Adelaide’s Matt Crouch (left) gets a handball away in front of Connor Rozee during Showdown 54 on Saturday night. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

FULL BACKS

Nic Newman (Carlton)
Despite maintaining the lowest profile of Carlton’s defensive running crew, Newman has been their most consistently effective over the past few months. His balance between attack and defence was crucial to the Blues’ season defining win over Collingwood, as he notched 27 disposals and seven tackles to again be one of Carlton’s best.

Alex Pearce (Fremantle)
This was a brilliant captain’s game by Pearce, who rose to the occasion against tough opposition and led his side to a morale-boosting win in Geelong. Teaming up well with experienced teammate Joel Hamling, Pearce kept Tom Hawkins quiet by winning the ball back eight times in the air and a further seven at ground level.

Nick Vlastuin (Richmond)
As he so often has been, Vlastuin was a beacon of surety and strength in the Richmond backline on Sunday. With Melbourne dominating the inside-50 count in the second half, it was Vlastuin who provided the greatest force of resistance with an equal round-high 15 intercept possessions, sending the ball back with an efficiency of 85 per cent.

HALF-BACKS

Wayne Milera (Adelaide)
In producing one of his best ever performances at the top level, Milera provided the Crows with the spark from half-back that they needed to knock off a wavering Port Adelaide side. Running amok with 32 disposals, nine intercepts and nine score involvements, he showed why he continues to be a valued member of the Adelaide squad.

Jacob Weitering (Carlton)
It’s difficult to think of another Blue whose form trajectory has matched the team’s quite as much as Weitering. Heavily questioned in the first half of the year, he has turned into a leader with defensive integrity and presence in the air, both traits he exhibited in keeping Brody Mihocek goalless on Friday night.

Bailey Dale (Western Bulldogs)
One of the Bulldogs’ few four-quarter contributors against the Giants in Ballarat, Dale was the best player on the ground in the first half and a continual presence in the second. With 31 kicks among his 37 touches and nearly 800 metres gained, he gave the Dogs the territorial advantage, and his goal late in the match meant they were alive right to the death.

CENTRES

Errol Gulden (Sydney)
In an up-and-down and ultimately disappointing season for the Swans, the one bankable thing each week has been a superb performance from Errol Gulden. With an enviable blend of accumulative ability and absolute precision when he gets it, he was productive, damaging and spritely in a narrow win over Essendon.

Touk Miller (Gold Coast)
This was one of the best two-way performances of 2023, with Miller absolutely blanketing Brisbane star Lachie Neale whilst also having a massive impact in the Suns’ overwhelming ball movement. Still working his way back from a long layoff, the dual All-Australian had a huge say in what was a big win for the club.

Jayden Hunt (West Coast)
An underrated piece of recruiting, and one of the few senior Eagles who’ve managed to stay on the park and contribute well each week, Hunt continued his impressive season with a strong performance on the wing. Hunt was constantly used as West Coast ran the ball from end to end, finishing the match with 25 disposals and a goal.

HALF-FORWARDS

Toby Greene (GWS)
After a first half that was low on impact, Greene sprang to life in the third term to completely wrest the contest away from the Bulldogs and into the Giants’ grasp. With goals from all manner of methods, the GWS skipper effectively won the game for his side through sheer brilliance and dogged determination, eventually handing the Giants the lead with his fifth goal.

Taylor Walker (Adelaide)
Walker re-established his position in the Coleman Medal race with a classic Showdown performance in the Crows’ win over Port Adelaide. Although his final scoreline reads seven goals and four misses, some of his efforts on Saturday night showed that he continues to be one of the best kicks for goal in the game.

Dan Butler (St Kilda)
As a consistent performer in a role that can be barren at times, Butler was central to the Saints’ important victory over the Hawks. A key part of their incredible first-quarter burst with two goals and six disposals, he also had a hand when things were a bit more precarious in adding two more goals and two assists after half-time.

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FORWARDS

Harrison Petty (Melbourne)
A significant performance for a number of reasons, Petty’s career-high six-goal effort over Richmond was especially vital in that it handed Melbourne a win when all its fellow contenders stumbled. Matched up against one of the form defenders in Noah Balta, Petty took some outstanding contested marks inside 50 and did not waste a single opportunity.

Charlie Curnow (Carlton)
Kicking six goals on the best defender in the league Darcy Moore as you knock off arch rival and ladder-leader Collingwood would have to be a pretty sensational night. Some will point to Curnow’s volume of goals from free kicks, but they were all there, and after his hard work and brilliant kicking further afield was at times fumbled by the side, he absolutely deserved to finish with a bag.

Luke Breust (Hawthorn)
Showing absolutely no signs of slowing down as one of Hawthorn’s few remaining senior players, Breust was the dominant forward on the ground against St Kilda with six goals, three of which came in the third term as the Hawks stormed back into the contest. With 39 goals for the year, he is all but certain to post his highest tally of the last five seasons.

FOLLOWERS

Max Gawn (Melbourne)
Challenged and perhaps even edged by the less celebrated Ivan Soldo in the opening half, Gawn steamed back to register 23 disposals (17 contested), 22 hitouts, nine clearances, seven inside-50s and seven score involvements in two quarters of footy. It was a gargantuan, and genuinely match-winning performance from a player who looks totally unleashed.

Brad Crouch (St Kilda)
Continuing his productive and consistent year for St Kilda, Crouch led all comers in both clearances and score involvements in the resilient win over Hawthorn. With three goals, including two in the Saints’ first-quarter avalanche and another in the last term as they steadied the ship, he equalled his career-best effort from a scoring perspective.

Tim Kelly (West Coast)
An absolute shining light, and at times, only source of defiance, Kelly has proved himself to be worth every penny for the Eagles this season. In a rare but very much deserved win, he starred from the middle with a fantastic contested game, particularly in the third quarter as West Coast fought to reclaim their lead.

INTERCHANGE

Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle)
It’s too late for Fremantle in season 2023, but gutsy performances such as the one produced by Brayshaw against Geelong mean that it will remain a dangerous opponent in the run home. With 11 tackles and eight score involvements along with 28 touches, the Dockers star showed again why he’s one of the better two-way runners in the AFL.

Kyle Langford (Essendon)
Langford was a constant threat in the thriller against Sydney with his second five-goal haul of the year, as well as an unselfish assist that made things extremely interesting in the dying minutes. With 40 for the season and goals in all but two matches (one of which saw him deployed in defence), he is putting his hand up for All-Australian consideration.

Matt Crouch (Adelaide)
The junior Crouch was called up for his first full game of 2023 last week, and was given the nod to go around again even with Rory Laird declared fit. The Crows will be very glad they did so, as their 2017 best-and-fairest winner dominated the Showdown with 32 touches, 12 clearances, 10 score involvements and, crucially, a disposal efficiency of 90 per cent.

Adam Treloar (Western Bulldogs)
In what was a really well-balanced and comprehensive midfield display, Treloar picked up 32 possessions (15 contested), seven clearances, seven tackles and two goals in the tough loss to GWS. Although ultimately in vain, his set shot goal to give the Bulldogs a five-goal lead just on half-time showed tremendous skill.

STIFF TO MISS
Sam Taylor (GWS), Callan Ward (GWS), Ben King (Gold Coast), Christian Petracca (Melbourne), Josh Dunkley (Brisbane), Jye Caldwell (Essendon), Shai Bolton (Richmond), Tim English (Western Bulldogs), Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs), Paul Curtis (North Melbourne).