Errol Gulden and Chad Warner have come away with the top coaches votes in Round 18 after a clinical display against North Melbourne at the weekend. Both players earned nine votes each.
Gulden was a prolific ball user across the SCG on Saturday afternoon amassing a game-high 41 disposals, 15 score involvements and six intercept possessions before the final siren. It's his highest disposal count this season, and only one short of his best performance which was set in Round 24 of the 2023 season (42).
Similarly, Warner enjoyed a near season-best outing. He finished the match with 31 disposals (his highest this season), 19 kicks and 14 score involvements. The pair sit sixth and eighth on the overall ladder.
Tom Papley celebrated his birthday in style booting a game high four goals and featured in eight score involvements. He earned five coaches votes while Logan McDonald (four goals, 16 disposals) and Brodie Grundy (one goal, six tackles) closely trailed with three votes each. Nick Blakey closed out the round with one vote.
Heeney remains at the top of the overall leaderboard with a total 92 votes.
VOTES PLAYER (CLUB)
9 Errol Gulden (SYD)
9 Chad Warner (SYD)
5 Tom Papley (SYD)
3 Logan McDonald (SYD)
3 Brodie Grundy (SYD)
1 Nick Blakey (SYD)
Click here to view the full Champion Player of the Year Award Leaderboard.
The AFL Coaches Association’s AFL Champion Player Award is an award voted by the 18 coaching panels on a 5,4,3,2,1 basis after each home and away game, acknowledging outstanding effort by an individual player in a season.