Jake Waterman was a key reason behind a rare win for West Coast against GWS on Sunday evening. Photo: AFL MEDIA

FULL BACKS

Adam Saad (Carlton)
Saad continues to excel as a rare small defender who can quell a dangerous opponent and also look quicker than everyone else going the other way. In an outstanding performance against Geelong, he collected 29 disposals,10 of which were intercepts, while also holding Tyson Stengle goalless for just the second time since last year’s bye.

Jacob Weitering (Carlton)
The Blues’ ever-reliable full back performed an excellent shutdown job on Tom Hawkins on Thursday night, restricting the champion forward to just one goal and three marks for the match. Weitering won key one-on-ones, took eight marks, and intercepted the ball with more than half of his total disposals.

Griffin Logue (North Melbourne)
Logue continued his excellent start in the blue and white, teaming up well with Aidan Corr to control the air against Fremantle. Facing his old side at his old home ground, Logue was unflustered despite the boos from the crowd, clearly beating Matt Taberner and demonstrating his contested marking ability.

HALF-BACKS

Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
Another brilliant outing for the gun Magpie, who has moved from “young star” to “genuinely one of the best players in the league” faster than just about anyone. He starts at half-back, but you’ll find him anywhere the ball is. Two sensational goals against Port Adelaide rounded out a comprehensive performance.

Noah Balta (Richmond)
Richmond needed a strong response from Balta after he was well beaten by Harry McKay in round one, and that’s exactly what they got, with the powerful defender putting in one of the best displays of his career. Taylor Walker certainly got on top of him in patches, but Balta’s mastery rose to the fore in the final term where he took a series of crucial contested marks.

Ollie Florent (Sydney)
Florent’s move to the half-back line has been a fruitful one, with the smooth Swan enjoying the surety of a clearly defined role. His skills were on show in Sydney’s huge win over Hawthorn on Sunday, as he collected 25 touches at 84 per cent efficiency, and also managed an impressive three goal assists.

CENTRES

Blake Acres (Carlton)
In his second game in navy blue, Acres demonstrated the value a top-tier wingman can add to a good midfield. Not only did he (and young protege Oliver Hollands) add vital run on Thursday night, but Acres’ utility as a marking player between the wing and half-back was important on numerous occasions.

Luke Davies-Uniacke (North Melbourne)
Backing up his excellent performance from last week, Davies-Uniacke bullied the vaunted Fremantle midfield unit on his way to 11 clearances and 17 contested possessions from 30 in total. He just does everything you could want from a midfielder really, really well. He’s becoming a special player.

Josh Daicos (Collingwood)
Josh Daicos zips all over the field with an intensity that most players can only dream of. His impact against the Power was evident early, with eight touches and a goal before quarter-time, and his relentlessness helped break the opposition from that point on. Pretty clearly the best pure wingman in the game at the moment.

HALF-FORWARDS

Dayne Zorko (Brisbane)
A rare and impressive effort to be rewarded with a “Team of the Week” selection off just 54 per cent game time, but that’s exactly what Zorko has done. The former skipper was instrumental in Brisbane’s scoring chains, booting two goals, giving two away, and sending it inside 50 eight times with some electrifying run.

Jeremy Cameron (Geelong)
An early contender for individual performance of the year. Very few players in the league are capable of six goals and 25 disposals in a game. No one else puts up similar numbers on a semi-regular basis like Cameron does. His ability to nail his set shots after sprinting up and down the field on Thursday night was incredible, and he nearly pinched the game for Geelong as a result.

Jake Waterman (West Coast)
Waterman kicked off his campaign in impressive touch against the Giants, posting the first four-goal haul of his 74-game career. The lively Eagle posed an ever-present danger, particularly in the second term where he booted three majors and effectively took the game away from GWS.

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FORWARDS

Kyle Langford (Essendon)
Having performed well as a half-back last week, Langford was swung forward from the outset by new coach Brad Scott, and responded by booting a career-high five goals. With the Suns leading by 14 points midway through the third term, Langford’s efforts up front were the catalyst for what became a seven-goal turn around.

Charlie Curnow (Carlton)
If Davies-Uniacke is the guy who just does it all from the midfield, Curnow is his equivalent up forward. His athletic ability and prowess once the ball hits the deck are well known, but his pack-crashing work is really starting to come to the fore. This was evident across four quarters on Thursday, where he made his way to an absurd amount of contests, and impacted every single one of them.

Mitch Owens (St Kilda)
One of St Kilda’s most promising young guns, Owens was highly valuable for his side on Saturday night. With no recognised key forwards to lean on, Owens became one of the Saints’ main forward targets, and he delivered in a multitude of ways with three goals, some big tackles and even a bit of chop-out ruck work.

FOLLOWERS

Darcy Cameron (Collingwood)
It’s still early days, but performances like Cameron’s against Port Adelaide on Saturday will help justify Collingwood’s 2022 post-season moves. He smashed the seasoned Scott Lycett in the ruck and around the ground, and took some huge contested grabs, in what was possibly the most influential performance of his career.

Will Setterfield (Essendon)
A simply outstanding game from Setterfield, who has slotted seamlessly into the Essendon midfield and is thriving with increased responsibility. He had career-high numbers in just about any stat you’d care to mention against the Suns, and was the leading score involvement player on the field. He could well be the bargain recruit of the year.

Rory Laird (Adelaide)
The Crows’ ball magnet resumed normal transmission after an uncharacteristically quiet first outing. Laird was in everything against the Tigers, racking up 39 touches, with eight tackles, seven clearances and two goal assists. His impact in Adelaide’s scoring chains during their blistering third term made it a standout performance.

INTERCHANGE

Will Ashcroft (Brisbane)
Ashcroft becomes the second first-year player in as many weeks to take his place in this side. The treasured draftee showed everyone what the hype was all about on Friday night, quelling the mighty Melbourne midfield with 31 touches and nine clearances. Few have embodied the “already looks like a 200-game player” description quite like he does.

Jamaine Jones (West Coast)
Like Nick Daicos, Jones started most stoppages at half-back, but he did his best work further up the field against GWS. A player who has shown immense talent in fits and starts, Jones put it all together on Sunday evening as the Eagles’ prime mover, notching up a huge 11 inside 50s and 776 metres gained.

Jack Steele (St Kilda)
A typically tough performance from the Saints’ skipper, who will now miss at least four weeks after he played out the game with a broken collarbone. Playing as a true centreman, Steele was often the conduit through the middle of the ground, and sent the ball inside 50 seven times. His first-quarter goal capped off a sensational opening for his team.

Jack Sinclair (St Kilda)
Now one of the Saints’ most reliable and experienced players, Sinclair was the driving force behind St Kilda’s inspirational win against the Western Bulldogs. With 33 disposals at a ridiculously high 88 per cent efficiency, the reigning All-Australian half-back repeatedly made the opposition look flat-footed and dull.

STIFF TO MISS
Logan McDonald (Sydney), Joel Amartey (Sydney), Callum Mills (Sydney), Darcy Parish (Essendon), Jacob Hopper (Richmond), Marlion Pickett (Richmond), Sam Collins (Gold Coast), Tim English (Western Bulldogs), Harry Sheezel (North Melbourne), Clayton Oliver (Melbourne).