Patrick Dangerfield has moved into the top 10 in the AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year award after a best-on-ground performance against Essendon.
Dangerfield received a perfect 10 votes from Scott Camporeale and James Hird in Adelaide’s 112-point win over the Bombers at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
The two-time All Australian collected 27 possessions at 81.5 per cent efficiency and kicked three goals in another dominant display. He also won a Round 20-high nine inside 50ms, five clearances and laid six tackles. Dangerfield has polled votes from the coaches in five of his past six games to sit in 10th spot on the overall leaderboard with 59 votes.
Five-goal forward Eddie Betts, who also applied strong defensive pressure, was adjudged to be the next-best player on the ground, earning five votes.
Three Crows, Tom Lynch, Rory Sloane and Brodie Smith, collected four votes.
In his first vote-polling game of the season, Lynch finished with a game-high 10 marks, 26 touches and two goals. Sloane laid a game-high 11 tackles and collected 24 possessions at 91.7 per cent efficiency – the best of any Crow for the game. Smith, who was creative across half-back, generated 10 rebound 50ms – more than any other player in the League in Round 20 – and also amassed 20 possessions and a goal.
Sam Jacobs received two votes. Jacobs dominated the ruck battle, winning 38 hit-outs – more than the Essendon team (31). He also picked up 18 possessions and took nine marks, including an equal-round high four contested. The influential big man kicked a goal and set up another two.
Adelaide’s leading possession-getter on the ground, Rory Laird rounded out the voting. Laird collected 31 disposals, including a Round 20-high 29 uncontested possessions, to go with nine marks, eight rebound 50ms and three tackles. Laird also had 19 handball receives – ranked second in the AFL on the weekend – and kept his direct opponent goalless.
Dangerfield was one of seven players to earn maximum votes on the weekend. There wasn’t much movement on the overall leaderboard, with the top four players failing to attract a vote. Nat Fyfe remains the outright leader with 100 votes ahead of Swans onballer Dan Hannebery (85) and North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein.
Essendon vs Adelaide
10 Patrick Dangerfield (Adel)
5 Eddie Betts (Adel)
4 Tom Lynch (Adel)
4 Rory Sloane (Adel)
4 Brodie Smith (Adel)
2 Sam Jacobs (Adel)
1 Rory Laird (Adel)
Round 20 Leaderboard
100 Nat Fyfe (Frem)
85 Dan Hannebery (Syd)
73 Todd Goldstein (NM)
67 Andrew Gaff (WC)
66 Matt Priddis (WC)
65 David Mundy (Frem)
64 Josh Kennedy (Syd)
60 Sam Mitchell (Haw)
60 Scott Pendlebury (Coll)
59 Patrick Dangerfield (Adel)
Crows Leaderboard after Round 20
59 – Patrick Dangerfield
42 – Scott Thompson
30 – Rory Sloane
30 – Eddie Betts
28 – Sam Jacobs
23 – Taylor Walker
23 – Rory Laird
12 – Brodie Smith
10 – David Mackay
9 – Josh Jenkins
6 – Charlie Cameron
5 – Daniel Talia
4 – Tom Lynch
4 – Richard Douglas
3 – Nathan van Berlo
2 – Matt Wright
2 – Matt Crouch
2 – Ricky Henderson
Full Crows voting
Round 19
Round 18
Round 17
Round 16
Round 15
Round 13
Round 12
Round 10
Round Nine
Round Eight
Round Seven
Round Six
Round Five
Round Four
Round Three
Round Two
Round One
