No player epitomises the Bulldogs’ dramatic resurgence more than in-form defender Bailey Dale. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

FULL BACKS

Luke Ryan (Fremantle)
Returned to the side and made an immediate impact, taking nine marks and holding the Fremantle defence together in the absence of several key big men. There’s no doubt that the Dockers rely on their midfield to be competitive week-to-week, but Ryan may be their most important player overall.

Jordan Roughead (Collingwood)
This has been an underrated piece of recruiting by the Magpies, with Roughead holding down the full back position very effectively since he joined at the end of 2018. Against the Power on Sunday he kept Charlie Dixon to just one goal, while taking 15 marks and picking up 21 touches on the rebound.

Noah Balta (Richmond)
Balta is perhaps a victim of his own high standards after a breakout 2020 season, but this was easily his best game of the year so far. His one-on-one work against Joe Daniher was outstanding, particularly in the first half, and he also gathered 13 intercept possessions working off his man.

HALF BACKS

Bailey Dale (Western Bulldogs)
Yet another ripping game from Dale, who is relishing his move to half back. He had 761 metres gained from his 34 disposals on Saturday night, and even got forward to slot two first-half goals. He slowed down a fraction after the main break, but that can probably be put down to the Saints’ lack of inside 50s.

Sam Taylor (GWS)
Taylor is catapulting himself into All-Australian contention after a superb month of footy in which he has come up against some big names and not been beaten once. This time he was the central part of a GWS defence that held the Eagles’ three-headed monster to just one goal each, and picked up nine marks and 21 touches.

Jordan Dawson (Sydney)
Back to form after a quiet couple of weeks with 31 disposals against the Dockers. His 17 rebound 50s, easily the most of the round, was actually only a few away from the all-time record. It says a lot that with so many great kicks in their back half, the Swans like to give it to Dawson to deliver upfield more than anyone else.

CENTRES

Josh Kelly (GWS)
The ‘stand-in stand-in’ captain is in fantastic form after a slow start to the year, and played probably his best game for the season in the Giants’ great win against the Eagles. His 26 disposals were evenly split between contested and uncontested, and he also had eight tackles and seven inside 50s. A beautifully-balanced midfield game.

Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)
Performances such as Oliver’s on Saturday are a once-or-twice-in-a-season occurrence, across the competition as a whole. 38 disposals (27 contested), 13 clearances, nine tackles, eight inside 50s and three goals is now clearly the stat line to beat in 2021. A monstrous outing, and another three votes come Brownlow night.

Zach Merrett (Essendon)
Merrett has returned to the form that saw him named an All-Australian wingman at just 21. Along with his buddies Andrew McGrath and Darcy Parish, Merrett, playing as a predominantly outside midfielder, tore apart the North Melbourne midfield, gathering 25 uncontested possessions from 31 total and firing off three goal assists.

HALF FORWARDS

Zac Bailey (Brisbane)
The Lions have always liked him, but this guy is starting to get league-wide recognition now and is fast becoming a star of the competition. On Friday night he had a career-high four goals and three goal assists, finishing off the work of the dominant Brisbane midfield in often-mercurial fashion.

Lance Franklin (Sydney)
Franklin showed that he still has the capacity to dominate a game, taking advantage of an undersized Fremantle defence to slot six majors from 18 disposals and 10 marks. Among his final-quarter goals, “Buddy” put the Swans ahead twice, and slotted three of his six from beyond the 50-metre arc in a vintage display.

Shaun Higgins (Geelong)
Higgins has a very clearly defined role in the star-studded Geelong line-up as the last bit of silk before the ball goes inside 50, which he fulfilled ably in picking up 25 touches at 84 per cent disposal efficiency on Saturday. His pressure on the ball carrier, in laying eight tackles, would have pleased coach Chris Scott just as much.

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FORWARDS

Rory Lobb (Fremantle)
An important game from Lobb, who stood up when the Dockers needed him most and fought out 100 per cent of game time. With his long cricket-bat arms, Lobb’s marking is always a highlight, but he was able to convert that into scoring opportunities on Saturday and came away with four straight, with goals coming in big moments.

Aaron Naughton (Western Bulldogs)
It was another aerial masterclass from Naughton, who played a bit deeper than usual against the Saints and managed nine shots on goal as a result, with his five goals all coming after half-time. At the risk of sounding like a recently-retired commentary stalwart, you just feel like he has a colossal game coming.

Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)
The veteran played an important role on Sunday, getting involved at crucial moments as he has done all throughout his decorated career. He got the Power moving after an extremely sluggish start, booting their first two goals midway through the second quarter, and popped up again in the last to get his side to within a kick.

FOLLOWERS

Brodie Grundy (Collingwood)
This was a pretty thorough performance from Grundy, who has had big numbers in other games this season without impacting anywhere near as much as he did on Sunday. He kicked two of the first four goals of the match, and also won nine clearances which was more than anyone else on the ground.

Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
The Dogs skipper is playing some utterly dominant footy at the moment, and his best was far too good for the Saints on the weekend. Bontempelli took almost 800 metres with just 26 disposals, had eight inside 50s and kicked four goals from seven shots in yet another exceptional outing.

Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)
Fyfe’s best performance of the season so far corresponded with him spending much more time in at centre bounces, where he had an equal round-high 13 clearances and won 19 contested possessions. Capped off a great night by kicking the matchwinner with a terrific snap at the 25-minute mark of the final term.

INTERCHANGE

Darcy Parish (Essendon)
Parish’s ability to immediately become a dominant midfielder as soon as he was given a consistent run in there is really quite impressive. He was excellent once again on Sunday, gathering 36 disposals, 11 clearances and three goal assists. At just 181cm and 77kg, he’s been the best clearance player in the league over the last month.

Zac Williams (Carlton)
It might not necessarily be in the position that they were hoping, but Carlton fans would have been thrilled to see Williams have a big impact this week. He kickstarted his side with a great second quarter, slotting his first goal in navy blue after the Hawks got back within a kick, and providing tremendous drive off half back.

Ben Keays (Adelaide)
Unable to break into the side at Brisbane as an academy alumni, Keays has absolutely thrived at Adelaide and is now their primary centre-square midfielder. He’s been fantastic all season, but his performance against the strong Demons midfield, with 34 touches, seven tackles and two goals, was his best yet.

Joel Selwood (Geelong)
A strong performance from Selwood, who is back playing as an inside midfielder and having a significant influence from limited minutes. He had 39 touches against the Suns – a season high – and dominated the clearances against strong opposition in Touk Miller and Hugh Greenwood. Another best-on-ground performance to add to his collection.

STIFF TO MISS
Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs), Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs), Sam Walsh (Carlton), Nick Hind (Essendon), Callan Ward (GWS), Jarryd Lyons (Brisbane), Hugh McCluggage (Brisbane), Sam Collins (Gold Coast), Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn), Jake Lever (Melbourne)