WELCOME back to The 25.
Every month throughout 2025, AFL.com.au will rank the best 25 players in the AFL competition, based both on recent form and a body of work across previous seasons.
After our initial drop last month, our panel of journalists and experts have come up with the list of 25 for April, factoring in the first month of the season.
There are three new players compared to the March list, with Max Holmes (No.25 in March), Harry Sheezel (No.22 in March) and Jason Horne-Francis (No.19 in March) the three dropping out.
Did we get it right? Who should be higher, or lower? Take a look below and have your say on social media.
It's little surprise to see the gun Bulldog jump into the list after his stunning start to the season and the only reason he's not higher is because his body of work over an extended period does not quite stack up - yet. But that will surely change. Darcy almost dragged the injury-hit Bulldogs past Collingwood in round two with four goals and bagged another five (to go with 11 marks) in the loss to Fremantle on Sunday. At just 21, he is a star of the future, but he is already impacting now. He could well be in the top 10 in a month.
It's been yet another strong start to the season for Andrews. The two-time All-Australian is an integral part of one of the best defences in the competition and has again shown his ability to not only win contests, but take intercept marks to help Brisbane launch from defence.
A knee injury has led to a slide down the list for the Cats star. Stewart was a good contributor in Geelong's round one win but hurt his knee in round two, and then missed the following week. He is more than capable of climbing back up if he can stay on the park and recapture his best form.
The Hawks are flying at 4-0 and their skipper is a big reason why. Sicily is still a key presence in the Hawthorn defence, but has also shown his ability to impact as a swingman when moving forward. He kicked a key goal in Opening Round and again in the win over Carlton in round two.
Charging into The 25, the Suns' midfield bull has made an incredible start to the season. After ripping the Eagles apart in round one, it was in round two when Rowell made his mark with 36 disposals, 13 clearances and seven tackles in a demolition of the Demons at the MCG. He will be in Brownlow Medal contention if this form continues.
With the first half of his season ruined by injury and plenty of others making hot starts to the year, it's no surprise Gulden has dropped down this list. The Swans star isn't expected to be back until the mid-season bye and it will be interesting to see what impact he can have on Sydney's campaign in the back half of 2025.
More time on the ball has suited the Crow, who has been a key part of one of the standout midfields to begin 2025. Rankine's speed and dynamism has added a different element to the Adelaide midfield and he is finding both plenty of the ball and helping with their stoppage game.
The Adelaide skipper has surged into the top 20 after a barnstorming start to the season, which yielded 20 coaches' votes in the opening two rounds. Dawson has picked up 20 and 18 Brownlow votes in the past two years and could be a top five contender this year based on current form. One who could continue to climb up this list as the season progresses.
The reigning Coleman medallist missed the Giants' first two games of the season after suffering a broken thumb in a freak injury. But he didn't take long to remind everyone what he is capable of, kicking four goals in his first game of the season against Hawthorn and a monster bag of nine against the Eagles on Sunday. He moves down a spot here only because Will Day has moved ahead of him, but expect to see Hogan on the rise next month.
It took the 23-year-old Hawk just one game to be touted as a potential Brownlow medallist after he lifted his side past Sydney in Opening Round. Some closer attention from opponents slowed Day down a little, but he put together strong games against Carlton and Greater Western Sydney before the Hawks' bye.
The veteran ruck hasn't had his usual impact amid a tough start to the season for the Demons, so it's unsurprising to see him slide a little in the latest rankings. Gawn's colours were lowered by big Roo Tristan Xerri in round two and the 33-year-old will need to do more – he is yet to kick a goal in 2025 – to prevent this slide deepening.
An injury-interrupted start to the season has also led to a slide for the Blues forward. Minor knee surgery on the eve of the 2025 campaign meant Curnow missed Carlton's shock round one loss to Richmond and he hasn't quite hit top form yet as his club has struggled in all parts of the ground.
The Bombers captain has barely put a foot wrong to start the year amid a mixed start for his team, which holds a 1-2 win-loss record. Merrett is not only still prolific (he is averaging 32 disposals so far this year), but he has kicked six goals through three games as he adjusts to more time forward to allow young Bombers midfield time.
