Hawthorn will reach a fourth consecutive Grand Final, Nat Fyfe will become a Brownlow Medallist and Jarryd Roughead will win his second Coleman Medal in 2015, according to the AFL’s club captains.
At Wednesday’s annual Captains Day, the 18 club skippers (minus Gary Ablett, Matthew Pavlich and Travis Boak, who were replaced by Michael Rischitelli, Nat Fyfe and Brett Ebert) participated in a poll to pick the teams to make the top eight and the Grand Final, and the players most likely to win the Brownlow Medal, Coleman Medal and Rising Star Award this season. The captains could not vote for their own team or teammates in the poll.
Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney were picked to make the finals by all captains, while 11 players tipped the Hawks to reach a fourth consecutive Grand Final.
Sydney (four votes) and Port Adelaide (three) were seen as the other likely contenders for this season’s Grand Final.
Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe was the captains’ choice to take out the Brownlow Medal, after polling the second most votes in 2014.
It’s no surprise the captains selected the 23-year-old to win his first Brownlow, given the players voted him the AFL Players’ Association’s Most Valuable Player in 2014.
The @AFL captains believe Nat Fyfe http://t.co/t7YX7iwr0F will win the 2015 Brownlow Medal #foreverfreo pic.twitter.com/F9g9LjLyFe
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) March 25, 2015
Fyfe received four nominations, while dual Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett, club skippers Travis Boak and Joel Selwood, and Adelaide’s Patrick Dangerfield collected two votes each.
2013 Coleman Medal winner Jarryd Roughead is the captains’ favourite to be this year’s leading goal-kicker, receiving seven votes – ahead of last year’s winner Lance Franklin (three votes) and Tom Hawkins and Jack Riewoldt (two votes each).
Geelong recruit Nakia Cockatoo showed enough during the pre-season competition to receive the highest number of votes for the Rising Star Award. The 2014 first-round draft pick received four votes, one ahead of Sydney Academy recruit Isaac Heeney. Young Hawk Jed Anderson collected two votes.
After hours of posing for photos, the 2015 Captains have finished with one of their own! #AFLSeasonLaunch @AFLphotos pic.twitter.com/Z6hrgIcMvD
— AFL (@AFL) March 25, 2015
The Captains Votes
Which seven other clubs do you think can make this year’s top eight?
Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney — 17 votes
Fremantle and Geelong — 16
North Melbourne — 14
Gold Coast Suns — 12
Richmond — 8
Essendon — 4
Adelaide Crows — 3
Collingwood and West Coast — 1
Which other club is most likely to reach the Grand Final?
Hawthorn — 11 votes
Sydney Swans — 4
Port Adelaide — 3
Who do you think will win the 2015 Brownlow Medal?
Nat Fyfe (Fremantle) — 4 votes
Gary Ablett (Gold Coast Suns), Travis Boak (Port Adelaide), Joel Selwood (Geelong), and Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide) — 2
Dayne Beams (Brisbane Lions), Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide), Josh Kennedy (Sydney Swans), Dustin Martin (Richmond), Matt Priddis (West Coast Eagles) and Daniel Wells (North Melbourne) — 1
Who do you think will win the 2015 Coleman Medal?
Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn) — 7
Lance Franklin (Sydney Swans) — 3
Tom Hawkins (Geelong) and Jack Riewoldt (Richmond) — 2
Jeremy Cameron (GWS Giants), Josh Kennedy (West Coast Eagles), Kurt Tippett (Sydney Swans) and Taylor Walker (Adelaide) — 1
Who do you think will win the 2015 NAB AFL Rising Star?
Nakia Cockatoo (Geelong) — 4
Isaac Heeney (Sydney Swans) — 3
Jed Anderson (Hawthorn) — 2
Angus Brayshaw (Melbourne), Patrick Cripps (Carlton,) Matt Crouch (Adelaide), Jordan De Goey (Collingwood), Jarrod Garlett (Gold Coats Suns), Paddy McCartin (St Kilda), Jaden McGrath (Brisbane Lions), Matt Scharenberg (Collingwood) and Kayne Turner (North Melbourne)