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Opinion
It’s that time again. With the 2023 AFL season just a month away, it means The Roar’s annual countdown of the Top 50 players in the AFL is back underway.
We haven’t done a list like this since 2020, so here’s how it works in case you’ve forgotten: five of our AFL experts here at The Roar have put our heads together and listed our top 50 players each. Then, points were awarded based on how high they ranked on each expert’s list.
Said points were then tallied to give you our definitive top 50 for season 2020. If you haven’t checked out our list so far, you can do so below.
>> The Roar’s AFL top 50 players, 50-41
>> The Roar’s AFL top 50 players, 40-31
>> The Roar’s AFL top 50 players, 30-21
Today, it’s time to look at the players who just missed out on the honour of the top 10 in our rankings: did any of these guns deserve to make the cut?
GWS Giants | Forward
There are few more impactful players in the AFL than Greene, who has mastered the art of creating something out of nothing and finding opportunities where others can’t.
Standing at just 182cm tall, Greene is a powerful nugget that is a nightmare match-up due to his explosiveness, agility and ability to take a contested mark despite his height, as well as his finishing skill and sense of a big moment.
However, Greene’s history with injuries and suspension has to be a factor when compiling a list of this kind. He has played only 93 games in the last six seasons, an average of 15, while missing 49 in this time.
Given this, I could only rank him at 32 on my own list, while just one of us had him inside the top 20. Sheer volume of numbers, though, has got him there, with all of us ranking him between 18 and 33.
Sydney Swans | Forward/Midfielder
Heeney has always threatened to take the AFL by storm, and has forever tantalised on these kind of lists given his obvious talent and match-winning abilities.
Season 2022 was when he put it all together, with career high goals coupled with enough ball-winning, tackling, clearances and contested numbers to be dangerous whenever he was around the football. After winning a maiden All-Australian blazer, Heeney had a quiet finals series, and will have to carry that burden into this year.
I had Heeney higher than others, pegging him at 14 in my personal rankings; but while only one other expert had him inside the top 20, like Greene, everyone had him as part of their top 35.
Collingwood | Defender
Moore is a joy to watch when in full flight, as the rare combination of a dashing and game-breaking key defender.
He’s a player that certainly went to another level under Craig McRae in 2022, benefitting from the attacking game plan that was set up so well from the back half. Named captain for 2023, it’s clear Moore is as respected by his teammates as he is the rest of the footy world.
The best defenders are always those that back themselves to win the ball first, and only spoil as a last resort – Moore certainly is that, and has the added bonus of being an excellent distributor by foot too.
Four of our panellists had Moore inside the top 25, while I myself had him a little higher at 12. However, one of us leaving him out of the top 50 entirely impacted his ranking somewhat.
Darcy Moore. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Geelong Cats | Forward
What can you say about a player who, 16 seasons into his AFL career, still commands a spot among the best 20 players in the competition?
Has another player ever put together a body of work post-30 like Hawkins has in the last five years, to play career-best footy off an already high base?
The ever-selfless Hawkins has kicked 40 goals plus and taken 50 or more marks inside 50 for 11 seasons in a row, and the icing on the cake in 2022 was that he had a career-high for goal assists – despite kicking 67 majors himself.
I had Hawkins ranked 22nd, but such is his regard that one Roar expert put him as high as 4. He was definitely one of the more polarising selections, however, with one of our panellists leaving him outside their top 50 altogether.
Carlton | Forward
The younger Curnow finally became the player many thought he would become in 2022, winning the Coleman Medal in a triumphant return after three consecutive years ruined by injury.
The 26-year old is athletic and powerful, as comfortable leading or pack marking inside 50 as he is pushing up the ground to give half-backs an outlet. His tank means he can spend high minutes on the ground, and it’s wonderful that, now entering his prime with some continuity behind him, the best is likely yet to come.
Curnow did split the Roar panel a little, though, with two of us – including me – ranking him inside the top 10, while others had him as low as 27 and 36.
Melbourne | Ruckman
The Demons captain has been the premier ruckman in the game for the past five years, and is close to unstoppable when he’s hot.
Last year’s Round 12 clash with Sydney was an example of the heights Gawn can reach – he had 30 hit outs, 28 disposals, six contested marks and three goals, all in a Dees loss.
