Movement in the 2018 Shadforth Financial Group AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award was slow in Round 21, with only a handful of players inside the leaderboard being rewarded for their weekend efforts.
The biggest mover in Round 21 was GWS half-back Lachie Whitfield, who polled votes for the fifth consecutive week. Whitfield received maximum votes from the respective coaches for his 30-disposal, one-goal effort against the Crows on Saturday night, moving from eighth to fifth place.
Tom Mitchell’s lead has been cut from six votes to four after the ball-magnet polled just one vote in the Hawks victory over the Cats on Saturday. Mitchell collected 32 touches, while Carlton star Patrick Cripps jumped to second spot ahead of Melbourne’s Max Gawn after receiving five coaches’ votes for his 32 disposals and eight clearances in the Blues loss to the Dockers on Sunday.
In a rare occasion, all nine games during the round featured a player who polled maximum coaches’ votes, with this week’s including Whitfield, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (five goals), Jack Riewoldt (10 goals), Patrick Dangerfield (40 disposals), Luke Shuey (31 touches, 11 clearances), Taylor Adams (33 disposals), Marcus Bontempelli (35 touches, two goals), Isaac Heeney (19 disposals, two goals) and Lachie Neale (34 touches, 10 clearances).
The AFL Coaches’ Association votes for Round 21 (see every vote from all the rounds so far at AFLCoaches.com.au):
essendon v st kilda
10 McDonald-Tipungwuti (Ess), 5 Z. Merrett (Ess), 5 Ross (StK), 4 Myers (Ess), 3 Heppell (Ess), 2 McKenna (Ess), 1 McGrath (Ess)
hawthorn v geelong
10 Dangerfield (Geel), 6 Worpel (Haw), 4 Burgoyne (Haw), 3 Ablett (Geel), 3 O’Meara (Haw), 3 Smith (Haw), 1 Mitchell (Haw)
gold coast v richmond
10 Riewoldt (Rich), 8 Grigg (Rich), 4 Caddy (Rich), 4 Martin (Rich), 3 Edwards (Rich), 1 Houli (Rich)
port adelaide v west coast
10 Shuey (WCE), 6 Barrass (WCE), 4 Lycett (WCE), 4 Yeo (WCE), 3 Clurey (PA), 2 Johnson (PA), 1 Jonas (PA)
collingwood v brisbane
10 Adams (Coll), 7 Crisp (Coll), 4 Grundy (Coll), 3 De Goey (Coll), 2 Greenwood (Coll), 2 Pendlebury (Coll), 1 Andrews (BL), 1 D. Beams (BL)
gws v adelaide
10 Whitfield (GWS), 7 Smith (Adel), 5 Himmelberg (GWS), 5 Ward (GWS), 2 Lobb (GWS), 1 Sloane (Adel)
north melbourne v western bulldogs
10 Bontempelli (WB), 8 Hunter (WB), 5 Daniel (WB), 5 Macrae (WB), 2 Johannisen (WB)
MELBOURNE V sydney
10 Heeney (Syd), 7 Lloyd (Syd), 4 Aliir (Syd), 3 Brayshaw (Melb), 3 Hewett (Syd), 2 Papley (Syd), 1 Franklin (Syd)
fremantle v carlton
10 Neale (Frem), 7 Mundy (Frem), 5 Cripps (Carl), 5 Wilson (Frem), 2 Langdon (Frem), 1 Thomas (Carl)
LEADERBOARD
87 — TOM MITCHELL (HAW)
83 — PATRICK CRIPPS (CARL)
80 — MAX GAWN (MELB)
72 — CLAYTON OLIVER (MELB)
70 — LACHIE WHITFIELD (GWS)
68 — BRODIE GRUNDY (COLL)
65 — ANDREW GAFF (WC)
64 — SHAUN HIGGINS (NM)
62 — DYSON HEPPELL (ESS)
61 — ELLIOT YEO (WC)