Fremantle defender Hayden Young was the best player on the ground in the Dockers’ draw with Richmond. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

FULL BACKS

Brandon Starcevich (Brisbane)
Not all parties appreciated Brandon Starcevich’s tactics against Izak Rankine on Saturday night, but the fact of the matter is that Brisbane rolled over the top of Gold Coast with minimal impact from its most damaging forward-half player. The miserly Lions defender played a disciplined match, and kept Rankine scoreless until his post-siren shot.

Ben McKay (North Melbourne)
There is a strong argument to say that McKay has been the standout tall defender in the competition since he returned there, with 22 intercept marks and just three goals conceded in the last three weeks. He was again imperious in the air in the loss to Hawthorn, holding Mitch Lewis to just one goal despite the Hawks’ 68 inside 50s.

Ed Richards (Western Bulldogs)
After being stranded as an emergency for the Dogs’ grand final line-up last year, Richards has quietly gone about putting together a consistent, high-calibre season. He was reliable across four quarters against the Demons, combining run from defence to gather 24 touches at 94 per cent efficiency, with strong defensive work where required.

HALF-BACKS

Adam Saad (Carlton)
Among a suite of standout performances from the men in the middle on Sunday’s game, Saad was the best player on the ground with yet another back-half display of great scope. A sky-scraping screamer was just one of his five intercept marks for the day, while he also managed 22 kicks at a staggering 96 per cent efficiency.

Tom Barrass (West Coast)
Backing up his stately defensive performance last week, Tom Barrass held the Eagles defence together against St Kilda on Sunday. With 26 possessions, 10 of which were intercepts, Barrass regularly beat Max King to the ball, also outpointing the dangerous Saint in all bar one direct one-on-one contest for the day.

Hayden Young (Fremantle)
Young continued his superb run of form, working confidently both in defence and attack against the Tigers. With an enviable combination of elite kicking and excellent capacity overhead, which he used to mark everything at half-back on Friday night, he undoubtedly has the tools to be the best half-back in the league.

CENTRES

Brandon Ellis (Gold Coast)
This was a typically hardworking contribution from Ellis, who is thriving in his role working alongside as strong an on-ball unit as the Suns have ever had. Running hard to link up in scoring chains, and back to offer a bailout option in defence, Ellis racked up a season-high 29 touches. A reliable set shot, he also finished strongly to add two goals.

Jack Steele (St Kilda)
Steele has been rock solid since returning from an unfortunate shoulder injury, but this was the first performance that sits comfortably among his monstrous efforts from last season. Working in tandem with Brad Crouch, the inspiring St Kilda skipper bulldozed the Eagles midfield to gather 40 disposals, along with 10 clearances and eight tackles.

Josh Daicos (Collingwood)
Josh Daicos’ incredible goal-of-the-year contender during the remarkable clash on Sunday encapsulated everything that’s made him one of the premier wingmen in the competition – burst running power, ability to keep the ball in front of him and drive it forward, and classy finishing skills. With another two goal assists and six inside 50s, Daicos continued to build his case for All-Australian selection.

HALF-FORWARDS

Tom Papley (Sydney)
Papley is playing some devastating footy in a slightly modified role, with the brilliant small forward spending significant time in at centre bounces and running forward to set up the play. Against the Crows he managed two goals himself, including a brilliant solo effort from the middle, but also added three goal assists, eight inside 50s and five clearances.

Jack Gunston (Hawthorn)
An emotional return to footy for Jack Gunston resulted in what would be considered a brilliant individual game under any circumstances. The Hawthorn favourite did much of his damage inside 50, taking seven marks and having 10 shots on goal. Despite being a little wayward, he managed a bag of five goals and stayed involved across four quarters.

Sam Powell-Pepper (Port Adelaide)
As he has done all season, Sam Powell-Pepper cracked into contests and created important one-on-one wins for not only himself, but for teammates ahead of the footy. His second goal was an absolute beauty at the beginning of the third quarter, setting off an eight-goal run for the Power. A definite smoky for the 2022 John Cahill Medal.

PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE TO THRIVE BY BECOMING AN OFFICIAL FOOTYOLOGY PATRON. JUST CLICK THIS LINK.

FORWARDS

Charlie Dixon (Port Adelaide)
With Todd Marshall holding down the role of the deepest tall forward at Port Adelaide, Dixon has excelled as a part-time ruck/roaming forward and found himself more involved in the game as a result. He put on a masterclass in the third quarter against Geelong, with 11 touches, two goals and two assists in that term alone dragging Port back into the contest.

Tom Hawkins (Geelong)
The veteran champion continues to deliver for Geelong. Hawkins’ two first-half goals each came at important moments and broke droughts for the Cats, however clearly his greatest impact on the game was two ice-cool shots in the dying minutes to seal the game. As is typical, he was also the leading score involvement player for the Cats, with 11 of his 15 touches resulting in scores.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (Western Bulldogs)
Everyone has been waiting (not a very long time for a key forward) to talk about a Jamarra break-out game. On Saturday night, against the reigning premiers, he demonstrated what he can do with some unique plays, none more so than his brilliant fifth goal which confirmed the win for the Bulldogs. His willingness to leap into packs, bring the ball down, and halve contests, was almost as important.

FOLLOWERS

Max Gawn (Melbourne)
It was a great contest between Gawn and Tim English on Saturday night, with the big Demon getting the nod here for his superior work in the centre square. Gawn managed four centre clearances for five in total, with his reliable palm-work also allowing Clayton Oliver to get on the end of 12. Twenty-five touches and eight marks made it his best outing since returning from injury.

Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
The Bulldogs skipper brought over his dominant Round 18 form to again be one of the outstanding performers of the weekend. As he does when playing at his zenith, Bontempelli impacted all over the park, taking important contested marks and tackling strongly. He saved his best for the final term, where he won a remarkable seven clearances and steered the Bulldogs to victory.

Zach Merrett (Essendon)
There is absolutely no doubt that Merrett is back in town, with this his third selection in the (italics)Footyology Team of the Week(italics) in the past month. The productive midfielder is playing with an attacking mindset with drive from the centre square, and his flurry of inside-50 balls on Sunday hit a target, and resulted in a shot on goal, on nearly every occasion.

INTERCHANGE

Rory Laird (Adelaide)
This was an excellent game from one of the most consistent players in the AFL. Where occasionally Laird has been accused of padding the stats sheet with low impact possessions, this was certainly not the case against the Swans, with the dual best-and-fairest winner gaining 848 metres with his 38 touches, which also included 14 inside 50s, 11 clearances and a goal.

Nick Blakey (Sydney)
Blakey’s performances this season have elevated him into the top bracket of running half-backs, but some of his efforts against the Crows showed that he’s actually becoming a multi-skilled, well-rounded defender. A number of one-on-one wins punctuated his usual output of impactful burst play, and unlike many teammates, he played a strong four quarters.

Tom Atkins (Geelong)
“Tom Atkins to a full-time midfield role” would have generated long odds as the positional move of 2022, but given its influence on the set-up of top-of-the-ladder Geelong, it would have to be considered. Atkins was once again the most vigorous man in the centre, with seven tackles in tight, and more clearances than any other Geelong midfielder.

Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
Just when it seemed as though the wear-and-tear of a long season in the guts had again begun to take hold of Patrick Cripps, he produced a strong game against GWS that not only helped his side to victory, but jump-started his Brownlow Medal push. After a few nervous misses, his captain’s goal early in the last quarter stamped Carlton’s authority on the match, and it did not look like losing from that moment on.

STIFF TO MISS
Dan Butler (St Kilda), Tim English (Western Bulldogs), Robbie Tarrant (Richmond), Luke Davies-Uniacke (North Melbourne), Touk Miller (Gold Coast), Clayton Oliver (Melbourne), Bayley Fritsch (Melbourne), Tim Taranto (GWS), Charlie Curnow (Carlton), Sam Draper (Essendon).