Fox Footy Jury: Who will be the AFL’s best player in 2025?
Right now, the conversation is around which one of Dustin Martin, Nat Fyfe and Patrick Dangerfield is the No. 1 player in the AFL. But who will be the best in five years’ time? HAVE YOUR SAY
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Right now, you can take your pick between the likes of Richmond’s Dustin Martin, Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe, Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield, Western Bulldogs’ Marcus Bontempelli and Carlton’s Patrick Cripps as the best player in the AFL.
But who is are the next wave of players coming through that will be in that discussion as the best player in the league in 2025?
We asked a panel of Fox Footy expert, with some interesting results.
SCROLL DOWN TO VOTE
Who will be the best player in the competition in five years’ time?
Leigh Montagna: I’m torn between two – Tim Taranto and Hugh McCluggage. I just think they’ve got Brownlow medallists written all over them. They’re both 187cm. Taranto is probably a bit bigger physically but McCluggage can bulk up. McCluggage is still playing on the wing but I think once he becomes an inside-mid he’s got that inside-outside ability to win the ball on the inside and run and carry and use it beautifully on the outside. I spoke to someone at the Giants and they think Taranto could be like Nat Fyfe, ragdoll opponents like Fyfe. He’s the next big raging bull in the competition who will dominate around the stoppages and clearances. If he can add an ability to go forward and hit the scoreboard in the next five years then I can see him being that next wave after Dustin Martin, Nat Fyfe and Patrick Dangerfield.”
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Garry Lyon: I’m going to say Isaac Heeney. I think he’s taken a little time to work out how good he is and where he’s going to play. I think in five years’ time hopefully they will have sorted that out and he may just develop into something so special. He could kick 60 or 70 goals forward and he could be one of the more dynamic midfielders. It’s one of those conundrums that we talk about with Dustin Martin and Jordan De Goey and the like. He’s the same. But I think he’s more of a forward than a midfielder and he might be one of the most damaging in the next five years. By the time that period ends we might just look at him and say, ‘He’s the best in the comp’. He may be the Dustin Martin of 2025.
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Mark Ricciuto: I wouldn’t mind betting Connor Rozee will be the best player in the comp in five years. The way he came into the competition last year and did what he did, playing a position that he had hardly played before in his career, was incredible. The small forward role that he played last year is one of the hardest positions to play and I think he’ll definitely spend more time in the midfield going forward. He’s got speed, agility, he’s clean, he’s got a good leap, he can kick goals. He’s a pretty complete young player. He is only very early days so he’ll be on the younger end of this conversation but he’ll be 24 in five years so he’ll be hitting his straps.
Originally published as Fox Footy Jury: Who will be the AFL’s best player in 2025?