We all know the impact he can have in the ruck itself, but Simon Goodwin frequently uses him as a marking threat up forward, as well as an intercepting bulwark in defence, given how hard to stop he can be in the air.
The six-time All-Australian was ranked between 8 and 25 by all our individual panellists, making him one of the more consistent picks on this list.
Richmond | Forward
Lynch was an All-Australian for Gold Coast in 2016 and a key cog in two Richmond premierships, but season 2022 was surely his best.
Lynch averaged 3.3 contested marks per game last year, the highest by any player for more since Travis Cloke in 2011 – so the Tigers power forward was breathing rarefied air in the modern game.
He also kicked 63 goals for the season despite missing four games through injury, averaging more majors per game than Tom Hawkins, Jeremy Cameron and Charlie Curnow.
Lynch was ranked as high as 8th by our experts, and as low as 22, but somewhere in the middle feels about right. That’s where I had him, at any rate, at 16.
Carlton | Midfielder
Many people might have felt that Walsh regressed in 2022 after an outstanding 2021 season – certainly the umpires thought so, awarding him only 14 Brownlow votes after 30 the year before.
But this was as much to do with the awesome form of Patrick Cripps as anything else. Walsh has averaged 31 disposals per game over the last two seasons, and is one of the most consistent players in the league.
He always seems to find an option when under pressure, doesn’t fumble, wins it himself in close, and gets to the right position as a release for teammates when that’s required. He is the definition of poise.
I rated Sam Walsh in my top five, and stand by the fact I think he can and will be the best player in the league at some point. My fellow panellists weren’t so bullish, rating the Blues star between 14 and 23.
Sam Walsh in action. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Fremantle | Midfielder
Brayshaw firmly established himself among the most prolific ball-winners in the AFL last season, averaging 29 disposals (and six tackles) per game, catapulting him to a top-five finish in the Brownlow.
With Adam Cerra traded to Carlton at the end of 2021, and Nat Fyfe battling injury and his footballing mortality, Brayshaw is the clear leader of the Fremantle midfield, and a key player upon which their maiden premiership aspirations will rest.
Once again, I was a little harsher on Brayshaw than most, ranking him at 30. I’m not yet convinced about his polish or influence, and prefer many other midfielders ahead of him; but the rest of my Roar colleagues rated him between 5 and 11. He can blame me for missing out on the top 10.
Geelong | Defender
It’s easy to make the case that no one player in the AFL plays his position better than Stewart does his intercepting, rebounding half-back role for the Cats.
Geelong is as well-drilled as any outfit in the competition, and their defence does an incredible job of freeing up Stewart to rack up midfield-like numbers and instigate many of their rebounding attacks from the back half. He reads the play as well as anyone to have taken an AFL field.
Stewart was ranked as high as 7th and 9th by our panellists, but I actually marked him down at 24; as good as he is at running his own race, I do think he can be exposed in one-on-one duels and has proven ‘gettable’ by the right small forward. Like Brayshaw, him missing the top 10 is down to me.
50. Angus Brayshaw
49. Jordan Dawson
48. Bailey Smith
47. Aaron Naughton
46. Tom Papley
45. Lance Franklin
44. Tyson Stengle
43. Dustin Martin
42. Nat Fyfe
41. Tom Barrass
40. Dion Prestia
39. Scott Pendlebury
38. Josh Dunkley
37. Jacob Weitering
36. Jack Crisp
35. Charlie Cameron
34. Sam Taylor
33. Harry McKay
32. Luke Parker
31. Jordan De Goey
30. Zach Merrett
29. Mark Blicavs
28. Chad Warner
27. Rory Laird
26. Hugh McCluggage
25. Jack Steele
24. Connor Rozee
23. Patrick Dangerfield
22. Jack Macrae
21. James Sicily
20. Toby Greene
19. Isaac Heeney
18. Darcy Moore
17. Tom Hawkins
16. Charlie Curnow
15. Max Gawn
14. Tom Lynch
13. Sam Walsh
12. Andrew Brayshaw
11. Tom Stewart
Check back in on Friday for the top 10 – and, of course, find out who our pick is for the AFL’s best player.