Robbo’s Top 50: Mark Robinson names his top 50 AFL players after the 2024 season

Footy’s biggest list is back with Mark Robinson naming his top 50 players of season 2024 and four superstars could barely be split for the top gong. Check out Robbo’s Top 50 and have your say.

If they were cards in the deck, they’d be the four aces – Cripps, Daicos, Heeney and Bontempelli.

Any of them could be the No. 1 player depending on how you judge their football in 2024.

This is not who you would pick if they were lined up against the wall – I’d probably take Bontempelli – this list is about performances this year.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL TOP 50 LIST AND HAVE YOUR SAY

For consistency, individual brilliance and impact on their team, you can’t go past Cripps.

The Carlton skipper set a Brownlow Medal record with 45 votes and while it was ridiculously inflated recognition of his season, he earnt the right to be regarded the No. 1 player in the competition.

He has the attributes which are widely admired. For me, he is a leader of men, not unlike his coach Michael Voss when he played.

Patrick Cripps leads Robbo’s Top 50 after the 2024 season. Picture: Brett Costello

Daicos, in his third year of footy, does everything except take contested marks and win hit-outs. For all 800-odd players in the game, the confidence in Daicos playing well week in and week out is higher than any other player.

He was one of seven players to surpass 700 possessions. The order was Tom Green, Lachie Neale, Lachie Whitfield, Adam Treloar, Dayne Zorko, Errol Gulden and Daicos. And all seven of these players are in the top 25. Three of them make the top 10.

Unlike the umpires and the coaches, whose awards celebrate midfielders to the point of absurdity, the forwards and defenders feature prominently in the top 50.

Jesse Hogan was No. 5, Joe Daniher was No. 10 and Jeremy Cameron was No. 21.

Brisbane captain Harris Andrews was the first of the defenders at No. 13, then followed Jacob Weitering at No. 20 and Jeremy McGovern at No. 22.

Gold Coast Suns fullback Sam Collins was named No. 46. He did not poll a vote in the Brownlow Medal, coaches gave him votes in eight games, yet he won the Suns’ best fairest.

The first timers included Geelong B&F winner Max Holmes, Jason Horne-Francis, Hayden Young, Harry Sheezel, Dylan Moore, Tristan Xerri, Ed Richards, James Worpel and Massimo D’Ambrosio.

Some of them have a lightning bolt beside their name, while others have been recognised for their vast improvement, namely Xerri, Richards and Worpel.

Assessing the Hawks gang after a blistering 2024 campaign was difficult. Included in the top 50 were B&F winner Jai Newcombe, James Sicily, Moore, D’Ambrosio and Worpel. The order in the best and fairest was Newcombe (155 votes), Moore 146, Jarman Impey 119, Worpel 116, Blake Hardwick 114, Connor Macdonald 113, Karl Amon 110, Jack Scrimshaw 108, Jack Ginnivan and Massimo D’Ambrosio.

Of note there, Sicily did not finish in the top 10 and D’Ambrosio was 10th, which makes you think the All-Australian selectors would feel somewhat vindicated leaving D’Ambrosio out of the team.

Joe Daniher is one of the highest-rated key position players in Mark Robinson’s Top 50. Picture: David Caird

Richmond was without representation, Essendon had one player, North Melbourne players and West Coast two.

Premiers Brisbane had six players: Neale, Daniher, Andrews, McCluggage, Zorko and Rayner. Midfielder Josh Dunkley was out, then in, and then out of the top 50, beaten for the final spot by Gold Coast’s Sam Flanders.

Flanders averaged 31 disposals, which was the second most in the competition behind Treloar’s 31.5.

Adelaide’s Izak Rankine is a top 20 player on talent, but he only managed to play 15 games. He missed too much footy to be considered. As did Patty Dangerfield.

Other notable absentees include Toby Greene, Sam Walsh, Aliir Aliir, Ollie Wines, Rowan Marshall and Bailey Dale.

Originally published as Robbo’s Top 50: Mark Robinson names his top 50 AFL players after the 2024 season