Analysis by Alex
At a glance
Top 5 Scorers
| Player | Games | Average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Holmes | 23 | 100.9 | 23 |
| Gryan Miers | 21 | 93.8 | 44 |
| Clayton Oliver | 22 | 89.7 | 61 |
| Nick Blakey | 23 | 85 | 86 |
| Tom De Koning | 22 | 84.7 | 87 |
Season Summary
Do we consider the year a failure given this team played finals in 2024? Or was that a false dawn as many of the competition for that 6th place finish fell over each other in the run home? The parity of the league means that the 8 teams above them were all pushing for finals, while Mark and his Chiefs are rebuilding, so 9th was probably a fair outcome as opposed to expecting another finals run.
This team scored 300 points more (at an average of a whopping 14ppg) than in 2024, so while it is incremental, improvement is still improvement. As there are many young players on this list, there is a need for patience for the natural development to continue.
9th place for the second time in 3 years is not ideal, but 3 flags in the first 10 years buys a coach a lot of grace with the powers that be. While the 2026 outlook is probably not finals again, seeing growth from within the 20 keepers (plus the 2 first round picks up their sleeve for this season) would still be a positive outcome.
Season Grade: C-
All-Australians
2: Max Holmes, Gryan Miers
DangerGawn Votes
| Rank | Player | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Max Holmes | 16 |
| 28 | Tom De Koning | 7 |
| 42 | Kade Chandler | 5 |
| 51 | Ed Langdon | 4 |
| 52 | Clayton Oliver | 4 |
| 71 | Gryan Miers | 3 |
| 74 | Miles Bergman | 3 |
| 102 | Nick Blakey | 2 |
| 109 | Josh Battle | 1 |
| 111 | Xavier Duursma | 1 |
| 122 | Colby McKercher | 1 |
Pre-Season Draft
| Pick | Player | GP | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Sam Lalor | 10 | 59.1 |
| 15 | Taj Hotton | 3 | 50.33 |
| 25 | Braeden Campbell | 10 | 58.5 |
| 35 | Kai Lohmann | 5 | 50.4 |
| 36 | Josh Battle | 19 | 71.11 |
| 45 | Toby Conway | 0 | 0 |
| 49 | Jacob van Rooyen | 0 | 0 |
| 65 | Ben Ainsworth | 13 | 61.23 |
| 75 | Charlie Comben | 0 | 0 |
| 95 | Max King | 0 | 0 |
| 105 | Brayden Maynard | 13 | 71.69 |
| 115 | Ben Camporeale | 0 | 0 |
| 125 | Corey Wagner | 14 | 67 |
| 135 | Mark Keane | 1 | 16 |
| 145 | Kade Chandler | 19 | 69.68 |
| 155 | Lucca Grego | 0 | 0 |
| 165 | Phoenix Gothard | 0 | 0 |
| 175 | Tom Barrass | 0 | 0 |
| 185 | Sam Berry | 9 | 69.89 |
| 195 | Brodie Smith | 2 | 46.5 |
Most Inspired Selection
Pick 36 – Josh Battle
Josh Battle in the 4th round was the highlight outside of these rookies. A defender who made the All Australian team (robbing Josh Worrell of the berth in the process, but that’s a gripe for another day) is never a bad player to have, and with an average of 70 and room to go bigger again in 2026, a handy player for more than the one year for the Chiefs.
Honourable mention to Kade Chandler. Picked in the 15th round also with an average of 70, a handy player to pick up that late. As a forward a score worth fielding most weeks, but probably at his ceiling for what he could bring to a fantasy team.
Trades
| 13 March 2025 | Roughnecks | Rowan Marshall |
| Chiefs | Roughnecks 2026 Round 1 pick Roughnecks 2026 Round 3 pick Oliver Dempsey |
Only one trade to dissect, and a very clear strategy to it. Rowan Marshall is an elite ruck, which comes with elite value on the trade block. Mark was able to bring in the reigning rising star winner (with thanks to the match review panel in suspending his competition), as well as a first and third round pick to strengthen another draft hand. With TDK already on the Chiefs list, the ruck line is still secure for many years to come.
List at end of 2025 season
| Player | Age | GP | AVG | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Holmes | 23 | 23 | 100.9 | 23 |
| Gryan Miers | 26 | 21 | 93.8 | 44 |
| Clayton Oliver | 28 | 22 | 89.7 | 61 |
| Nick Blakey | 25 | 23 | 85 | 86 |
| Tom De Koning | 26 | 22 | 84.7 | 87 |
| Sam Docherty | 31 | 15 | 84.4 | 88 |
| Xavier Duursma | 25 | 22 | 78.8 | 121 |
| James Rowbottom | 25 | 23 | 78.7 | 122 |
| Colby McKercher | 20 | 23 | 78.5 | 125 |
| Miles Bergman | 23 | 19 | 78.2 | 129 |
| Ollie Hollands | 21 | 23 | 76.2 | 138 |
| Jack Ginnivan | 22 | 22 | 75.3 | 144 |
| Ed Langdon | 29 | 23 | 74.2 | 153 |
| Ollie Dempsey | 22 | 23 | 72.7 | 165 |
| Josh Battle | 27 | 23 | 70.3 | 179 |
| Kade Chandler | 25 | 23 | 68.7 | 190 |
| Ryan Angwin | 22 | 9 | 68.3 | 193 |
| Brayden Maynard | 29 | 18 | 66.4 | 209 |
| Mark O’Connor | 28 | 22 | 64.5 | 227 |
| Rhys Stanley | 34 | 18 | 64.4 | 229 |
| Corey Wagner | 28 | 17 | 64.2 | 231 |
| Bodhi Uwland | 22 | 23 | 63.1 | 246 |
| Cam Mackenzie | 21 | 12 | 62.5 | 254 |
| Sam Berry | 23 | 17 | 62.4 | 258 |
| Shannon Neale | 23 | 22 | 61.3 | 274 |
| Brody Mihocek | 32 | 20 | 58.7 | 301 |
| Ben Ainsworth | 27 | 22 | 58.6 | 304 |
| Logan Morris | 20 | 22 | 57.7 | 321 |
| Braeden Campbell | 23 | 23 | 56.6 | 337 |
| Sam Lalor | 19 | 11 | 54.1 | 372 |
| Anthony Caminiti | 21 | 23 | 53.8 | 376 |
| Taj Hotton | 19 | 7 | 50.9 | 421 |
| Nick Watson | 20 | 22 | 49.9 | 431 |
| Kai Lohmann | 22 | 14 | 46.3 | 474 |
| Jhye Clark | 21 | 7 | 38.3 | 551 |
| Jed Walter | 20 | 16 | 37.9 | 555 |
| Archer Reid | 20 | 14 | 35.7 | 571 |
| Paddy Dow | 25 | 774 | ||
| Tanner Bruhn | 23 | 788 | ||
| Toby Conway | 22 | 791 |
Player to watch in 2026
Colby McKercher
Entering year 3, it’s time for the former pick #2 (both in the AFL and more importantly, Dangergawn) to show us what he’s made of. A couple of years, a couple of roles, as North Melbourne are prone to do, and so we haven’t seen Colby settle into his work just yet. The time is now for that to change. An average of 82 in his rookie year helped him burst onto the scene as an elite prospect, however a second year regression to 78 gave Mark a pause as to how his development would continue to trend. There are no more excuses for the Roos. You drafted him, you’ve worked through his development, now is the time to find his role, and give Mark 10 years of bliss.