Essendon’s Nick Hind launches what proved to be the match-sealing goal against Sydney on Saturday. Photo: AFL MEDIA

FULL BACKS

Keidean Coleman (Brisbane)
Having made the move to the back line midway through last year, Coleman has put together a solid block of form in the role since returning from injury in round six. The smooth-moving Lion was brilliant on Thursday night, slicing through the Western Bulldogs’ zones with pace and elite ball use to set up scoring opportunities.

Steven May (Melbourne)
After a somewhat shaky start, May snapped into gear and displayed high-calibre defensive footy for the majority of the match against Adelaide. The 2021 All Australian full-back was at his imperial best in the air, marking off the boot of the opposition no fewer than seven times for the match, and he didn’t lose a single one-on-one contest.

Daniel Rioli (Richmond)
Following a few years playing as a pressure forward and delivering inconsistent impact at best, Rioli is now someone whom Richmond fans can rely on for a stellar contribution every single week. His performance against West Coast, which featured a career-high 28 touches, featured the power and skill that have become hallmarks of his game.

HALF BACKS

Jack Sinclair (St Kilda)
Sinclair’s outstanding season continues to roll on, with the gun half-back responding to a rare quiet (and tagger-affected) game last week to dominate against the Blues. The hard running Saint was another to rack up career-best disposal numbers this week, with his 37 touches coming at 89 per cent efficiency. A certain All Australian selection.

Sam Taylor (GWS)
Like the absolute top-line key defenders who have come before him, it is a joy to watch Sam Taylor in full flight due to his absolute commitment to the craft. Whether through a subtle nudge to put his opponent off balance at the right moment, elite closing speed, or a perfectly timed spoil, the Giants’ gun defender used his broad skill-set to hold Mitch Lewis goalless for the first time this year.

Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
One of the more high-profile draftees in the history of the national draft, Nick Daicos has absolutely lived up to the hype. Now, two-thirds of the way through his debut season, the young Magpie is producing best-on-ground performances. He had plenty of the ball – 37 touches in fact – but it is his unbelievable composure and skill with ball in hand that sets him apart.

CENTRES

Ed Langdon (Melbourne)
A strong return to form for the Melbourne wingman, who was at his efficient best after a couple of quiet weeks. As if to further outline his elite endurance and consistent running power, Langdon had 11 touches in both the first and last quarters of the game against Adelaide, finishing with 33 possessions, one goal, and two assists.

Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)
Celebrating a new, rather lengthy contract extension, Oliver put in an excellent midfield performance against Adelaide which included 36 disposals, 13 tackles, and two goal assists. His efforts in the latter stages of the game, after the Crows had drawn to within a kick midway through the final term, were crucial in sealing the game for the Demons.

Jordan Clark (Fremantle)
Perhaps the high-mark in what has been a consistent first season at the Dockers, Clark was among the best players on the ground in the hard-fought win against Port Adelaide. Working off a wing to push back into defence and also contribute to scoring chains, the former Cat had seven inside 50s and also nine intercepts among his 29 disposals.

HALF FORWARDS

Izak Rankine (Gold Coast)
This was a star outing for Gold Coast’s blue chip half forward, something that he is making a habit of in 2022. Two of his four goals were the type of pearlers that Rankine has produced since he first graced a football field, and he is now regularly getting involved in all aspects of the game. His four goals against the Magpies makes it 12 across the last month.

Jeremy Cameron (Geelong)
A Coleman Medallist and two-time All Australian, Cameron has somehow taken his game to an even higher level in 2022. This was no more evident than in the Cats demolition job on North Melbourne, where he had the ball on a string forward of centre and gathered 30 disposals. Only a bit of inaccuracy in front of goal, with four goals from eight shots, prevented this being the best individual performance of the year.

Christian Petracca (Melbourne)
A player of Petracca’s quality is naturally held to higher standards than most, but there’s no denying that he’s been down in recent weeks. After a strong showing against the Lions in round 15, the reigning Norm Smith Medalist put in an absolute masterclass against the Crows, nailing three first half goals and winning 20 contested possessions from 33 in total.

