Brisbane gun Will Ashcroft has continued to clean up the finals titles, winning the 2025 Gary Ayres Award as the best-performing player across September in the eyes of the coaches.
Heading into the Grand Final, Ashcroft trailed leader Jai Newcombe's total of 18 by five votes, with Saturday's clash between Brisbane and Geelong likely to see a winner crowned from that contest.
Grand Final voting has a 1.5x multiplier, making more than a dozen players from the Grand Final in line to beat Newcombe for the award.
Ashcroft came 1.5 votes shy of a perfect match, polling 13.5 votes in the Grand Final to finish on 26.5 votes, coming in four votes ahead of defender Harris Andrews.
Andrews polled 10.5 votes as the Lions claimed all of the plaudits from the two coaches, with Zac Bailey, Jaspa Fletcher, Hugh McCluggage, Darcy Gardiner and Charlie Cameron also polling.
The final leaderboard sees Newcombe finish in third overall, while Geelong's Mark Blicavs (11 votes), Patrick Dangerfield (10) and Ollie Dempsey (9), as well as Collingwood's Darcy Moore (10) and Caleb Serong (10) all featured in the top 10.
Ashcroft's title adds to his Norm Smith Medal and Zero Hanger Finals MVP for 2025, while he took out both awards last year before coming third in the 2024 Gary Ayres Award voting.
Grand Final Gary Ayres Award Voting
13.5 Will Ashcroft (Brisbane)
10.5 Harris Andrews (Brisbane)
7.5 Zac Bailey (Brisbane)
4.5 Jaspa Fletcher (Brisbane)
4.5 Hugh McCluggage (Brisbane)
3 Darcy Gardiner (Brisbane)
1.5 Charlie Cameron (Brisbane)
Final Leaderboard
26.5 Will Ashcroft (Brisbane)
22.5 Harris Andrews (Brisbane)
18 Jai Newcombe (Hawthorn)
17.5 Hugh McCluggage (Brisbane)
11.5 Zac Bailey (Brisbane)
11 Mark Blicavs (Geelong)
10 Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong)
10 Darcy Moore (Collingwood)
10 Caleb Serong (Fremantle)
9 Oliver Dempsey (Geelong)
8 Finn Callaghan (Greater Western Sydney)
8 Josh Dunkley (Brisbane)
8 Jack Gunston (Hawthorn)
7 Jordan De Goey (Collingwood)
7 Blake Hardwick (Hawthorn)
7 Tom Stewart (Geelong)
6 Matt Rowell (Gold Coast)
6 Bailey Smith (Geelong)
5 Nick Daicos (Collingwood)
5 Tom Green (Greater Western Sydney)
