Jay Clark ranks the AFL’s 50 best players in 2025

Four clubs have five representatives in Jay Clark’s Top 50, but two teams dominate the top of the mountain as footy’s king is crowned. Check out the full list and have your say.

Western Bulldogs’ coach Luke Beveridge is holding three aces.

There’s champion onballer Marcus Bontempelli, the midfield run machine Ed Richards and the man who could dominate the game for the next decade, precocious key forward Sam Darcy.

Underlining the massive top-line threat the Bulldogs pose this September, the Bulldogs officially have three of the best four players in the game.

The Herald Sun’s first-ever mid-year top-50 ranked Bontempelli number one, Richards number three and Darcy number four for their efforts so far in 2025.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL LIST AND HAVE YOUR SAY

A Samurai with the Sherrin, Bontempelli’s ball use and strength in the contest is what keeps perhaps the greatest ever Bulldog in top spot in his 12th season, despite a calf injury which sidelined him for the first five games.

There may be no Brownlow Medal in his CV, but he is building a resume and a legacy which will ensure he sits comfortably among the greatest of the modern era.

Collingwood’s Nick Daicos is the only man who can break up the Bulldogs’ trio at number two after a sizzling return to top form over the past fortnight.

The acceleration and swerve are back after a 40-minute heart-to-heart with Collingwood coach Craig Macrae a fortnight ago helped pull the ripcord on a season which chugged a little early.

Richards has claims for number one, and again drew the tag from the Sydney Swans on Thursday night.

The growth of his game from bit-part ball user to inside missile is a total triumph, and while ‘Baby Bont’ Joel Freijah missed the top-50 this year, the speed of his development is strikingly similar.

But it is Darcy who was the toughest to slot.

In 1993 legendary football writer Mike Sheahan named North Melbourne champion Wayne Carey at number three of his top-50 when Carey was just 21.

Now Darcy, age 22, enters at number four, and by next year could take Bontempelli’s spot as footy’s new king.

At times, the 208cm key forward looks unstoppable in the air but more than that he is a complete package.

Just forty seconds in on Thursday night he showcased his clean hands with the full-pace mark-on-the-lead.

But it was the third-quarter drop punt from the boundary line which underlined the sublime skills and ball control which make the jet goal kicker truly special.

In September, the biggest question facing opposition coaches will be how they stop all three Bulldogs.

Likewise, the Cats have three top-10 stars but for all the Brownlow Medal hype around Bailey Smith, Max Holmes gets the nod as the greater all-round midfield weapon.

Holmes is number five for the work he does on the defensive end, and his more efficient ball use.

Smith is the most eye-catching ballwinner, and has helped turn the Cats’ engine room from a V6 into a V8, but he is a whisker behind Holmes at six.

And then there is the other superstar forward Jeremy Cameron at number seven who can appear to cruise through games then turn them in a five-minute burst with goals from everywhere.

In the battle of the South Australian midfield jets Port’s Zak Butters snuck in ahead of Crow Jordan Dawson and Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage rounded out the top-10.

Originally published as Jay Clark ranks the AFL’s 50 best players in 2025