It’s only Round 2 but a star ball-winner has already opened a slight gap from the competition in the 2018 Shadforth Financial Group AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award.
Hawthorn best and fairest winner Tom Mitchell is averaging 47 disposals and 11 clearances this season and he’s dominated the coaches’ votes also, being the only player to earn maximum votes in the first two rounds of 2018.
Mitchell, who finished third in last year’s AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award, leads GWS’ midfielder Stephen Coniglio by four votes, with Rory laird and Lance Franklin a further vote behind.
Of the nine games in Round 2, seven of them featured a player who received 10 votes, with Laird (42 disposals), Ben Brown (six goals), Tom Lynch (eight goals), Coniglio (27 touches and three goals), Nathan Wilson (23 disposals), Shannon Hurn (29 touches) and Mitchell unanimously named as best on ground in their respective matches by the coaches.
AFL Coaches’ Association votes for Round 2:
adelaide v richmond
10 Laird (Adel), 7 Jenkins (Adel), 7 Martin (Rich), 4 Sloane (Adel), 1 Gibbs (Adel), 1 Greenwood (Adel)
north melbourne v st kilda
10 Brown (NM), 5 Goldstein (NM), 5 Waite (NM), 4 Macmillan (NM), 3 Tarrant (NM), 2 Jacobs (NM), 1 Higgins (NM)
carlton v gold coast
10 Lynch (GCS), 8 Lyons (GCS), 4 Martin (GCS), 3 Swallow (GCS), 2 Holman (GCS), 2 Witts (GCS), 1 E. Curnow (Carl)
collingwood v gws giants
10 Coniglio (GWS), 7 Grundy (Coll), 4 Howe (Coll), 3 Finlayson (GWS), 2 Davis (GWS), 2 Phillips (Coll), 1 Pendlebury (Coll), 1 Sidebottom (Coll)
brisbane lions v melbourne
9 Hogan (Melb), 8 Oliver (Melb), 5 Cameron (BL), 5 Garlett (Melb), 3 Jones (Melb)
fremantle v essendon
10 Wilson (Frem), 8 Fyfe (Frem), 4 S. Hill (Frem), 3 A. Pearce (Frem), 2 Blakely (Frem), 2 Taberner (Frem), 1 McKenna (Ess)
western bulldogs v west coast
10 Hurn (WCE), 8 Darling (WCE), 4 Macrae (WB), 3 Ryan (WCE), 2 Lycett (WCE), 2 Naitanui (WCE), 1 Hunter (WB)
sydney v port aDELAIDE
9 Wines (PA), 8 Dixon (PA), 6 Gray (PA), 5 Franklin (Syd), 1 Boak (PA), 1 Westhoff (PA)
geelong v hawthorn
10 Mitchell (Haw), 7 McEvoy (Haw), 6 Ablett (Geel), 3 Dangerfield (Geel), 2 Impey (Haw), 1 Kelly (Geel), 1 Smith (Haw)
LEADERBOARD
20 — TOM MITCHELL (HAW)
16 — STEPHEN CONIGLIO (GWS)
15 — RORY LAIRD (ADEL)
15 — LANCE FRANKLIN (SYD)
14 — DUSTIN MARTIN (RICH)
12 — GARY ABLETT (GEE)
12 — SHANNON HURN (WC)
10 — PATRICK CRIPPS (CARL)
10 — JACK STEVEN (STK)
10 — BEN BROWN (NM)
10 — JACK DARLING (WC)
10 — TOM LYNCH (GC)
10 — NATHAN WILSON (FREM)
10 — OLLIE WINES (PA)