The AFL Players’ Association (AFLPA) have announced the 48 players nominated by their teammates as the most valuable in the competition this year.
Every AFL player voted for the three teammates whose form warranted consideration for the prestigious Leigh Matthews Trophy for Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Captain Jonathan Brown, Vice-Captain Simon Black and ruckman Mitch Clark are the three nominees from the Lions.
Now all AFL players will vote as to which of the 48 nominees (three from each club) deserves to be this years Most Valuable Player. Players cannot vote for their own teammates.
Each player will also vote on the other award categories: Most Courageous Player, Best First Year Player and the Best Captain.
Brown earned a second nomination as 'Best Capatin' while Troy Selwood is the Lions' representative in the 'Most Courageous Player' category.
Young gun Daniel Rich looks almost certain to take home another award after being nominated as the Club's Best First Year Player.
The AFLPA Most Valuable Player Awards are the only awards determined by players themselves. The winner will be announced on Monday 7 September at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 from 930pm.
This year’s nominations include an impressive list of return nominees and first time nominations, and some interesting inclusions across all categories. The awards to be presented are as follows:
The Most Valuable Player (Leigh Matthews Trophy) – presented by Medibank Private: Since it was first awarded to Leigh Matthews in 1982, the MVP has been won by true champions of the competition. Versatility, ability to play under pressure, skill, leadership, courage, respect for all players, and overall value to a team, are all qualities found in the MVP.
The Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Award: The recipients of the Robert Rose ‘Most Courageous Player Award’ are selfless, committed and fiercely loyal.
The Best Captain Award: Each captain has identifiable qualities which have made them team leaders. Given the opportunity, most players would not hesitate to say their captain is the best in the league. But what if they had to vote for any captain but their own?
The Best First Year Player Award: The AFLPA recognize the difficulty first year players must overcome and as such struck the Best First Year Player Award in 1999.
The Education and Training Excellence Award: Each year the AFLPA seeks to recognise a player who has managed to excel in the combination of further education with their AFL careers.
The Grant Hattam Trophy: Since 1999, the AFLPA has recognised excellence in football journalism by awarding the Grant Hattam Trophy to the creator of the best piece of football journalism from the players' perspective.
LEIGH MATTHEWS TROPHY FOR MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
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Adelaide
Scott Thompson
Tyson Edwards
Nathan Bock
Brisbane
Jonathan Brown
Simon Black
Mitch Clark
Carlton
Chris Judd
Marc Murphy
Bryce Gibbs
Collingwood
Dane Swan
Simon Prestigiacomo
Alan Didak
Essendon
Patrick Ryder
Jobe Watson
Dustin Fletcher
Fremantle
Matthew Pavlich
Aaron Sandilands
Paul Duffield
Geelong
Joel Selwood
Gary Ablett
Corey Enright
Hawthorn
Sam Mitchell
Cyril Rioli
Brad Sewell
North Melbourne
Scott Thompson
Hamish McIntosh
Andrew Swallow
Melbourne
Aaron Davey
Brent Maloney
Cameron Bruce
Port Adelaide
Domenic Cassisi
Jacob Surjan
Kane Cornes
Richmond
Daniel Jackson
Chris Newman
Ben Cousins
St Kilda
Nick Riewoldt
Leigh Montagna
Lenny Hayes
Sydney
Darren Jolly
Ryan O’Keefe
Adam Goodes
West Coast Eagles
Darren Glass
Mark LeCras
Matthew Priddis
Western Bulldogs
Matthew Boyd
Brian Lake
Daniel Cross
ROBERT ROSE AWARD FOR MOST COURAGEOUS PLAYER
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Adelaide
Patrick Dangerfield
Brisbane
Troy Selwood
Carlton
Simon Wiggins
Collingwood
Nick Maxwell
Essendon
Andrew Welsh
Fremantle
Dean Solomon
Geelong
Joel Selwood
Hawthorn
Luke Hodge
North Melbourne
Andrew Swallow
Melbourne
Brad Green
Port Adelaide
Dominic Cassisi
Richmond
Chris Newman
St Kilda
Lenny Hayes
Sydney
Brett Kirk
West Coast Eagles
Darren Glass
Western Bulldogs
Daniel Cross
BEST CAPTAIN AWARD
Adelaide
Simon Goodwin
Brisbane
Jonathan Brown
Carlton
Chris Judd
Collingwood
Nick Maxwell
Essendon
Matthew Lloyd
Fremantle
Matthew Pavlich
Geelong
Tom Harley
Hawthorn
Sam Mitchell
North Melbourne
Brent Harvey
Melbourne
James McDonald
Port Adelaide
Dominic Cassisi
Richmond
Chris Newman
St Kilda
Nick Riewoldt
Sydney
Craig Bolton
Adam Goodes
Brett Kirk
West Coast Eagles
Darren Glass
Western Bulldogs
Brad Johnson
BEST FIRST YEAR PLAYER AWARD
Adelaide
Taylor Walker
Brisbane
Daniel Rich
Carlton
Aaron Jospeh
Collingwood
Dayne Beams
Essendon
Michael Hurley
Fremantle
Greg Broughton
Geelong
Tom Gillies
Hawthorn
Liam Shiels
North Melbourne
Jack Ziebell
Melbourne
Jamie Bennell
Port Adelaide
Hamish Hartlett
Richmond
Robin Nahas
St Kilda
Tom Lynch
Sydney
Brett Meredith
West Coast Eagles
Nick Naitanui
Western Bulldogs
Liam Picken
