Adelaide youngster Riley Thilthorpe celebrates one of his five goals against Port Adelaide on Saturday night. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
FULL BACKS
Jake Kelly (Essendon)
The former Crow was a standout for the Bombers in their loss to St Kilda, contributing what was possibly his best performance in red and black. Kelly collected 29 touches, of which 16 were intercepts – clearly the most of any player in round three – as well as nabbing 11 marks.
Jack Buckley (GWS)
After missing all of 2022 with a knee injury, the versatile defender has made a strong start to his return season. Buckley was one of the Giants’ best against Carlton, holding Harry McKay goalless for just the third time in the last three seasons. Contesting a remarkable 12 one-on-ones for the day, Buckley won or halved all but two.
Callum Wilkie (St Kilda)
Standing in for Jack Steele as skipper for the Saints’ 150th year showpiece match, Wilkie rose to the occasion to come away as one of the best players on the ground. He always knew when to leave his man and when to stay and defend, with seven of Wilkie’s 13 marks intercepts, and his body work rock solid as always.
HALF-BACKS
Nic Newman (Carlton)
A brilliant game from Newman, who has become a reliable contributor in Michael Voss’ defensive set-up. Not only did he perform a total shutdown job on the in-form Toby Greene, who had just four touches for the match, he also contributed in attack with 24 touches at 88 per cent efficiency.
Harris Andrews (Brisbane)
The new Lions co-captain has come under fire in recent times, but showed why he is still a top-line defender of the AFL with a strong showing on Thursday night. With the Dogs looking to control the air, Andrews was their biggest impediment as he reeled in 16 marks, of which four were contested.
Liam Baker (Richmond)
The cleanest Tiger in tricky conditions on Friday night, Baker did plenty of mopping up in the defensive half against Collingwood, finishing the game with a round-high 10 rebound 50s. Richmond’s resurgence during the middle part of the match was led by the diminutive defender, as he repeatedly won crucial contests.
CENTRES
Josh Daicos (Collingwood)
The elder Daicos was once again one of the standout wingmen of the round, with his drive from the MCG periphery proving a challenge for the defensively-minded Richmond midfield. Not afraid to get his hands dirty, Daicos also managed seven clearances at the coalface, which equals his career best.
Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
A career-high 42 disposals (20 contested) as well as 13 clearances saw Cripps back to his dominant Brownlow Medal form of 2022. The Carlton captain started strongly with 13 touches in the first term, before helping to finish off a plucky GWS with some crucial stoppage work in the last.
Mason Wood (St Kilda)
Wood’s great form as a wingman continued on Saturday night as he picked up 27 touches, including some big moments in the final term. As has happened so often through his career when in a patch of hot form, he unfortunately went down with injury late in the match, and his absence will be a much more significant blow than many would have thought prior to round one.
HALF-FORWARDS
Dylan Moore (Hawthorn)
Moore had an excellent day against North Melbourne, with the hard-working half-forward playing with high intensity throughout the match. With two goals and two assists among his 26 touches, he was a constant danger up forward as a link-up player between half-back and attack.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (Western Bulldogs)
On what was a storied night for the young key forward, Ugle-Hagan stood up from the word go and played one of the best matches of his short career. With five goals, including the first and last of the match, he made the most of every opportunity with a showcase of guts and skill.
Jack Lukosius (Gold Coast)
In a game where skills were severely lacking on both sides, Lukosius stood out with his clever play. His five-goal haul was spread across all four quarters, the highlight coming in the last when he nailed a set shot from more than 70 metres out. Some strong contested marking was also a feature of his performance.
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FORWARDS
Jack Higgins (St Kilda)
Higgins was a significant danger on Saturday night, as St Kilda’s ragtag forward line again did the job, booting 14 goals to take victory over Essendon. With four of his own and two more direct assists, the lively Saint buzzed around the forward 50 creating scoring opportunities and providing defensive pressure.
Riley Thilthorpe (Adelaide)
Unlucky not to be named the Showdown medallist, Thilthorpe monstered the shaky Port Adelaide defence on Saturday night on the way to a bag of five. Among his haul was a cracking over-the-head goal – the second such trick of his short career – and some scores at important junctures in the game.
Izak Rankine (Adelaide)
Playing in his first Showdown, the mercurial forward did the spectacular and the grunt work in equal measure, finishing with four goals and three inside-50 tackles. Rankine has always been a moments player, but now the moments are coming far more frequently within a match. He is invigorating his new club.
FOLLOWERS
Jarrod Witts (Gold Coast)
Any of Gold Coast’s midfield brigade could have easily taken their place in this team, but their utter dominance over the Cats in stoppage and clearance on Sunday was largely down to the work of their skipper in the ruck. Witts won 35 hitouts against old teammate Jon Ceglar, of which 15 were to direct advantage, and contributed four clearances of his own.
Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
A dogged and determined performance from the Bulldogs captain, who made it clear from the early stages of the match that he was not going to be walking off the field with another loss. Playing a more prominent midfield role, Bontempelli was central in big moments throughout four quarters, with his attack and defence beautifully balanced.
Jordan De Goey (Collingwood)
De Goey continues his outstanding start to the season as the centrepiece of a deep and diverse Collingwood midfield. He was far too quick for the Tigers out of the middle, with nine clearances and nine inside 50s highlighting his impact. Only a few blemishes in front of goal prevented this being one of his best handful of games.
INTERCHANGE
Will Day (Hawthorn)
Hawks coach Sam Mitchell has been quick to point out that last year’s tough calls on senior midfielders have enabled more opportunities for the likes of Day, and with the young star playing as well as he is, it’s a pretty easy sell. He had more of the ball than anyone in Launceston on Saturday, and was the most effective player in Hawthorn’s scoring chains.
Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)
Oliver may have had 12 fewer disposals against Sydney than he did in round two, but his influence on the contest was far greater. The star midfielder moved the ball Melbourne’s way with pace and purpose, clocking up nine score involvements from his – by his standards – small number of touches. His cracking running goal was also a highlight of the match.
Lachie Weller (Gold Coast)
The return of Lachie Weller has been a fantastic one, with the smooth-running defender slotting back into the Suns’ 22 and looking completely undiminished by the knee injury that saw him miss the second half of 2022. After a strong showing in round two, Weller stepped it up a notch to be one of the most damaging players on the ground in the big win over Geelong.
Caleb Serong (Fremantle)
Serong took home his second Glendinning-Allen Medal after a comprehensive midfield performance in Fremantle’s win over West Coast. With the Dockers’ midfield group heavily criticised during the week, Serong responded with a highly influential, attacking game as he racked up 35 touches, eight tackles, eight clearances and 12 inside 50s.
STIFF TO MISS
Ed Richards (Western Bulldogs), Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs), Billy Frampton (Collingwood), Tom Stewart (Geelong), Sean Darcy (Fremantle), Sam Switkowski (Fremantle), Josh Kelly (GWS), Brodie Grundy (Melbourne), Christian Petracca (Melbourne), Tyler Brockman (Hawthorn).
