Eddie Betts has rocketed into the top 10 of the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year award after earning maximum votes in Adelaide’s 46-point win over St Kilda.
Betts whipped the Adelaide Oval crowd into a frenzy on Saturday afternoon, slotting six goals and taking a Mark of the Year contender. The electrifying performance earned the in-form small forward a perfect 10 votes from Phil Walsh and Alan Richardson.
Betts, who sits second in the Coleman Medal race with 26 goals, has polled 22 coaches’ votes in his last three games, where he’s kicked bags of five, five and six, respectively.
St Kilda spearhead Josh Bruce was adjudged the next-best player on the ground. Bruce, who kicked five of his team’s 10 goals and took a game-high 12 marks, collected six votes.
Adelaide ball winners Scott Thompson and David Mackay each earned four votes. Thompson was the game’s leading-possession getter, racking up 35 touches to go with nine clearances and five tackles. Mackay excelled after being shifted into defence, where he amassed 24 disposals and two rebound 50ms.
Sam Jacobs (three votes) was rewarded for being the dominant ruckman. Jacobs won 40 hit-outs, four more than St Kilda’s total (36), and also found plenty of the ball, finishing with 23 touches.
Utility Rory Laird received votes from the coaches for a second straight week. Laird, who received two votes on Saturday, collected 26 possessions and a team-high 10 marks. He also played a defensive role on dangerous Saint Jack Steven for part of the match. St Kilda ball magnet David Armitage, who topped his team’s possession count with 31, rounded out the voting with one.
Fremantle star Nat Fyfe holds a remarkable 22-vote lead after seven rounds. Fyfe earned another eight votes in Freo’s narrow win over the Western Bulldogs. Sydney Swans onballer Dan Hannebery is in second spot on 36 votes, four ahead of Armitage, Brownlow Medallist Matt Priddis and Greater Western Sydney star Dylan Shiel, who are tied on 32.
ADELAIDE CROWS V ST KILDA
10 – Eddie Betts (Adel)
6 – Josh Bruce (StK)
4 – David Mackay (Adel)
4 – Scott Thompson (Adel)
3 – Sam Jacobs (Adel)
2 – Rory Laird (Adel)
1 – David Armitage (StK)
OVERALL LEADERBOARD
58 – Nat Fyfe (Frem)
36 – Dan Hannebery (Syd)
32 – David Armitage (StK)
32 – Matt Priddis (WCE)
32 – Dylan Shiel (GWS)
30 – Scott Pendlebury (Coll)
29 – Josh Kennedy (Syd)
27 – Tom McDonald (Melb)
25 – Eddie Betts (Adel)
23 – David Mundy (Frem)
