Eddie Betts and Rory Sloane are among the inaugural nominees for the AFL Players’ Association Most Valuable Player of the Month award.
The new award recognises the competition’s top players through each month of the premiership season.
Past AFLPA MVP winners Leigh Matthews, Gerard Healy, Tim Watson and Chris Judd will compile a list of six monthly nominees before all AFL players vote for their AFLPA MVP of the Month.
The player who receives the most votes from their peers will be automatically nominated for the end-of-season AFLPA Most Valuable Player Award.
New Brownlow Medal favourite Rory Sloane has taken his game to another level after claiming Adelaide’s Club Champion award last year.
The courageous onballer is averaging a career-best 30 possessions per game, including 16 contested, and leads the AFL for tackles (58). Sloane is also third for clearances (46), fourth for score involvements (54) and has kicked eight goals from six games so far this season.
Eddie Betts is also in contention to take out the inaugural AFLPA MVP of the Month for his stellar start to 2017.
The livewire forward has kicked 20 goals to be second in the Coleman Medal race. Betts is averaging a career-best 16 possessions and four marks a game and is ranked top 10 in the competition for marks inside 50 (18) and score involvements (51).
Geelong captain Joel Selwood, Richmond’s Dustin Martin, Port Adelaide midfielder Ollie Wines and Essendon youngster Zach Merrett are the remaining nominees.
The inaugural AFLPA MVP of the Month will be unveiled on Wednesday.
AFLPA MVP OF THE MONTH NOMINEES – APRIL
Rory Sloane
Dustin Martin
Ollie Wines
Eddie Betts
Joel Selwood
Zach Merrett
AFLPA MVP PLAYER OF THE MONTH VOTING PERIODS
March/April — Rounds 1-6
May — Rounds 7-10
June — Rounds 11-15
July — Rounds 16-19
August — Rounds 20-23
