They sit top of the table after 10 rounds and the West Coast Eagles are twice represented in the AFL Players’ Association’s MVP of the Month nominees for May.

The Eagles, who are 9-1, continue to surprise the competition, with forward Jack Darling and midfielder Andrew Gaff among those eligible for the MVP of the Month title.

The six names which occupy the nominees in May (Rounds 7 to 10) include three midfielders, two ruckman and one forward, with last month’s winner, Steele Sidebottom, unable to back up his impressive start to 2018.

FIRST MVP OF THE MONTH FOR 2018 REVEALED

Jack Darling (West Coast)

Despite going goalless against the Hawks in Round 10, Darling has kicked 13 goals in May and is grabbing everything in the air. The physically imposing, athletic forward has taken 18 contested marks in the last four weeks.

Nathan Fyfe (Fremantle)

May marks Fyfe’s second nomination in 2018 and the Fremantle skipper has averaged 32 disposals, 22 contested possessions and more than eight clearances in the last four weeks. Now fully fit, some pundits believe Fyfe is in better form than his 2015 season, where he won the AFLPA MVP Award and the Brownlow Medal.

Max Gawn (Melbourne)

Back to best, Gawn is still the Demons’ most important player. The 26-year-old is getting the footy, winning hit outs, clunking marks and also impacting the scoreboard, as the Demons storm towards September action for the first time in 12 years.

Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs)

Still unheralded, Macrae’s stats have been outrageous in the last four weeks. The Bulldogs’ midfielder found the footy with ease in May and has averaged 38 touches, 18 contested possessions, eight tackles and eight clearances since Round 7.

Brodie Grundy (Collingwood)

Grundy was also nominated last month, proof that the Collingwood ruckman has been one of the most consistent performers this season. Grundy averaged 21 disposals and 40 hit outs this month, with his efforts at ground level a highlight. How good is the Queen’s Birthday match-up looking?

Andrew Gaff (West Coast)

Known as one of the best wingers in the game, Gaff has turned into an inside midfielder in 2018. The hard-running, left-footer’s contested possession numbers have been at a career-high and he’s still getting plenty of it on the outside, averaging 31 touches in May.

Which player do YOU think deserves to be the MVP of the Month? Vote below!

[cf]inlinescript[/cf]

Each month of the home and away season, a group of six players are nominated by former AFLPA MVP Award winners Gerard Healy, Tim Watson, Chris Judd and the man the award was named after, Leigh Matthews, for the MVP of the Month award.

From there, the current players will then vote to decide who they believe is the MVP of the Month from the nominees, with the monthly winner automatically nominated for the end-of-season AFL Players’ MVP Award.

VOTING PERIODS

March/April — Rounds 1-6 — Steele Sidebottom

May — Rounds 7-10

June — Rounds 11-15

July — Rounds 16-19

August — Rounds 20-23