Hawthorn young gun Will Day grabs the ball on Saturday at the MCG as Collingwood’s Jordan De Goey looks on. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

FULL BACKS

Mitch Hinge (Adelaide)
Many will have viewed the career of Hinge as an open-and-shut case since he was drafted to Brisbane in 2018, but a really solid breakout season at the age of 25 has shown he has plenty to offer. A constant presence in the air against Gold Coast on Saturday, he produced a standout performance with 14 intercepts.

Jacob Weitering (Carlton)
The tremendous form of Carlton’s lynchpin in defence continued in the Blues’ impressive win over St Kilda, with Weitering keeping Max King relatively quiet and managing a round-high seven intercept marks. Busy in the opening term when the side wasn’t necessarily firing, he continues to be a great leader for the side.

James Sicily (Hawthorn)
There are only a few players who are dominating the competition to the level that Sicily is at the moment. With another imperious display against ladder leader Collingwood, he showed once again what a natural leader he’s become. Despite missing four matches, the quality of his performances should see him finally earn a maiden All-Australian slot.

HALF-BACKS

Jack Ziebell (North Melbourne)
Having recently called time on his 15-year career, Ziebell came back into the team alongside returning coach Alastair Clarkson and played one of his best matches of 2023. Patrolling the back half against Melbourne in Hobart, the North Melbourne veteran gained 555 metres for his side and sent the ball from defensive 50 on 10 occasions.

Callum Wilkie (St Kilda)
Lining up on the scorching hot Charlie Curnow, Wilkie did an excellent job as a slightly undersized defender in keeping the Coleman Medal leader to one goal and just one mark after quarter-time. Showing good defensive intent with a win or draw in all of his one-on-one contests, he also managed 23 disposals and 10 marks.

Nick Hind (Essendon)
Having been used as a substitute or out of the side entirely over the past couple of months, Hind has put together two important performances in the past fortnight in his natural position at half-back. His 31 disposals against West Coast equalled his career-high, and he had some big moments up the field too with multiple goal assists.

CENTRES

Mason Wood (St Kilda)
This was a terrific return to form for Wood, who despite having quietened down off his barnstorming start, has still enjoyed his best season at AFL level. Working hard back into defence against the Blues, Wood racked up 36 touches, 12 marks and 773 metres gained in a great display of gut-running.

Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
Another totally comprehensive performance from Bontempelli, with 10 clearances, 10 inside 50s, nine tackles and three goals (all in the third quarter) against Richmond. If he wasn’t already well on track, the unfortunate injury to Nick Daicos has the Bulldogs superstar in the box seat to claim a well-deserved Brownlow Medal.

Blake Acres (Carlton)
A player going somewhat under the radar in Carlton’s continued resurgence, Acres was the Blues’ best player against the Saints with a balanced and impactful performance off the wing on Sunday. He was strong all day with 27 touches, 11 marks and two goals, but his last quarter when the game was there to be won was brilliant.

HALF-FORWARDS

Kysaiah Pickett (Melbourne)
A strong return to form for Pickett has made the Demons look a lot more dangerous going forward in recent weeks. With three goals and two assists among eight score involvements, he was the most impactful forward on the ground, and his slick ball-handling stood out as one of the highlights of the match.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (Western Bulldogs)
It’s easy to project forward and get excited about what Ugle-Hagan could do in the future, but the reality is that he is already performing as one of the best, most difficult-to-defend key forwards in the AFL. With four goals in the first term, he effectively ended the game and, in all likelihood, Richmond’s season, and a fifth in the last quarter saw him equal his best haul.

Gryan Miers (Geelong)
Miers’ remarkable record in the goal assist department hit new heights on Saturday night against Port Adelaide, with the wily half-forward dishing off a rarely-seen five, and also booting two majors of his own. One of the most improved players in the competition, he has become an incredibly important component of Geelong’s side.

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FORWARDS

Kyle Langford (Essendon)
What a season it’s been for Langford, with a running tally of 45 goals seeing him sit seventh on the Coleman Medal leaderboard. Booting another five goals to back up his handful in the previous round, he enjoyed a brilliant burst of four in the second quarter as the Bombers built a vital lead, before also slotting the matchwinner with only a minute on the clock.

Darcy Fogarty (Adelaide)
The highly consistent form of the back half of 2022 has largely eluded Fogarty in recent months, but he brought his absolute best against the Suns on Saturday. Not necessarily known for his ball-winning ability, he managed 12 contested possessions from 19 in total, along with three goals, five strong contested grabs and an impressive eight tackles.

Willie Rioli (Port Adelaide)
Rioli made a fantastic return from suspension against Geelong on Saturday night, with the crafty forward’s brilliance in the opening term setting Port Adelaide up for what was a terrific contest. Although he failed to add to his four goals after half-time, he contributed in other ways with three direct assists.

FOLLOWERS

Luke Jackson (Fremantle)
In a performance that exhibited all the traits that made him such a sought-after player at the end of last season, Jackson dominated both the ruck contest and the around-the-ground battle against Brisbane. Equalling his career-best tally with 24 disposals, he also had 44 hitouts, nine score involvements and kicked an important goal.

Tom Green (GWS)
Returning to the side after a three-week injury absence, Green hit the ground running in a performance reminiscent of his work earlier in the season when he was one of the form midfielders in the competition. The dominant inside player in the loss to Sydney, he had 38 disposals (20 contested), 10 tackles and seven clearances.

Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs)
In his 13th season and at the age of 31, Liberatore is absolutely at the peak of his footballing powers, and he bulldozed Richmond’s on-ball unit on Friday night with 12 tackles, 12 inside 50s and 10 clearances. A side with two midfielders in form as good as the Dogs have with Bontempelli and Liberatore is a rare thing.

INTERCHANGE

Ollie Henry (Geelong)
With Rioli booting three first-quarter goals up one end, Henry matched him with the same total in the same timeframe up the other. Helping to fill the breach of the largely-irreplaceable Tom Hawkins, Henry was a good target for the Cats, adding another goal early in the second term and also clocking up 10 score involvements.

Zak Butters (Port Adelaide)
A heart-and-soul performance from a heart-and-soul player, Butters fought valiantly from the midfield against Geelong as the Port Adelaide bench got thinner and thinner. He was excellent from the centre with 30 disposals and 656 metres gained, and his third-quarter goal gave the Power the lead for the first time since early in the first term.

Will Day (Hawthorn)
With a unique blend of height, skill and brilliance in traffic, Day is looking more like a star of the competition every week. Up against the deep and well-drilled Collingwood midfield, he shone above all others and finished with 28 disposals, eight inside 50s and seven clearances. A fan favourite, and with good reason.

Errol Gulden (Sydney)
Taking his talents to the centre square in a more prominent on-ball role, Gulden still managed to be quite comfortably the cleanest and classiest player on the field as he took home the Brett Kirk medal against GWS. Along with a stack of disposals and meterage as per usual, his highlight came with an awesome one-step goal in the final quarter.

STIFF TO MISS
Nic Newman (Carlton), Esava Ratugolea (Geelong), Jarrod Berry (Brisbane), Darcy Parish (Essendon), Hayden McLean (Sydney), Sam Powell-Pepper (Port Adelaide), Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle), Christian Petracca (Melbourne), Tim Kelly (West Coast), Jarrod Witts (Gold Coast).