, Charlie Ballard and Sam Collins of the Suns.

Edited February 26 by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

[John Demonic 5,988]

9 hours ago, binman said:

Nibbla.

Sharpie

[Ghostwriter 5,320]

13 hours ago, DeelightfulPlay said:

He's gone straight to the pool room at the Crows (ie their leadership group) 😭

Co-vice captain, no less. And totally deserving of it, too. 😊

[Ghostwriter 5,320]

16 hours ago, Lord Travis said:

Cripps has two Brownlows and Bont has zilch.

An absolute travesty, wrong on every level. But not a mystery. One wears navy blue and white, the other wears red, white and blue. 

[DeelightfulPlay 2,721]

5 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

Co-vice captain, no less. And totally deserving of it, too. 😊

It's good the Crows appreciate him!!

[Ghostwriter 5,320]

1 minute ago, DeelightfulPlay said:

It's good the Crows appreciate him!!

I reckon his mum alone could be the reason for the vice captaincy (or even the captaincy)! That bat-sch!tt crazy beautiful woman is a huge asset to any club. Gonna miss Shazza as much as we miss Nibs. 

[Red But Mostly Blue 4,631]

Just Trac and Max... 

We're being underestimated, friends.

And that's OK. Under the radar is good. Premiership by stealth.

By the time they see us coming, we'll be raising the cup! 🏆

Cigars out etc.