AFL coaches have voted Richmond’s Dustin Martin as the 2017 Shadforth Financial Group AFLCA Champion Player of the Year.
Martin set two award records in taking the honours, receiving a record 122 votes and eight unanimous best on ground performances.
Martin’s huge 2017 season has helped guide the Tigers to their first top-four finish since 2001. The strong-bodied on-baller finished his stellar year with an average of 30.3 disposals and 6.6 clearances per game, to go along with 32 goals.
Martin also finished the home and away season as the number one centre clearance player in the AFL, tallying 79, two more than Greater Western Sydney’s Dylan Shiel.
Martin is a first-time winner of the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award, with his strength in the contest, trademark fend-off and keen goal sense helping elevate him to elite status in the AFL.
Martin finished four votes ahead of Patrick Dangerfield (118), with the top-five rounded out by Rory Sloane (78), Zach Merrett (77) and Tom Mitchell (76).
The Shadforth Financial Group AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award is presented in recognition of the player who has been adjudged as the Champion Player of the Year based on their performance throughout the Season, as voted by the Coaches (5,4,3,2,1) on a weekly basis throughout the AFL Season.
AFL Coaches’ Association votes for Round 23:
hawthorn v western bulldogs
10 Roughead (Haw), 8 McEvoy (Haw), 4 Macrae (WB), 3 M. Boyd (WB), 2 Sicily (Haw), 2 Smith (Haw), 1 Gunston (Haw)
collingwood v melbourne
10 Elliott (Coll), 4 Hoskin-Elliott (Coll), 4 Howe (Coll), 3 Adams (Coll), 3 Oliver (Melb), 2 Petracca (Melb), 2 Phillips (Coll), 1 Hunt (Melb), 1 Langdon (Coll)
brisbane v north melbourne
9 Brown (NM), 9 Higgins (NM), 5 Dumont (NM), 3 Rich (BL), 2 Zorko (BL), 1 McDonald (NM), 1 Thompson (NM)
sydney v carlton
10 Franklin (Syd), 7 Kennedy (Syd), 4 Parker (Syd), 3 Jones (Syd), 3 Rohan (Syd), 2 Grundy (Syd), 1 Kreuzer (Carl)
geelong v gws
9 Dangerfield (Geel), 9 Menegola (Geel), 6 Ward (GWS), 3 Duncan (Geel), 2 Hawkins (Geel), 1 Smith (Geel)
port adelaide v gold coast
10 S. Gray (PA), 6 Dixon (PA), 4 Wines (PA), 3 Boak (PA), 3 Ryder (PA), 2 Ebert (PA), 1 Byrne Jones (PA), 1 Houston (PA)
fremantle v essendon
10 Z. Merrett (Ess), 8 Goddard (Ess), 4 Stewart (Ess), 3 Bellchambers (Ess), 3 Fyfe (Frem), 2 Watson (Ess)
richmond v st kilda
10 Martin (Rich), 7 Townsend (Rich), 5 Grigg (Rich), 4 Vlastuin (Rich), 2 Cotchin (Rich), 2 Gresham (StK)
west coast v adelaide
8 McGovern (WCE), 5 Mitchell (WCE), 4 M. Crouch (Adel), 4 Gaff (WCE), 3 Jacobs (Adel), 3 Sloane (Adel), 2 Darling (WCE), 1 Yeo (WCE)
AFL Coaches’ Association votes for Round 22:
adelaide v sydney
7 M. Crouch (Adel), 7 Rampe (Syd), 6 Sloane (Adel), 5 Kennedy (Syd), 4 McGovern (Adel), 1 Parker (Syd)
wetsern bulldogs v port adelaide
9 Boak (PA), 8 Dixon (PA), 6 Macrae (WB), 3 Ryder (PA), 2 Dale (WB), 1 Jonas (PA), 1 Wines (PA)
collingwood v geelong
10 Dangerfield (Geel), 8 Menegola (Geel), 4 Hoskin-Elliott (Coll), 3 Adams (Coll), 2 Cox (Coll), 2 Stewart (Geel), 1 Murdoch (Geel)
gws v west coast
10 Kelly (GWS), 8 Whitfield (GWS), 6 Priddis (WCE), 3 Ward (GWS), 3 Yeo (WCE)
gold coast v essendon
10 Zaharakis (Ess), 6 May (GCS), 5 Goddard (Ess), 4 Bellchambers (Ess), 3 Heppell (Ess), 2 Hall (GCS)
carlton v hawthorn
10 Docherty (Carl), 7 Mitchell (Haw), 5 Lamb (Carl), 5 Murphy (Carl), 2 Smith (Haw), 1 Pickett (Carl)
melbourne v brisbane
9 Hogan (Melb), 8 Jones (Melb), 7 D. Beams (BL), 3 Pedersen (Melb), 2 Oliver (Melb), 1 Gardiner (BL)
st kilda v north melbourne
10 Steven (StK), 8 Ross (StK), 5 Cunnington (NM), 5 Dunstan (StK), 1 Garner (NM), 1 Gresham (StK)
fremantle v richmond
9 Townsend (Rich), 8 Martin (Rich), 7 Grigg (Rich), 2 Lambert (Rich), 2 Riewoldt (Rich), 1 Fyfe (Frem), 1 Houli (Rich)
LEADERBOARD
104 — DUSTIN MARTIN (RICH)
99 — PATRICK DANGERFIELD (GEEL)
69 — TOM MITCHELL (HAW)
69 — RORY SLOANE (ADEL)
67 — ZACH MERRETT (ESS)
66 — CLAYTON OLIVER (MELB)
66 — DAYNE ZORKO (BRIS)
65 — MARCUS BONTEMPELLI (WB)
65 — JOSH KELLY (GWS)
61 — GARY ABLETT (GC)
61 — JOEL SELWOOD (GEEL)