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“This is a golden era”: The players under 25 who could take a Brownlow-type trajectory in 2025
Andrew Slevison • February 28th, 2025 3:30 pm
Which players can take a Brownlow-type trajectory in 2025?
That is the question that David King was pondering ahead of the new AFL season which kicks off next Thursday night.
King fully understands just how good you must be to be included in Brownlow conversations but feels there are several players around the league who can take that next step.
Apart from the obvious in Collingwood star Nick Daicos (22), former North Melbourne champion King named such players as Adelaide’s Izak Rankine (25), Port Adelaide’s Jason Horne-Francis (21), Fremantle’s Hayden Young (23) and Hawthorn’s Jai Newcombe (23).
“With the Brownlow-type trajectory you have to go next level,” King said on SEN Breakfast.
“We’re talking about going past players like Fyfe, Neale, Wines, Cripps.
“I’m looking at Izak Rankine as one. Everyone is going to talk Nick Daicos and that is clearly the benchmark at the moment.
“There are some names coming through on the text that I actually agree with. You see Izak Rankine play, only 83 games, and you think, ‘Wow’.
“Last year he had an eight-week patch which was pretty strong and we started to discuss him as having the potential to be the best player in the competition. But can he do that for a full season?
“Horne-Francis - someone that just takes your eye with everything he does in games. He’s only played 65 games of footy.
“Hayden Young. I know he’s got a bad hamstring. He’s only played 80 games but what he does to impact.
“Jai Newcombe is another one. Only played the 80-odd games of footy.
“Who is at your team that you can see taking that spike into rare air?”
Of the key quartet named by King, Newcombe polled 24 votes, Horne-Francis attracted 19 votes and Young landed 12, while Rankine polled just five from his 15 games in 2024.
King’s co-host Kane Cornes named a handful of other emerging players who he believes can be potential Brownlow winners this year and beyond.
The Power great is a fan of Port gun Zak Butters (24), GWS midfielder Tom Green (24) and Sydney pair Chad Warner (23) and Errol Gulden (22), among others.
“I’m certain that this era of football has never been better stacked for under 25-year-olds talent-wise,” said Cornes.
“We’re prisoners of the moment a little bit, but I can’t remember a time where we’ve had as many talented players under the age of 25.
“You’ve just named a few, I can give you more. Butters is 24, he got 29 votes last year in the Brownlow. He could easily win a Brownlow.
“Tom Green is 24, heaps of votes in the Brownlow, a proven vote-getter. Plays a similar style to Cripps who has won a couple. Tom Green could easily (win a Brownlow).
“Chad Warner could easily win a Brownlow Medal. Errol Gulden, could win one, another proven vote-getter under the age of 24.”
Led by Daicos, who polled a massive 38 votes to finish second to Patrick Cripps last year, Cornes feels we are now in a “golden era” of talented footballers under the age of 25.
“This is a golden era of talent in our competition under the age of 25 where there’s going to be some unbelievable players that don’t win it,” he continued.
“It’s a good question, and we’re absolutely stacked, but Daicos is just frightening. 38 votes last year after starting the season slowly. 38 wins it every other year.”
Of the players Cornes named, Butters polled 29 votes, Green raked in 27, Gulden pulled in 25 and Warner had 23 in 2024.
As you can see, there is no shortage of budding superstars in the AFL under the age of 25 as we enter the 2025 season.
