The coaches agreed with the Showdown Medal voting panel in naming Adelaide forward Tom Lynch best afield in Showdown XL on Saturday.
Lynch, 25, kicked a game-high six goals to help guide the Crows to a 58-point win over Port Adelaide.
The AFL’s leading score assist player in 2015, Lynch was involved in 13 Adelaide scores with his 21 possessions against the Power. He also took eight marks, generated five inside 50ms and laid four tackles.
Lynch was one of four players to receive a perfect 10 votes in Round Two, along with fellow goalkickers Alex Fasolo (Collingwood), Jarrad Waite (North Melbourne) and Hawthorn backman (Josh Gibson).
All Australian Eddie Betts was judged the next-best player on the ground by coaches Don Pyke and Ken Hinkley. Betts again proved a handful for the Port Adelaide defenders, bagging five goals from 17 disposals. Like Lynch, he was also involved in 13 Crows scores.
Defensive trio Luke Brown, Rory Laird and Daniel Talia also received some well-earned recognition. Brown and Laird, who both recorded career-high possession counts, each earned five votes.
Brown collected 26 touches while keeping the dangerous Chad Wingard, who finished the game on the bench with a hamstring complaint, to one goal. Laird racked up 33 disposals to top Adelaide’s possession tally. He also took a game-high 12 marks.
Milestone man Daniel Talia, who celebrated his 100th game at Adelaide Oval on the weekend, was the other Crow to receive a vote. Talia combined with fellow tall defenders Kyle Hartigan, Jake Lever and Kyle Cheney to restrict Port Adelaide’s key forwards, Charlie Dixon, Justin Westhoff and first-gamer Dougal Howard, to one goal-combined.
Former Coaches Award winner Robbie Gray (one) was the only Port Adelaide player to collect a vote. Gray was the leading possession-getter on the ground with 37.
Sydney Swans midfielders Luke Parker (19) and Tom Mitchell (15) occupy the top two spots on the overall leaderboard in the AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year award. Western Bulldogs running defender Jason Johannisen, Gold Coast’s Tom Lynch and Essendon midfielder David Zaharakis are tied for third place.
Adelaide Crows v Port Adelaide
10 – Tom Lynch (Adelaide)
8 – Eddie Betts (Adelaide)
5 – Luke Brown (Adelaide)
5 – Rory Laird (Adelaide)
1 – Daniel Talia (Adelaide)
1 – Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)
AFLCA Round Two Leaderboard
19 – Luke Parker (Sydney Swans)
15 – Tom Mitchell (Sydney Swans)
14 – Jason Johannisen (Western Bulldogs)
14 – Tom Lynch (Gold Coast)
14 – David Zaharakis (Essendon)
12 – Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)
12 – Jarrad Waite (North Melbourne)
11 – Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)
11 – Aaron Hall (Gold Coast Suns)
10 – Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong)
10 – Alex Fasolo (Collingwood)
10 – Josh Gibson (Hawthorn)
10 – Kane Lambert (Richmond)
10 – Tom Lynch (Adelaide)
10 – Jack Viney (Melbourne)
