Essendon: Kyle Langford
Essendon have persisted with Kyle Langford and the young Bomber is beginning to reward them four years into his career. The 21-year-old put in one of the best performances of his short career in their Round 14 upset against West Coast in Perth, collecting 24 disposals, six marks, five clearances and one goal.
Port Adelaide: Brad Ebert
The Power were in all sorts in the first quarter of their Friday night clash before veteran Brad Ebert stepped up. Without a goal as the quarter-time siren sounded, Ebert showed he has ice in his veins, sinking a set shot for Port’s first major and followed it up with their second in the second term.
Hawthorn: Dan Howe
Dan Howe has been in and out of the Hawthorn side for a few years now but you could never question his commitment. With the ball flying into the Suns’ forward 50 early in the match, Howe bravely ran back with the flight of the ball to take a courageous mark, getting crunched by Peter Wright in the process. Howe followed it up minutes later to kick the Hawks first of the game to set the standard early.
GWS Giants: Tim Taranto
We doubt there’d be a second-year player who works harder than Tim Taranto. The 20-year-old Giant worked hard for his 18 disposals, five clearances and six tackles against the Lions and is seventh in the competition for tackles in 2018, registering 20 more than the next Giant.
North Melbourne: Majak Daw
With Billy Gowers running rampant in the last term, Majak Daw had his work cut out for him. The come-again defender found himself in two pivotal contests late in the game and managed to get a fist to the ball at the perfect moment to affect two great spoils. Eventually the Kanagroos went down the other end with Ziebell kicking the sealer but Daw played a significant role in helping his side snatch victory.
Collingwood: Tom Phillips
Tom Phillips keeps running and running and running, and then goes again. In a tight tussle with Carlton on Sunday, the 22-year-old wingman collected another 28 possessions — 21 of which were effective — and eight marks as the Pies improved to 9-4 and jumped into the top four.
