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Important update on 1476AMWho is the best player in the AFL? King and Cornes discuss
Jaiden Sciberras • April 7th, 2026 9:06 am
Who is currently the best player in the AFL?
While many delivered their predictions prior to the beginning of the 2026 season, the flowing changes year on year have already taken some serious effect.
With another pre-season for development, a selection of top talents have taken their games to the next level, while a range of veterans have not only carried on their superstardom, but have re-established themselves at the pinnacle of the competition.
But who holds the crown as the game's best player?
David King believes that the question is becoming more and more difficult as the season progresses.
“On Friday, I’m watching Josh Treacy, thinking ‘how good is this guy’,” King told SEN Fireball.
“Winning every contest, kicks the big goal at the end, saves the coach’s bacon, gets them over the line. I thought, 'he is a contender for the best player in the comp'.
“Then on Saturday I see Isaac Heeney come back after an absence and just go whack. Four goals, 26 touches, a stack of clearances. We probably undervalue him, he is probably the best player in the comp.
“Sunday, I go and see Max Gawn do what Max did and just completely destroy that game against the Suns. I thought, you know what? We don’t talk about Max being the best player in the comp.
“Then on Sunday night, Marcus Bontempelli comes on and I thought, what am I talking about these other blokes for? It’s clearly Bontempelli!
“We have got guys that are playing absolutely top line football week in, week out, that are the superstars of our comp. They are on a different plane to the rest.”
Fireball* co-host Cornes added: “Kozzie Pickett is in that discussion as well. Chad Warner at his best.”
King: “He’s not Heeney. Heeney is next level.
“We called him the most complete player that I’ve seen, because he can do it forward and as a midfielder. It’s just amazing, what he is doing.
“So, who is the best player in the comp? It is impossible, because you to go one game and you go, ‘I’ve got to correct that, it’s definitely Heeney’. Then you go and see Max Gawn…
“Are we hard on Heeney? You had Heeney at six (in your pre-season top 50 players list), which is a bit low isn’t it?”
Cornes: “Yeah probably. It’s pretty high, but is he top three? You could make the case.”
King: “You had Noah Anderson above him, Zak Butters, Bont, Nick Daicos and Sam Darcy.”
Cornes: “Maybe Butters and Anderson (should be lower). I’m not worried about Sam Darcy one little bit. He’s not in number one form right now.”
King: “Right now, he’s not in the top 20 players in the comp. I like the list, but I want to back over it again.”
Cornes: “By the end of the year, he will be firmly entrenched in the top five, no issues.”
