ONLY one PORT ADELAIDE player received any votes from the coaches in each of the Power’s last two games in the 2018 SHADFORTH FINANCIAL GROUP AFLCA CHAMPION PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD.

The Power’s losses to Collingwood and Essendon saw Travis Boak pick up one vote for his performance against the Magpies and Justin Westhoff poll four votes out of the game against the Bombers.

The votes for rounds 22 and 23 were embargoed until after the final round.

Boak lifted his side with 27 disposals, five marks, four tackles and two goals against the Pies.

16 of his possessions were contested and he also had five important clearances and four spoils.

Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy polled a perfect 10 votes against the Power, while his teammates Taylor Adams, Chris Mayne, Brayden Maynard and Steele Sidebottom split the rest of the votes.

Westhoff was a prominent figure in the forward line in the Round 23 game against Essendon, booting five goals.

He also had 20 disposals, eight marks, five hit-outs, two clearances and two tackles.

Essendon’s Dyson Heppell and Mitch Brown received six votes from that game while Devon Smith, Kyle Langford, Aaron Francis and David Zaharakis also polled.

In round 22, as well as Grundy, Lance Franklin (Sydney), Dayne Beams (Brisbane), Max Gawn (Melbourne) and Matt Crouch (Adelaide) all received the maximum ten votes from the AFL coaches.

In round 23 Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong), Jamie Cripps (West Coast), Trent Dumont (North Melbourne), and Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs) scored ten votes.

Melbourne’s Gawn the overall winner

Impressive performances in the last two weeks saw Melbourne’s Max Gawn leapfrog Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell and Carlton’s Patrick Cripps to take out the 2018 SHADFORTH FINANCIAL GROUP AFLCA CHAMPION PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD.

Trailing Mitchell by seven votes after round 21, Gawn came home with a wet sail.

the big Demon, who bounced back superbly from an injury ravaged 2017 season, and was simply unstoppable, averaging 45.5 hitouts, 16.3 disposals, and 4.6 marks per game – all career highs.

Gawn’s season was record-breaking, as he became the first AFL player to record 1000 hitouts – amassing exactly 1000 – and in the process the first ever ruckman to take out the Coaches Award.

In yet another piece of history, Gawn’s victory ensured that he and Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin – winner in 2006 with the Adelaide Crows – became the first ever coach and player combination to each win the prestigious award.

AFL Coaches Association CEO Mark Brayshaw was quick to congratulate Gawn after his stellar year, lauding the Melbourne ruckman as a worthy winner. 

“We think the Coaches Award is the most prestigious of all the individual Awards in the AFL, because the 18 groups of coaches take such care in allocating their votes,” Brayshaw said.

“AFL ruckmen often don’t get the plaudits that they deserve, but Max’s year has been off the charts. He’s rightly been rewarded for that. The Demons’ resurgence…to play finals for the first time in 12 years…is due, in no small part, to his efforts.” 

Gawn is a first-time winner of the award, with his ability to dominate in the air, and at ground level, helping fuel Melbourne’s high-octane offence – which finished the home and away season averaging a league-best 104.5 points per game – and elevating him to elite status within the AFL.

Round 22 – votes v Collingwood

10 votes – Grundy (Coll)

8 votes – Adams (Coll) 

4 votes – Mayne, Maynard (Coll)

3 votes – Sidebottom (Coll)

1 vote – Boak (PA)

Round 23 votes v Essendon

6 votes – Heppell, Brown (Ess)

5 votes -Smith (Ess)

4 votes – Westhoff (PA), Langford, Francis (Ess),

1 vote – Zaharakis (Ess)

 

Overall leader board

97 votes - Max Gawn (Melbourne)

91 votes - Patrick Cripps (Carlton)

88 votes - Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn)

82 votes - Brodie Grundy (Collingwood)

72 votes – Dayne Beams (Brisbane), Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs), Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)

70 votes - Lachie Whitfield (GWS), Dustin Martin (Richmond)

68 votes - Dyson Heppell (Essendon)

67 votes - Shaun Higgins (N. Melbourne)

65 votes – Andrew Gaff (West Coast), Rory Laird (Adelaide)

64 votes – Steele Sidebottom (Collingwood)

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42 votes – Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)

38 votes –Ollie Wines (Port Adelaide)

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