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Champion Data's top 10 players in the AFL after Round 20, 2026
Jaiden Sciberras • July 29th, 2026 8:34 am
Champion Data has released its Top 10 players in the AFL through 20 rounds of the 2026 season!
Daniel Hoyne named each player on SEN's Sportsday, and will update the Top 10 every four weeks for the remainder of the season.
See the list below:
10. Jordan Dawson (Adelaide)
9. Christian Petracca (Gold Coast)
“He’s starting to come down a little bit. He was one and two for a little bit,” Hoyne said.
8. Chad Warner (Sydney)
“Chad Warner has come in with a bullet.”
7. Ed Richards (Western Bulldogs)
“Geez he was good last week. Fourth or fifth highest rated game for the year.”
6. Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
“People will ask, ‘what about Nick?’ If you go for the last two and a half months of the season, Nick is number one.
“You’ve just got to remember that his first two months of the season, his ball use was a bit up and down. He was still rated highly; he just wasn’t the best player in the competition.
“Now, everything he is doing in the game is frightening.”
5. Max Gawn (Melbourne)
4. Zak Butters (Port Adelaide)
“You’ve got a minimum games qualification, so Zak – I think – will eventually fall out by the end of the year.”
3. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (St Kilda)
“He almost rated 30 rated points (on the weekend) which is just ridiculous.”
2. Isaac Heeney (Sydney)
1. Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
“Number one in the competition.”
Beyond the top 10, Hoyne revealed a specific player that has achieved one of the great jumps in Champion Data history, as well as exploring the best players in a number of positions outside of the midfield.
“A couple of other players over the last six weeks that I just wanted to give a little bit of recognition to, to some that have improved their game,” he continued.
“Tom Sparrow this year – he has gone from 282 last year to 33rd in the comp. That’s the third biggest jump that we’ve seen in our rating system from one year to the next.
“Will Ashcroft is coming with a bullet too. Last six weeks, number one mid/forward in the comp is Zac Bailey. Top 20 player in the comp.
“A lot of those top 10 players are midfielders, so just to roll through a couple of positions.”
Key defenders
- Harris Andrews (Brisbane)
- Callum Wilkie (St Kilda)
- James Sicily (Hawthorn)
Half-back flankers
- Nick Blakey (Sydney)
- Bailey Dale (Western Bulldogs)
- Lachie Ash (GWS Giants)
Wingers
- Harvey Thomas (GWS Giants)
- Ollie Dempsey (Geelong)
“I’m not sure if there’s anyone that’s had an All-Australian season.”
“Harvey Thomas and Ollie Dempsey are our two highest rated wingers, but they are outside the top 70 players in the comp.”
Key Forwards
- Josh Treacy (Fremantle)
- Jack Gunston (Hawthorn)
- Charlie Curnow (Sydney)
- Jake Stringer (GWS Giants)
“This isn’t an All-Australian conversation, but the key forward conversation at the moment (is interesting).
“I look at the Coleman – and the Coleman is not everything and I totally understand that – but what is it, 54 goals is the leading goalkicker in the competition at Round 20. It’s only two and a half goals a game.
“We’ve got four that are all pretty close together.”