Greene has had a typically brilliant start to his 2025 campaign, highlighted by his instrumental role in the Giants' come-from-behind victory over Melbourne in round one. The skipper kicked three goals and had a hand in plenty more as he willed his side over the line in the final quarter. Averaging 21 disposals and two goals across the first month of the season, Greene continues to remind everyone why he remains one of the competition's biggest stars.
He's one of the premier key defenders of the competition so it's no surprise Taylor has climbed the rankings and is knocking on the door of the top 10. He started the season with a bang in the Giants' big Opening Round win over Collingwood, controlling the airways with nine intercept marks in a masterful display. He takes the opposition's best key forward each week and is rarely beaten.
The star Dockers midfielder is up five spots from last month and could well be knocking on the door of the top five in the May edition. Sitting equal second in AFL.com.au's Brownlow Predictor after best-on-ground performances against the Eagles and Bulldogs, Serong is on track for a third consecutive All-Australian selection. It's no coincidence the Dockers have won the two games in which Serong has dominated - when he plays well, you can pencil in a Dockers win.
The Power star has dropped a spot given he only returned from injury on Sunday, but he looks unlikely to fall much further now that he's back to full fitness. Butters is as tough as they come and the Power will need to see the very best from their star midfielder if they are return to finals this year. Some speculation over his playing future is bubbling away off the field, which adds an intriguing element to his season.
While Petracca hasn't hit his usual lofty heights to start the 2025 season, he has still been a shining light for a struggling Demons side across the first month and remains one of the competition's best midfielders. Given his side's poor start to the year, it's no surprise he has slipped down the rankings but he has done enough to remain steady in the top 10. Having overcome last season's life-threatening injuries, Petracca returned with a 27-disposal, two-goal effort against the Giants in round one and has averaged 24 touches across the opening four games.
The two-time Brownlow medallist has had an up and down start to 2025 amid plenty of attention from opposition teams, but he still remains one of the game's best midfielders when at his best. Sydney and Geelong both paid close attention to Neale, but he dominated with a 35-disposal, eight-clearance game against West Coast and had 42 and seven in the round four win over Richmond.
With plenty around him on the list having sluggish starts to the season, Warner has jumped up six spots to be knocking on the door of the top five. The West Australian seems to be loving the speculation over his playing future - at least it hasn't impacted him on the field - with only illness slowing his output against North Melbourne in round four. He's a high impact player all over the ground, with the only unknown about him being where he will play next season.
The Cats star has had a fascinating start to the season having spent more time up the ground, often collecting the ball in the back half. Cameron has not been at his damaging best on the scoreboard given this new role, so it's difficult to measure how much of an impact he's had for a Cats side that has had a mixed 2-2 start to the year. Matthew Lloyd believes Geelong can't win the flag unless they push Cameron back into the forward 50, so it will be interesting to see what Chris Scott does over the next month.
He's yet to reach the incredible heights of last season, but the Swans star is going along quite nicely at the start of a new campaign. Heeney was pivotal in turning the game Sydney's way against North Melbourne on Saturday night and looks well placed for another big year. How high can he go?
The Bulldogs skipper hasn't played so far in 2025 due to injury, but with players around him on the list making slow starts to the season, he's only dropped one spot from last month. Arguably his club's greatest ever player, The Bont is set to return in a few weeks to a midfield group that has performed admirably in his absence but will undoubtedly be better for his inclusion.
His side may have endured a horror 0-4 start to 2025, but Cripps has been admirable in the opening month and has moved up one spot in the rankings due to Bontempelli's absence. Cripps has added a new feather to his cap in 2025, with Michael Voss using his premier midfielder in the ruck at stages across the first four rounds. While his team may be winless, the reigning Brownlow Medallist can still hold his head high.
The Magpies superstar has rebounded nicely from a forgettable Opening Round game where he was cramping soon after half-time and had little impact on the contest. In his ensuing three games, Daicos has rocketed back to form, highlighted by a 39-disposal, nine clearance outing against the Bulldogs in round two. The 22-year-old is going to be hard to topple from the No.1 spot.
