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Foxfooty.com.au has identified and ranked the top 25 AFL players under the age of 25 ahead of the new campaign, taking into consideration what they\u2019ve shown to this point in their career and their potential heading into this season and beyond. <\/p>\n
Note: To be eligible, players must have been aged 24 or younger on December 31, 2025. <\/p>\n
25. JOSH WEDDLE (HAWTHORN)<\/p>\n
Already one of the most exciting players in the competition when he\u2019s up and running, it isn\u2019t yet clear where Weddle\u2019s best position is. That\u2019s how tantalising his talent is. Classed as a defender, the 21-year-old has played as a slingshotter off the half-backline, up forward as an attacking threat, and on the flanks. Given the modern game\u2019s reliance on defensive-midfield counterpunch, it\u2019d seem the explosive paceman is best suited off a back flank, but there\u2019s really no wrong answer from Sam Mitchell\u2019s perspective. <\/p>\n
24. MITCH GEORGIADES (PORT ADELAIDE)<\/p>\n
Georgiades\u2019 development was a massive bright spot in an otherwise bleak campaign for the Power. In the absence of Todd Marshall and Jack Lukosius \u2014 for a big part of the season \u2014 Georgiades stepped up and asserted himself in a weak Port Adelaide side. In an indication of his impact, Georgiades was one of just five players last year to play 20-plus games and average 2.5 goals or more per game. The 24-year-old could well take another leap into premier key forward status in the AFL this season. <\/p>\n
23. SAM DE KONING (GEELONG)<\/p>\n
The only key-position defender on this list, De Koning\u2019s consistency and reliability as a one-on-one stopper were simply too good to pass up. The man with blonde locks faced 49 contested defensive one-on-ones for just nine losses last year. That\u2019s a loss rate of just 18.4 per cent; better than names like Harris Andrews, Sam Collins and Cal Wilkie. Alongside fellow pillar Jack Henry and up-and-comer Connor O\u2019Sullivan, the 24-year-old De Koning should continue to ascend as one of the league\u2019s toughest defensive propositions. <\/p>\n
22. JASPA FLETCHER (BRISBANE LIONS)<\/p>\n
There arguably wasn\u2019t a bigger leap taken by a player last season than by Fletcher, who truly blossomed as not only an apt mid-sized interceptor, but also as a slingshotter off half-back as the Lions surged to another premiership. Fletcher ranked 10th among general defenders for total intercepts, and second among under-25 general defenders. He was also third among under-25 defenders for total disposals last season, in an indication of his ball-winning ability once his team is in possession. <\/p>\n
21. HAYDEN YOUNG (FREMANTLE)<\/p>\n
Young played only nine games last year, but it was his 2024 season that gave promise to what he could eventually be at the AFL level \u2014 elite-rated among midfielders by Champion Data and averaging a career-best 23.8 disposals per game. And make no mistake, Young\u2019s disposals are possessions that have impact and do damage. It was clear once he returned to the field for the Dockers late last season how important he was to Justin Longmuir\u2019s side, even if he did play a largely forward-of-centre role in the club\u2019s hopes of preserving him for the finals. Watch out if he can stay healthy in 2026. <\/p>\n
20. OLLIE DEMPSEY (GEELONG)<\/p>\n
The 2024 Rising Star winner has quickly blossomed into one of the competition\u2019s best wingmen \u2014 and his licence to go forward and wreak havoc in attack makes his profile all the more dangerous. The 23-year-old last year averaged 1.3 goals per game, ranking fourth among AFL midfielders and second among under-25s with 35 majors for the season. Also a high-flyer, the speedy Dempsey sits right alongside Kozzy Pickett and the like as one of the league\u2019s up-and-coming excitement machines. <\/p>\n
19. HARRY SHEEZEL (NORTH MELBOURNE)<\/p>\n
There are few players in the competition more trustworthy with the ball in hand than the do-it-all Kangaroo. Sheezel ranked seventh in the competition for disposals per game with 29.3, while his 21.3 effective disposals per game ranked fifth in the AFL and second among under-25s. While he\u2019s played across the half-backline, in the midfield and up forward in stints and has all the potential in the world, the 21-year-old former no.3 pick will want to do more damage with his possessions than last year, with his 5.4 score involvements ranking 93rd in the AFL and outside the top 50 midfielders. <\/p>\n
18. JAI NEWCOMBE (HAWTHORN)<\/p>\n
Newcombe showed he could carry the load in Will Day\u2019s absence, particularly come finals time, when he stepped up in a big way in the middle. An unafraid ball-winner, the 24-year-old has proven to be one of the all-time best midseason draft picks. He\u2019s also been incredibly durable, playing at least 22 games in each of the past four seasons, which has proven crucial given Day\u2019s issues staying healthy. Newcombe\u2019s 6.2 clearances per game last year was top-15 in the competition and sixth among under-25 players. <\/p>\n
