COLLINGWOOD veteran Steele Sidebottom has joined teammate Nick Daicos at the top of the leaderboard in the Sharp EIT Solutions AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award after a perfect 10-vote game on Anzac Day.
Sidebottom is enjoying a career resurgence in 2025 and his 10 votes against Essendon in round seven, while Daicos picked up five, has moved the pair to 34 votes each for the season.
They are one ahead of Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw, who also got 10 votes in his side’s win over Adelaide on Friday.
Melbourne skipper Max Gawn, Brisbane star Lachie Neale, Port Adelaide gun Zak Butters and Gold Coast youngster Bailey Humphrey also picked up 10 votes.
Collingwood (Daicos and Sidebottom), Fremantle (Brayshaw and Caleb Serong), Port Adelaide (Butters and Connor Rozee) and Brisbane (Neale and Hugh McCluggage) each have two players in the top 10 on the leaderboard.
Despite missing the first four games of the season, Butters has picked up a remarkable 29 votes in three games to sit equal sixth.
Western Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli has also made a strong return from injury, getting the most votes in each of his two games of the season so far.
Every week, the two senior coaches for each game give votes on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, meaning 10 votes is the maximum a player can get in each round.
The player with the most votes at the end of the home and away season will win the Sharp EIT Solutions AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award.
Melbourne v Richmond
10 Max Gawn MELB
8 Christian Petracca MELB
6 Jake Bowey MELB
2 Christian Salem MELB
2 Tom Sparrow MELB
1 Thomson Dow RICH
1 Nick Vlastuin RICH