FORWARDS

Rory Lobb (Fremantle)
Like so many other Dockers, Lobb is enjoying the best form of his career in 2022. Splitting his time between the forward line and the ruck against Port Adelaide, he booted two important goals in the first half, before a nine-minute burst in the third term in which he added three more – giving Fremantle a buffer that ended up being vitally important.

Tom Hawkins (Geelong)
A glance over the scorecard would suggest an easy day at the office for Hawkins, and for the most part it was, but North Melbourne’s Josh Walker started well on the star Cat and he had to work his way into the game. As per usual, Hawkins embellished his swag of goals with plenty of assists and inside 50s, and in the end his 14 score involvements was the most of round 16.

Charlie Cameron (Brisbane)
What a thrill it was to watch Charlie Cameron play on Thursday night. The star small forward put in one of the most electric performances of the season, terrorising the Bulldogs defence, booting four goals, and contributing a huge five direct assists – the most in a game by any player since 2016. How he manages to finish so well in front of goal, while running as fast as he does, almost beggars belief.

FOLLOWERS

Paddy Ryder (St Kilda)
While undoubtedly the Saints could have used Ryder in last week’s loss to Sydney, he validated coach Brett Ratten’s decision to rest him for that fixture by putting in a brilliant display against the Blues. Setting the tone for the side with two terrific early goals, the veteran Saint then earned himself a spot among the best on ground with some precision ruckwork.

Tim Kelly (West Coast)
Despite a 35 point loss, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that West Coast had the match against Richmond on their terms for much of the afternoon, a fact largely due to the Nic Naitanui/Tim Kelly combination in the middle. With 40 touches, nine clearances, two goals and three assists, Kelly produced one of his totally comprehensive games that few other midfielders are capable of.

Zach Merrett (Essendon)
He may have had less of the footy than in many of his other great games over the years, but Zach Merrett’s impact in the upset win over Sydney was enormous. Combining well with Dylan Shiel and Darcy Parish in the centre, Merrett also proved dangerous up forward with three decisive goals from teriffic snaps in traffic.

INTERCHANGE

Chad Warner (Sydney)
A stunning left-foot goal from tight in the pocket set the tone for what was a powerful attacking display from the young Swan. He added a second goal early in the last term in response to a goal from Merrett, before his third (the result of a double 50 metre penalty) brought the Swans back to within a kick. As well as hitting the scoreboard, he also managed 13 inside 50s, seven clearances, and two goal assists in what was a star-quality game.

Callum Brown (GWS)
In for his first senior game of 2022 – and a late inclusion no less – Brown has surely locked away his spot in the side for at least a few weeks with an excellent four goal outing against Hawthorn. With the rain bucketing down all afternoon, the man from County Derry was cleaner than just about anyone else, and he finished off his set shots with composure.

Nick Hind (Essendon)
An influential performer in a wonderful win for the Bombers, Hind was at his stirring best against the Swans on Saturday. He was strong across all four quarters, particularly when transporting the ball from defence and sending it inside 50, but undoubtedly the highlight was his match-sealing goal out of nothing in the final moments.

Jordan Dawson (Adelaide)
One of the recruits of the year, there is also a decent argument to suggest that Jordan Dawson is already the Crows’ best player. The versatile former Swan contributed in a plethora of ways against Melbourne, racking up plenty of the footy behind the ball in the first half, before going forward and kicking a nice goal to keep Adelaide alive heading into the final quarter.

STIFF TO MISS
Touk Miller (Gold Coast), Jesse Hogan (GWS), Marlion Pickett (Richmond), James Aish (Fremantle), Mitch Duncan (Geelong), Tim Membrey (St Kilda), Nic Naitanui (West Coast), Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs), Josh Daicos (Collingwood), James Sicily (Hawthorn).