It’s been a busy AFL off-season at Stats Insider with our data analysts building a brand new, custom AFL player rating system which we believe will help change the way the game is analysed. 

Essentially, Stats Insider's AFL Player Ratings are the output of a formula created by us with the intent of ranking the league’s current players. Our ratings have incorporated both short-term and long-term data to provide a more dynamic system of evaluating the league.

READ MORE: Explaining the Stats Insider AFL Player Ratings

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be analysing various aspects of the ratings from both a team and player perspective. 

What better way to start, however, than with a walk-through of the ten players our rankings have determined as being the league’s very best.

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1. BRODIE GRUNDY - COLLINGWOOD (RUCK)

Just when you thought the ruck position was dying. 

Just when you thought the game had moved beyond the 200cm giant capable of dragging his side to glory, along comes Brodie Grundy.

Not only has Grundy been crowned All-Australian ruckman over the last two seasons, but he’s also won himself a couple of Copeland trophies, along with accumulating a lazy 40 Brownlow votes.

At just 25 years of age, the Collingwood big man has put together two truly remarkable campaigns, significant enough to reward the South Australian with the mantle of Stats Insider’s inaugural number one player.

2. PATRICK DANGERFIELD - GEELONG (MID)

7x All-Australian. 

3x Geelong Best and Fairest (from four seasons at Kardinia Park).

1x Brownlow Medal. 

The Patrick Dangerfield resume is simply immense, though there's a couple of things missing. Not only is the former Crow still without an elusive premiership, but (for now at least) he'll also have to wait to lay claim to Stats Insider's number one overall ranking.

3. NAT FYFE - FREMANTLE (MID)

Last decade, Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe earned himself 174 Brownlow votes, twice taking out the game’s highest individual honour. He’s also won himself three Leigh Matthews AFL MVP gongs to further emphasise the kind of status he holds within the industry.

While Fyfe’s Dockers have struggled mightily in recent years - not enjoying September action since 2016 - Fyfe’s game continues to evolve, and, at just 28 years of age, is in the absolute prime of an already glittering career.

4. MAX GAWN - MELBOURNE (RUCK)

While Max Gawn's absolute best mightn't quite be in fellow ruckman Brodie Grundy's realm, he has at least put a much more robust body of work together. 

While it did take a few years for his career to take off, once it did it's showed no signs of slowing down. 

After three All-Australian nominations and back-to-back Melbourne Best and Fairests, Gawn now enters season 2020 with the added responsibility of captaining the Demons, off the back of a dreadful 2019.

RELATED: So, What Did We Learn From the AFL Pre-Season?

5. PATRICK CRIPPS - CARLTON (MID)

At just 25 years of age, Patrick Cripps is a player with a maturity well beyond his years.

Not only has Cripps developed into one of the game’s elite midfielders, but as Carlton captain he carries the burden of leading this once great club through one of its most tumultuous periods in history. 

Over the last two seasons, Cripps has amassed more contested possessions than any other player in the league, while his 46 Brownlow votes over the last two campaigns is reason to think it won’t be long until we’re crowning yet another Western Australian as the game’s very best.

6. DUSTIN MARTIN - RICHMOND (MID)

In just a few short seasons, Richmond completely changed the tenor of their club, breaking a 37-year premiership drought, and adding another in 2019 to emphasise their current status as the league’s top dog. 

While the Tigers have been blessed with a plethora of stars to create its current juggernaut, none have played a more pivotal role than Dustin Martin.

A Brownlow medalist in 2017, 2x Norm Smith medalist (in both Richmond triumphs), Dusty’s versatility has been a precious gift, with Richmond able to trust his midfield dominance, while also more than comfortable deploying him forward where he's averaged more than a goal a game throughout his career.

7. LACHIE NEALE - BRISBANE (MID)

Lachie Neale has emerged as one of game’s most prolific ball-winners in recent seasons, taking his game to even greater dimensions since moving from Fremantle to the Brisbane Lions.

Neale’s meteoric rise has been even more remarkable considering his small stature saw him pigeonholed as simply a good endurance ‘run with’ player, and a big reason he slipped to pick 58 in the 2011 AFL Draft. 

Neale’s averaged at least 30 possessions per game in three of the last four seasons, with so much of his influence felt at centre of the midfield inferno.

8. MARCUS BONTEMPELLI - BULLDOGS (MID)

At just 24 years of age the Bulldogs captain would appear to have the AFL world at his feet, having achieved an already scary amount from his first six seasons at the highest level.

Already a two-time All-Australian and club Best and Fairest during the Bulldog’s 2016 groundbreaking premiership season, Marcus Bontempellli possesses one of league’s very best two-way games. 

The Bulldogs enter AFL 2020 with big expectations, while Bontempelli may well be the barometer of whether those lofty expectations are met. 

9. JACK MACRAE - BULLDOGS (MID)

Like Lachie Neale, Bulldog Jack Macrae is one of the league’s most durable midfield accumulators, playing a crucial role on a team with premiership aspirations. 

Macrae has averaged more disposals than any other player in the league over the past couple of seasons, forming a partnership with Bontempelli that functions as one of the AFL’s most lethal one-two midfield punches.

RELATED: How Many Elite Players Does Your AFL Club Have?

10. TIM KELLY - WEST COAST (MID)

The Tim Kelly trade worked as something of cannonball for the AFL, taking one of the games brightest stars from Geelong to the powerhouse West Coast Eagles. 

In just two seasons at the highest level, Kelly has proven himself a phenomenal player possessing a unique skill set, which allows him to both dominate in the clinches, while also being incredibly effective running on the outside too. 

As an Eagle, Kelly will now have both Jack Darling and Josh Kennedy up forward to kick to, which will not only keep West Coast in the thick of 2020 AFL Premiership calculations, but also provide a path for Kelly to climb even higher up on Stats Insider's rankings.

VIEW THE FULL STATS INSIDER AFL PLAYER RATINGS

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