With eight rounds of football officially in the books for the 2023 AFL season, plenty of players have made their mark on the competition already.

Young Pie Nick Daicos has emerged as a Brownlow favourite in just his second season and looks to be topping Collingwood's best and fairest count, while plenty of others have had standout seasons for their clubs.

After nearly two months of footy, we've taken a look at where each club's best and fairest count stands, naming the favourites for the award so far, with part three of the series covering Port Adelaide through to the Western Bulldogs.

READ PART 1 HERE
READ PART 2 HERE

3. St Kilda

Conversely to Richmond, St Kilda have enjoyed a surprisingly hot start to their second stint under Ross Lyon, sitting in the top four after eight matches, albeit after two dour showings against Port Adelaide and North Melbourne.

The Saints are another side with plenty of best & fairest contention roaming around, and All-Australian Jack Sinclair as the probable front-runner.

With over 28 disposals per game, it is the damage with ball in hand, line-breaking and intercepting ability that has him regarded as one of the competition's best attacking defenders and a threat to every opposition.

Off the wing, Mason Wood has potentially led the vote count through the first six or seven matches, playing essentially every role on the field thanks to his elite work rate. When helping out in defence, he showcases his dominant aerial ability. Through the middle, his ball use and pressure is top quality. Up forward, he is a constant threat with his ability to ping it from outside 50 at any time. He looks a likely candidate for an All-Australian wing position as well as a best & fairest contender if he can sustain his performance so far.

Behind these two, Callum Wilkie is a third All-Australian candidate thanks to his defensive dominance so far this season. While he was already elite last year, he has evidently taken his game to another level under Lyon, winning more contests and hitting more targets than previously.

Finally, Mitch Owens is a real smokey for the Rising Star Award after his start to the season. His four goals against Gold Coast came in a clear-cut best-on-ground performance and he has already become a valuable utility in this young Saints side. Playing ruck one week and forward the next, he is quickly developing into one of the most versatile players in the AFL and a potential superstar of the future.