St Kilda star Jack Steven has been rewarded for another stunning performance, with the midfield ace earning nine votes from the coaches following his effort against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night.
Alan Richardson and Luke Beveridge allocated nine of ten votes to the 26-year-old after he produced another best on ground to move up the leaderboard.
Steven is now entrenched in the Coaches Association player of the year leaderboard, sitting in seventh position (60 votes), narrowly ahead of Hawthorn midfielder Sam Mitchell (59 votes) and Sydney midfielder Luke Parker (59 votes).
At Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, Steven acquired a game-high 39 possessions – 11 more than any other player on the ground – 14 contested possessions, seven tackles, six clearances and 386 metres gained.
Western Bulldogs game-breaker Marcus Bontempelli and stalwart defender Sean Dempster both received six votes each.
In his most influential performance of 2016, Dempster shone against the Bulldogs, collecting 23 possessions – 13 intercept possessions – at an efficiency rate of 87 per cent, along with a season-high ten marks.
Captain Nick Riewoldt was awarded five votes for his crucial effort in attack. The six-time Trevor Barker Award winner booted four goals from 19 disposals and ten marks (three marks inside 50).
While St Kilda leaders Jarryn Geary and Maverick Weller rounded out the votes with two apiece. Along with Dempster, Geary produced a standout performance down back, while Weller provided a strong leading target between the arcs, allowing Riewoldt to play closer to home and impact the scoreboard.
After 18 rounds, Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield (85 votes) has wrestled back the lead from former Adelaide teammate Rory Sloane (80 votes) after earning seven votes on Saturday night. Richmond midfielder Dustin Martin rounds out the podium (79 votes).
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Round 18 AFL Coaches Association Votes
Western Bulldogs v St Kilda
9 Jack Steven
6 Marcus Bontempelli
6 Sean Dempster
5 Nick Riewoldt
2 Jarryn Geary
2 Maverick Weller
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