17. JASON HORNE-FRANCIS (PORT ADELAIDE)<\/p>\n
Is there a current player more reminiscent of Patrick Dangerfield with his insatiable appetite for the footy than Horne-Francis? The 22-year-old former no.1 draft pick is among the explosive elite when it comes to centre-bounce prominence, and he\u2019s also shown an ability to play deeper forward and hit the scoreboard in stints, adding to his overall value. Another who was hindered by injury at stages last year, a healthy Horne-Francis is set to wreak midfield havoc under Josh Carr\u2019s guidance in what could be the last year he and Zak Butters go nuts in the same engine room. <\/p>\n
16. WILL DAY (HAWTHORN)<\/p>\n
With a prototypical frame, silky skills and leadership capabilities, Day has the makings of a superstar AFL midfielder. He just needs to stay on the park. And if he\u2019d been able to do so more than he has to date, he\u2019d obviously be higher up this list. The 24-year-old started last season like a house on fire \u2014 showing more than a few glimpses of becoming a true centre-forward weapon at the top level \u2014 before missing the vast majority of the season with a troublesome foot injury. <\/p>\n
15. TOM GREEN (GWS GIANTS)<\/p>\n
One of the most consistent hard-ball-winners since entering the competition, Green was pushing. No player under the age of 25 averaged more contested possessions per game than Green last season \u2014 in fact, he averages 1.2 more than the next closest in Serong. The Giants star is also tops for clearances, with Serong and Matt Rowell the names coming in equal-second-best. His 29.7 disposals per game ranked fifth in the competition in 2025 and fourth among under-25s. His lack of genuine speed is one of the only reasons he isn\u2019t absolutely in the upper echelon of this list. <\/p>\n
14. RILEY THILTHORPE (ADELAIDE CROWS)<\/p>\n
The former no.2 draft pick took the huge leap a lot of pundits expected him to take last year, finishing equal-fourth in the goalkicking with 60 majors \u2014 behind only Jeremy Cameron, Jack Gunston and Ben King \u2014 to earn a deserved maiden All-Australian blazer. His capabilities not only as a domineering key forward but as a second ruckman mean his value to the Crows is even more immense. He could well be the premier AFL key-position goalkicker of the next decade. <\/p>\n
13. LUKE JACKSON (FREMANTLE)<\/p>\n
Jackson doesn\u2019t quite get the love he deserves as one of the league\u2019s most versatile big men. As athletic as they come, the former no.3 draft pick is one of the competition\u2019s most able ruckmen in an age where nimble talls are all the rage. The flexible 199-centimetre beast can also go forward and cause serious headaches for rival backlines, particularly with Josh Treacy and Pat Voss also roaming around down there. The 2021 Demons premiership player will be a huge part of any sort of flag push the Dockers potentially make this year. <\/p>\n
12. FINN CALLAGHAN (GWS GIANTS)<\/p>\n
Few AFL players are more electrifying with the footy in their hands than Callaghan, whose retention was crucial to the long-term future of this generally-one-paced Giants midfield. The speedy left-footer\u2019s 19.7 uncontested possessions per game were the second-most in the competition last year, a sign of his ability to find space before using his exhilarating pace in possession. Despite copping a tag of some sort in most games, Callaghan\u2019s impact was felt on a weekly basis, and he\u2019s set to make another jump in year five. <\/p>\n
11. CALEB SERONG (FREMANTLE)<\/p>\n
There are few more consistent and accomplished players on this entire list, such are Serong\u2019s achievements to date. He was the best-rated player among this cohort of 25 in 2024 and was the third-best last year. As explosive as anyone once he wins the footy at the contest, Serong will again have a huge say on the Dockers\u2019 premiership chances alongside the aforementioned Hayden Young in Fremantle\u2019s engine room. <\/p>\n
10. CHAD WARNER (SYDNEY SWANS)<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t his best year, particularly as contract questions hung over him for a portion of the year, but Warner was able to warm into the season and still averaged a goal a game as one of the league\u2019s most damaging forward-of-centre midfielders. The 24-year-old is arguably the league\u2019s most unafraid player with ball in hand; desperate to take the game on at every opportunity. At his best, he\u2019s easily up there with the best players on this list. Warner felt the effects of Sydney\u2019s premiership hangover, as well as running mate Errol Gulden spending time on the sidelines, but if the Swans rebound this year, Warner will be a large part of the reason why. <\/p>\n
