A best on ground performance from Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn has resulted in him catapulting up the 2018 Shadforth Financial Group AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award leaderboard after Round 3.
The Demon big man, who confessed he lost the title as the best ruckman in the game in 2017, collected 18 disposals and 50 hit outs against the Kangaroos on Saturday and received maximum votes from the coaches to jump from outside the top 10 to third place on the leaderboard.
Gawn now sits four votes behind Adelaide defender Rory Laird while leader Tom Mitchell is a further three votes ahead.
Laird received seven coaches’ votes for his 32 disposals and six rebounds in the Crows’ 49-point win against the Saints on Saturday night.
Mitchell’s dominant form continued despite the Hawks’ 13-point loss to Richmond on Sunday, collecting 42 disposals, 13 clearances and eight tackles and receiving six votes from the coaches.
Six players received maximum coaches’ votes in Round 3, including Steele Sidebottom (34 disposals and three goals), Nat Fyfe (38 touches and 14 clearances), Bryce Gibbs (26 disposals and 10 tackles), Trent Cotchin (31 touches), Lachie Hunter (35 disposals and 13 marks).
AFL Coaches’ Association votes for Round 3:
carlton v collingwood
10 Sidebottom (Coll), 7 Grundy (Coll), 6 Crisp (Coll), 5 Thomas (Coll), 1 Hoskin-Elliott (Coll), 1 Murphy (Carl)
port adelaide v brisbane
9 Martin (BL), 8 Polec (PA), 7 S. Gray (PA), 4 Hartlett (PA), 1 Gardiner (BL), 1 Zorko (BL)
melbourne v north melbourne
10 Gawn (Melb), 5 Hogan (Melb), 4 Petracca (Melb), 3 Cunnington (NM), 3 Salem (Melb), 2 Brown (NM), 2 Kent (Melb), 1 Jones (Melb)
gold coast v fremantle
10 Fyfe (Frem), 6 Langdon (Frem), 4 A. Pearce (Frem), 4 Walters (Frem), 3 Neale (Frem), 2 Sandilands (Frem), 1 McCarthy (Frem)
sydney v gws giants
8 Sinclair (Syd), 6 Mills (Syd), 4 Hayward (Syd), 4 Melican (Syd), 3 Hewett (Syd), 2 Coniglio (GWS), 2 Patton (GWS), 1 Franklin (Syd)
st kilda v adelaide
10 Gibbs (Adel), 7 Laird (Adel), 7 Seedsman (Adel), 2 Brown (Adel), 2 Jacobs (Adel), 1 Betts (Adel), 1 Ross (StK)
richmond v hawthorn
10 Cotchin (Rich), 6 Mitchell (Haw), 5 Riewoldt (Rich), 4 Edwards (Rich), 4 Rance (Rich), 1 McEvoy (Haw)
western bulldogs v essendon
10 Hunter (WB), 7 Williams (WB), 4 Macrae (WB), 3 Cordy (WB), 3 McLean (WB), 2 Suckling (WB), 1 Dahlhaus (WB)
west coast v geelong
9 Sheed (WCE), 5 Sheppard (WCE), 5 Dangerfield (Geel), 4 Shuey (WCE), 3 Menegola (Geel), 2 Ablett (Geel), 1 Gaff (WCE), 1 Stewart (Geel)
LEADERBOARD
26 — TOM MITCHELL (HAW)
23 — RORY LAIRD (ADEL)
19 — MAX GAWN (MELB)
18 — STEPHEN CONIGLIO (GWS)
18 — NAT FYFE (FREM)
16 — LANCE FRANKLIN (SYD)
15 — STEFAN MARTIN (BL)
15 — STEELE SIDEBOTTOM (COLL)
14 — GARY ABLETT (GEE)
14 — BRODIE GRUNDY (COLL)
14 — JESSE HOGAN (MELB)
14 — DUSTIN MARTIN (RICH)