Richmond: Dylan Grimes
One of the most reliable defenders in the competition, Dylan Grimes rarely gets beaten and always shows up. In what would prove to be a comfortable victory on Friday night, Grimes again halted the opposition and finished with a team-high six tackles as the Tigers ran out 54-point victors in Maddie’s match.
Collingwood: Josh Daicos
A late call-up due to Darcy Moore’s hamstring injury, Josh Daicos made the most of his reprieve, having been dropped just two days earlier. The son of a gun laid seven tackles, gathered the footy 23 times and went at 82 percent disposal efficiency as the Pies continued their march toward September.
Gold Coast: Nick Holman
In what proved to be the upset of the season, Nick Holman was pivotal to the Suns’ remarkable comeback. The former Blue, who re-signed a few weeks ago, crashed packs, laid tackles and kicked the sealing goal in the fourth quarter. His relentless work ethic has kept him in the side and earned him a second chance at AFL level.
Essendon: David Myers
Talk about a timely goal, David Myers stepped up when the Bombers needed him most, albeit probably accidentally. With Essendon leading by 10 points with six minutes remaining, the big-bodied midfielder centred a ball to the top of the goal-square from just inside 50 and on the boundary, only for the kick to curl its way through the big sticks to seal the contest.
Adelaide: Jake Kelly
In every way, Jake Kelly has been a revelation for the Crows. In Round 18, the medium-sized defender collected 21 disposals, at 81 per cent efficiency, and seven marks, three of which were contested, against the Lions, keeping the Crows in the hunt for September action.
Geelong: Daniel Menzel
The Cats needed everything to go right in the last play to steal victory against the Demons in Round 18 and Dan Menzel wasn’t going to die wondering. Marking a Tom Stewart kick on centre wing, Menzel had the courage to look in-board and kick to a 50/50 contest involving a rampant Tom Hawkins. The result was Hawkins marking, dishing off and ending in a Zach Tuohy goal after the siren — mission accomplished.
Hawthorn: Jarman Impey
Things never looked in doubt for the Hawks on Sunday and Jarman Impey was clearly having a day out. The former Power speedster didn’t waste the footy once from his 19 disposals while coming out of defence, the only player on the ground to do so, and also collected three rebounds, four one-percenters and two inside 50s.
West Coast: Scott Lycett
He was talked about all week given the long-term injury to superstar Nic Naitanui, and Scott Lycett delivered in his first outing as the Eagles’ number one ruckman. The West Coast big man only touched the footy 10 times but his presence around the ball was huge, recording six tackles and two contested marks in the Eagles triumph.
GWS: Phil Davis
The battle between Phil Davis and Charlie Dixon was enthralling, with both having their moments and prevailing at times. Dixon managed to put his nose in front early in the fourth quarter when he slotted his third goal, but Davis literally wrestled back control, spoiling a number of one-on-one contests late. But perhaps Davis’ most important act came against Chad Wingard, when the livewire had a chance to get Port Adelaide back within three points, however, Davis had the know-how to be close enough when Wingard played on and touched the snapshot off the boot.