Isaac Heeney’s lead in the AFLCA Champion Player Award standings has been reduced to seven votes. Nick Daicos, Marcus Bontempelli, Caleb Serong, and Patrick Cripps are closing in late in the season. Heeney, the leader since round one, had a season-low performance in the loss to Fremantle, allowing Daicos, who earned eight votes against Gold Coast, to narrow the gap to single digits for the first time since round three.
Bontempelli and Cripps, in third and fifth positions respectively, were among five players who achieved perfect scores of 10 in round 16, along with Nick Blakey, Izak Rankine, and James Worpel. Serong received seven votes in the win over Sydney, moving into fourth place.
Other notable performances include Josh Dunkley and Kysaiah Pickett each receiving nine votes, and Noah Anderson matching Daicos with eight votes in the Suns vs. Pies game. Ollie Dempsey earned nine votes in Geelong’s victory over Essendon. In the Port Adelaide vs. St Kilda game, nine players received votes, with Jason Horne-Francis leading with six.
Updated votes from the AFLCA show:
– Brisbane vs. Melbourne: Kysaiah Pickett and Josh Dunkley with nine votes each.
– North Melbourne vs. Western Bulldogs: Marcus Bontempelli with ten votes.
– Sydney vs. Fremantle: Nick Blakey with ten votes.
– Gold Coast vs. Collingwood: Noah Anderson, Nick Daicos, and Sam Flanders with eight votes each.
– Adelaide vs. Greater Western Sydney: Izak Rankine with ten votes.
– Geelong vs. Essendon: Ollie Dempsey with nine votes.
– St Kilda vs. Port Adelaide: Jason Horne-Francis with six votes.
– Richmond vs. Carlton: Patrick Cripps with ten votes.
– West Coast vs. Hawthorn: James Worpel with ten votes.
Current Leaderboard:
1. Isaac Heeney (89 votes)
2. Nick Daicos (82 votes)
3. Marcus Bontempelli (73 votes)
4. Caleb Serong (69 votes)
5. Patrick Cripps (68 votes)