The coaches couldn’t split Matt Crouch and Rory Sloane for best afield honours at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.
Crouch and Sloane each received nine votes from Don Pyke and Brad Scott in the AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year award.
Crouch kicked a personal best two goals from a game-high 32 possessions against North Melbourne. The 21-year-old midfielder also won eight clearances and laid seven tackles in the most complete performance of his 36-game AFL career.
Sloane moved to within two votes of overall leader and former teammate, Patrick Dangerfield, with another standout display in Adelaide’s 33-point win over the Kangaroos.
The inspirational onballer collected 30 disposals including a game-high 19 contested possessions. The 26-year-old led the League in tackles (13), won seven clearances and generated four inside 50ms. He was involved in 11 scores and gained more metres (529) than any other Crow.
Sloane is now level with Geelong captain Joel Selwood in second spot with 64 votes.
Two-time Crows Club Champion Scott Thompson received four votes. Thompson was the leading clearance player on the ground with nine, and gathered 17 of his 24 possessions in an influential second half.
Forward Tom Lynch was judged the next-best player. Lynch finished with 27 possessions, four marks and two goal assists.
Key defenders Jake Lever (two) and Daniel Talia (one) rounded out Adelaide’s voting in Round 14.
Lever amassed six marks and 18 possessions, including 10 intercept possessions – ranked second in the AFL for the round. Talia held Roos forward Drew Petrie to one goal from six disposals, and effected more spoils (13) than any other player on the ground.
The clash between the Crows and Kangaroos was the only match on the weekend where a player didn’t achieve maximum votes. Richmond star Dustin Martin, Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy, emerging St Kilda onballer Seb Ross, Greater Western Sydney’s Dylan Shiel and Sam Mitchell of Hawthorn all scored perfect 10’s.
Martin has climbed into outright fourth place in the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award with 56 votes. Dangerfield (66) remains on top despite not polling a vote in his team’s loss to the Saints on Saturday night.
Adelaide v North Melbourne
9 – Rory Sloane (Adelaide)
9 – Matt Crouch (Adelaide)
4 – Scott Thompson (Adelaide)
3 – Tom Lynch (Adelaide)
2 – Jake Lever (Adelaide)
2 – Ben Cunnington (North Melbourne)
1 – Daniel Talia (Adelaide)
Round 14 Leaderboard
66 Patrick Dangerfield (Geel)
64 Rory Sloane (Adel)
64 Joel Selwood (Geel)
56 Dustin Martin (Rich)
55 Dan Hannebery (Syd)
48 Luke Shuey (WC)
47 Todd Goldstein (NM)
47 Tom Lynch (Gold Coast)
45 Dylan Shiel (GWS)
41 Luke Parker (Syd)
41 Jack Ziebell (NM)
41 Jack Steven (StK)
Crows Leaderboard
64 – Rory Sloane
40 – Eddie Betts
26 – Tom Lynch
22 – Josh Jenkins
19 – Scott Thompson
17 – Taylor Walker
17 – Matt Crouch
16 – Brodie Smith
12 – Rory Laird
9 – Luke Brown
7 – Daniel Talia
4 – Charlie Cameron
3 – Rory Atkins
3 – Kyle Cheney
3 – Richard Douglas
3 – Jake Lever
2 – Sam Jacobs
1 – Kyle Hartigan
