Dayne Beams has finished the 2018 season equal fifth in the 2018 AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year Award.
Beams tallied a total of 72 Coaches Votes, the highest number of votes for any Lions player this season.
In what was a season filled with many challenges, including the passing of his father and stepping down from his captaincy role, Beams impressed many.
On nine occasions, Beams polled five Coaches Votes or more. Only three players polled five or more votes in more games than Beams, with Patrick Cripps and Tom Mitchell polling five or more in 10 games and Max Gawn in 11 games.
Three times in 2018 Beams received a maximum of 10 votes from the Coaches, the first time being in Round 10 when the Lions took on Sydney at the Gabba.
Beams was again instrumental in the Lions' 65-point win over Carlton at the Gabba in Round 16. Beams put on a midfield masterclass, racking up 40 disposals and one goal to receive the maximum number of Coaches Votes again.
Beams also received 10 Coaches Votes for his best on ground performance in the final QClash of the year. In the Round 22 victory over Gold Coast, Beams was magnificent, winning the Marcus Ashcroft Medal for best afield with 38 disposals and nine clearances.
To wrap up what has been a stellar year for Beams, he was selected in
Dayne Beams is awarded the Marcus-Ashcroft Medal 
The winner of the 2018 AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year Award was Max Gawn of the Melbourne Football Club.
Gawn’s season was record-breaking. He became the first AFL player to record 1000
AFL Coaches Association CEO Mark Brayshaw was quick to congratulate Gawn after his stellar year, lauding the Melbourne ruckman as a worthy winner.
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“We think the Coaches Award is the most prestigious of all the individual Awards in the
“Also, coaches have a unique perspective on what succeeds in each of the 198 games in the AFL’s Home & Away season. Max should be very proud to win this Award.
“AFL ruckman often
Gawn received 97 votes from the AFL coaches, finishing six votes ahead of Cripps (91 votes), with the top-three rounded out by Mitchell (88 votes).
The AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year Award is presented in recognition of the player who has been adjudged as the Champion Player of the Year based on their performance throughout the season, as voted by the Coaches (5,4,3,2,1) on a weekly basis throughout the AFL Season.
LEADERBOARD
97 — MAX GAWN (MELB)
91 — PATRICK CRIPPS (
88 — TOM MITCHELL (HAW)
82 — BRODIE GRUNDY (COLL)
72 —
72 —
72 — CLAYTON
70 — DUSTIN MARTIN (
70 — LACHIE WHITFIELD (GWS)
62 — DYSON HEPPELL (ESS)
The AFL Coaches’ Association votes for Round 23:
BRISBANE V WEST COAST
10 Cripps (WCE), 8 Shuey (WCE), 5 D. Beams (BL), 5 Darling (WCE), 1 Bailey (BL), 1 Masten (WCE)
PORT ADELAIDE V ESSENDON
6 Heppell (Ess), 6 Brown (Ess), 5 Smith (Ess), 4 Francis (Ess), 4 Langford (Ess), 4 Westhoff (PA), 1 Zaharakis (Ess)
GEELONG V GOLD COAST
10 Dangerfield (Geel), 8 Kelly (Geel), 6 J. Selwood (Geel), 2 Ablett (Geel), 2 Duncan (Geel), 2 Hawkins (Geel)
RICHMOND V WESTERN BULLDOGS
10 Macrae (WB), 6 Riewoldt (Rich), 4 Nankervis (Rich), 3 Daniel (WB), 3 Hunter (WB), 3 Martin (Rich), 1 Naughton (WB)
FREMANTLE V COLLINGWOOD
8 Sidebottom (Coll), 6 B. Hill (Frem), 6 Pendlebury (Coll), 4 Grundy (Coll), 4 Neale (Frem), 2 Crisp (Coll)
CARLTON V ADELAIDE
8 McEvoy (Haw), 8 Shiels (Haw), 6 Hewett (Syd), 6 Lloyd (Syd), 1 Mitchell (Haw), 1 Morrison (Haw)
SYDNEY V HAWTHORN
8 Cripps (Carl), 8 Jenkins (Adel), 6 Laird (Adel), 4 Milera (Adel), 3 Atkins (Adel), 1 Gallucci (Adel)
MELBOURNE V GWS
9 Harmes (Melb), 8 Brayshaw (Melb), 7 Gawn (Melb), 2 Petracca (Melb), 2 Salem (Melb), 1 Coniglio (GWS), 1 T McDonald (Melb)
ST KILDA V NORTH MELBOURNE
10 Dumont (NM), 7 Steven (StK), 4 Goldstein (NM), 4 Waite (NM), 3 Higgins (NM), 1 Cunnington (NM), 1 Steele (StK)