9. KYSAIAH PICKETT (MELBOURNE)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s going to be fascinating to observe just how big a jump we see out of Pickett in what\u2019ll likely be his first complete year as a pure midfielder, following the exits of Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver. We\u2019ve seen the flashes \u2014 and they have been bloody good, averaging 2.0 goals and 6.9 score involvements per game last year \u2014 but we don\u2019t know just how good he\u2019s going to be as a full-time ball-winner just yet. In full flight, Pickett has a claim as the league\u2019s most exhilarating player. <\/p>\n
8. MAX HOLMES (GEELONG)<\/p>\n
Holmes flourished alongside Bailey Smith as Geelong\u2019s designated ball-carriers between the arcs, and he\u2019s only getting better as he enters his sixth season. The 2024 best-and-fairest winner is pure speed surging off the half-backline, but he\u2019s also quickly proven his capabilities as an inside midfielder at the top level. Holmes, a metres-gained beast, upped his disposals per game to a career-high 26.9 last season, as well as his inside-50s to 6.1. <\/p>\n
7. NOAH ANDERSON (GOLD COAST SUNS)<\/p>\n
There weren\u2019t many players who took a bigger step than Anderson, who ascended ominously as a damaging midfielder who can go forward and punish with scoreboard impact. In terms of Champion Data\u2019s system, Anderson was the highest-rated player among this cohort of 25 last year. He should\u2019ve been in true Brownlow Medal contention last year, and you\u2019d think with umpires expected to have access to stats in 2026, he\u2019ll contend this year. His 30.1 average disposals per game was second in the competition behind Bailey Smith and first among under-25s. There\u2019s no reason he won\u2019t take another stride this year as the Suns plot a return to September. <\/p>\n
6. SAM DARCY (WESTERN BULLDOGS)<\/p>\n
As prodigious as they come, Darcy is on an ominous flight path. It wasn\u2019t the season he envisioned having last year, but he made a great fist of it after it initially looked like he\u2019d have to undergo a knee reconstruction. Darcy averaged an incredible 3.1 contested marks, nearly one more per game than the next best in the league, and played 17 games for an average of 2.8 goals per match \u2014 fifth in the AFL and best among under-25s who played more than three games for the season. Perhaps the scariest part is that while the 22-year-old is already a prolific high-marking force in the attacking 50 of the league\u2019s highest-scoring team, the 208-centimetre beast still has plenty of growth in his game and managed the aforementioned figures in an interrupted season. <\/p>\n
5. ERROL GULDEN (SYDNEY SWANS)<\/p>\n
It was an interrupted campaign for Errol last year, but if he can stay on the park and play 20-plus games in 2026, he\u2019ll remain on the superstar trajectory most had him pegged for \u2014 already a dual All-Australian and club champion \u2014 as the Swans look to bounce back into premiership contention. There are very few better kickers of the footy than Gulden, who can pull just about anything off and run for days between the arcs. The 23-year-old has the best kick retention of anyone on this list, with retention rating a measure of how often a player\u2019s kicks are retained by a teammate compared to expectation. Gulden only managed 10 games last year \u2014 if it had been a full season, he\u2019d likely be up a spot or two. <\/p>\n
Neale leaves Lions leadership group | 06:47<\/p>\n
4. WILL ASHCROFT (BRISBANE LIONS)<\/p>\n
Ashcroft is a dual Norm Smith Medal winner, and he\u2019s still on his Ps. To have already mastered the big-game stage at the age of 21 is a genuinely terrifying thought for rivals. Someone who finds the footy for fun but is damaging as anything once in possession, Ashcroft will only continue to ascend in status over these next few seasons. The former Sandringham star\u2019s 27.1 disposals per game last year were +4.3 on his 2024 figure, while his 5.7 clearances and 6.5 score involvements were also career-best feats. <\/p>\n
3. MATT ROWELL (GOLD COAST SUNS)<\/p>\n
There wasn\u2019t a player who had a better season last year \u2014 at least according to the umpiring fraternity \u2014 and he\u2019ll again play a prominent role this year in the Suns\u2019 bid to make it back-to-back finals berths. Few have a greater hunger for the Sherrin than Rowell, and even fewer have a better knack for shaking off would-be tacklers. And speaking of hugs, Rowell is comfortably the best tackler on this list, averaging 8.6 per game \u2014 only hard nuts Tom Atkins and Jack Steele manage more. Rowell averaged the third-most contested possessions in the competition and the second-most stoppage clearances. <\/p>\n
2. NASIAH WANGANEEN-MILERA (ST KILDA)<\/p>\n